Sgt. Kevin Rorie says the final call wasn't planned.
After 20 years on the force, Sgt. Kevin Rorie was overcome with emotion as he signed off one last time for the Lassen County Sheriff's Department in California.
Getting into his car Saturday, Sgt. Rorie said, "I don’t know if I can do this." As he stared out the window, he appeared to contemplate his career and what he was going to say.
He picked up the radio and signed off for the final time, breathing heavy and eventually breaking down in tears.
As he struggled to speak into the radio, he told dispatch, "It has been an incredible journey and I have been proud to wear the badge."
He gave his last transmission and thanked everyone for their help over the years.
"That whole thing wasn't planned," Sgt. Rorie told InsideEdition.com. "My crew did that for me. That was a last-minute thing because technically my retirement date isn't until July, July 5th. So it was a last-moment thing so it was pretty emotional. I wasn't hesitant — I was just choked up about it, not prepared .I didn't have much time to rehearse because it was spur of the moment. I had a few other thoughts I wanted to share, but I couldn't."
Dispatch replied, thanking him for "20 years of faithful and dedicated service," and wishing him an enjoyable retirement.
He said wasn’t sure what he was thinking anything once dispatch thanked him, but did say he felt like "a big baby."
The emotional final broadcast was recorded by colleagues and posted to Facebook over the weekend. It has been viewed nearly 500,000 times.
Sgt. Rorie says he and his wife are not on social media and discovered it was posted through his daughter, who has a Facebook account.
“When she said this went viral I wasn't sure what that meant," he admitted. "So she had to explain that to me what going viral means. But I was really touched, overwhelmed by the response. I got a lot of text messages from friends and family, but other than that it was quite a shock."
The humble sergeant said the video wasn’t about him but for the law enforcement community and his colleagues.
“The video truly, that whole thing wasn't about me," he added. "That was about all law enforcement. It was truly about my crew that did that for me, so I can't take credit for that."
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