Plummer ends five-decade career in law enforcement Outspoken Alameda County sheriff started with Berkeley police in 1952 By Chris Metinko STAFF WRITER - THE MONTCLARION After more than 50 years in one career, it's not uncommon to think about what one would have done differently. Monday, on his last day on the job, Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer had his own thoughts. After a retirement ceremony that included helicopter flyovers, bagpipes and what seemed like thousands of handshakes, the former Berkeley and Hayward chief of police sat in his office afterward and voiced that one regret. "I wish I would have hit some people harder during the riots," said Plummer, speaking of the riots in Berkeley in the late-1960s. "I regret that." It was a fitting answer for a man who has made a 54-year career not just out of law enforcement, but also out of speaking exactly what was on his mind -- usually using the kind of spicy language shied away from by most public offi
Oakland Focus News Blog | Oakland News Online Blog - Oakland CAs first true blog, est 2004