New NPB Public Safety Director Reflects on 27 Years with FBI (WD) 11-22-78ATWAT R JOHN
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By Harold Flachsbart
Between Notre Dame University and North Palm Beach,
that village's new Director of Public Safety has touched
many hot spots in, the United States in a 27 -year career with
the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
John Stafford Atwater, a soft-spoken energetic
55 -year-old native Floridian who stands 5-11 and weighs a
trim 193, has been on the job as DPS only a short time. But
he communicates well with his staff of 30 sworn officers,
"ij-icluding me."
Atwater, a - North Palm Beach resident since 1965,
succeeded John J. McGuire, who retired, effective Nov. 15.
The new "Chief," even though not a chief of police, because
there is no police force, previously spent most of FBI years
in Washington -Baltimore, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Miami
and West Palm Beach, this area since May, 1965.
"Highpoints of those busy years in the FBI would have to
be the arrests of two of ti -!e 10 most wanted men in the
country at that given time," Atwater said in a relaxed
interview with WeekDay.
"One was the arrest of Gary Garrison, who was wanted
for multiple murder charges and at least two prison breaks.
We got him in Clayton, Mo., and I guess I don't have to tell
you (a former St. Louisan) that Clayton's a suburb of St.
Louis. I spent 10 years of my 27 with the FBI in St. Louis.
`And I'm ashamed to say, I don't remember the name of
the other of the `10 most wanted.' But. he was charged with
embezzling millions of dollars and properties in the Palm
Beach area. That wasn't such a big news story, however, as
that of the Greenlease kidnaping case in October, 1953.
"You certainly remember that one, don't you? Not only
the St. Louis newspapers gave heavy coverage to the
kidnaping of Bobby Greenlease, but so did all the big
metropolitan papers all over the nation.
' `I was in the team arresting Bonnie Hardy and Carl
Austin Hall, and both were later convicted and died in the
electric chair in Jefferson City, Mo. We also helped solve
and arrested Paul Krist for the kidnapping of Barbara
Mackie in December, 1969. "
Guarding presidents of the United States is the job of the
Secret Service, but Chief Atwater remembers that he once
was called to help guard President Lyndon Johnson. "But I
guess I helped protect hundreds of Florida state politicians
along the -route some time or another," Atwater said.
Asked why he attended Notre Dame before and after his
stint in the service during World War II (Air Corps, it was
called then), the new NPB "chief" recalled that quite a few
young men from his home town of St. Augustine (population
1300 about 1940) went to ND in that era.
"The big thing, I guess, was the fact that my older
brother went to Notre Dame," Atwater said. "I enrolled in
1941, went into the Air Corps in '42, and tfien returned after
the war, and graduated in 1948. I applied for an FBI job but
there were no openings, so I took a iob with a chain retail
store and moved five times in- three years from Daytona
Beach to places in Virginia and Maryland.
"Finally in 1951 I learned from a friend in Salisbury, Md. ,
that openings were available for FBI duty in the fall of 1951.
I started in January, 1952, so my work in the East, St. Louis,
Oklahoma City and southeast Florida has lasted just two
months short of 27 years."
Atwater's job in North Palm Beach, where the
Department of Public Safety does the job of policemen,
firemen and emergency -medical crews, will be to oversee
those three departments.
Chief Atwater is married to the former Patricia Howard
Hardee and they have six children ranging in age from 29 to
16. All but the high schooler have attended the University of
Florida through various years.
Mrs. Atwater is a tennis pro of high stature and has had
good success in teaching in this area.
The new director says the concept of a Department of
Public Safety seems to be the ideal way to handle police and
related work because of the size of North Palm .Beach village
(about 15,000) and the type of residents and the strict
building codes.
"This wouldn't work in a city the size of West Palm
Beach, but for us it should be ideal," Atwater said. "I'm
looking forward to the challenge and hope I do a real good
DIRECTOR -- AND
CHIEF TOO. John Staf-
ford Atwater's title
is Director of public
safety in North Palm
Beach but the
people in Town
Hall call hien
"Chief."
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