The Roanoker - May/June 2014 - 38

and traffic wreck investigator. He's now a
property crime detective, investigating larcenies and burglaries. He was also in one
of the original field training classes and in
1985, founded the Blue Ridge Traffic Safety
Board.

Gary Hostetter: "You turn someone's bad day around, that's rewarding."

Hopkins credits most of his success to
his wife of 44 years. After he met her father,
who was in law enforcement, it only made
him want to join the force more.
"My wife has been my rock through the
entire process. She's my biggest hero. She's
stood by me through thick and thin, guides
me in my career, and cares for our daughter
24/7, 365 days a year."
With so many years of experience, Hopkins has also seen technology and equipment change, as well as the method of investigation. Social media works well with
the community because they might know
the victim or suspect and reach out to other
citizens to help our endeavors.
"It's been an exciting journey with upgrades and technology, but the bottom line
is that technology doesn't mean jack unless
you go knocking on doors and going after
the answers," says Hopkins.
Despite being 61 years old with such
experience, he still has no plans for retirement for at least another five years. Hopkins is one of the best people to give advice
to rookies and his advice is also the simplest: Keep by the golden rule of treating
everyone the way you want to be treated
if you were in their position. He doesn't
apply that rule only to citizens while on
the job, either. When a former officer was
injured during an off-duty arrest, resulting
in paralysis, Hopkins jumped in to help.
Hopkins created shirts that were sold to

38 MAY/JUNE 2014

DAVID HUNGATE

"It's been an exciting journey
with upgrades and technology, but the bottom line is that
technology doesn't mean
jack unless you go knocking
on doors and going after the
answers."

make money in order to remodel the officer's home.
Going above and beyond has made Hopkins recognized in other ways. In 2012, he
received the Detective of the Year award,
a peer-based vote. While he believes he's
only doing what he's supposed to do - his
job - it's gratifying to know his coworkers respect and appreciate his skills and
hard work.
"I've learned so much in 40 years. I've
always thought if you go to work and back
home without learning anything, you
might as well stay home!"

ROANOKE COUNTY FIRE/EMS

Gary Hostetter
Guns and Hoses, arguably one of the biggest fundraisers of the year, is all thanks to
one man: Gary Hostetter. A firefighter of
20 years, he started this event back in 2004.
Ten years later, they've raised more than
$136,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), the charity of choice for
the International Association of Firefighters.
Guns and Hoses came about thanks to
Hostetter's hobby of playing recreational
hockey with friends and coworkers. He
THE

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