Retiring Hingham Police Sgt. David Horte
By Carol Britton Meyer, April 9, 2019
A crowd of fellow officers and other well-wishers gathered in the Hingham Police Department Squad Room recently on the occasion of Sgt. David Horte's retirement after nearly 32 years of service, including his wife, Hillary, and mother, Christine, who are proud of his accomplishments.
His mother was also proud to see her son be sworn in on his first day and to also be present for his last-shift celebration.
He joined HPD in September 1987 and served as a patrol officer for 19 years before being promoted to sergeant in 2006. He finished his career as the 4 p.m. to midnight sergeant.
Horte also served in MetroLEC (Metropolitan Law Enforcement), a regional mutual aid facilitator formed by 45 police agencies in the Boston area. MetroLec pools its resources to provide SWAT, canine, hostage negotiation, computer crimes, motorcycle, and other units throughout the area.
Horte also served as traffic sergeant, backup prosecutor, chairman of the Hingham Traffic Committee, a fire arms instructor, and dept. armorer and spent a year as an acting lieutenant.
Police Chief Glenn Olsson recalled that "times were different" when Horte joined the HPD. "At that time it was difficult to get hired as a police officer. When Dave's name came down as a candidate he decided not to accept the signup. He said he wanted to finish his college degree," Olsson said. "I and others couldn't understand why he would do that. He was a little ahead of his time, and when I look back that was a great decision. He finished his degree in law enforcement and was hired the next time around."
Horte enjoys the outdoors and the sport of shooting. "When the MetroLec Council unit was first formed, Dave was one the five officers from Hingham to join," Olsson said. "Dave honed his skills in firearms and tracking. He served as longtime member of the MetroLEC SWAT team as a sniper and leader on the search and rescue team."
Being part of the MetroLEC team is an honor, Olsson said, "and Dave and the other Hingham members were really good at bringing back and sharing the knowledge they learned with the other Hingham officers. Dave has a great interest in gadgets and new technology. I know over the years he took a ribbing from his fellow officers, myself included. He always took it well."
Olsson and fellow police officers wish Horte well in his retirement. "He has got a bug for boats and saltwater fishing, and I am looking forward to doing some fishing with him as a friend, not a boss," he said with a smile.