(Brenna Angel/Lexington Police)–When Lexington Public Safety Commissioner Ken Armstrong was a police supervisor teaching officers about Community Policing, he stressed the importance of PAP: being Personable, Approachable, and Professional.

“I would say, just think of Howard Florence. It’s true.”

Armstrong recounted that story during a celebration for Officer Florence, affectionately known as HoFlo, who retired from the Lexington Police Department on October 14 following 26 years of service. Mayor Linda Gorton, Chief Lawrence Weathers, and several officers and community leaders joined in the bittersweet send-off.

“Officer Florence has been an incredible asset to downtown Lexington,” said Laura Farnsworth, director of events for the Downtown Lexington Partnership. “His commitment over the years has made him a recognizable fixture downtown, both as a part of the ‘Bike Unit’ and providing security during events such as Thursday Night Live. Downtown certainly won’t be the same without HoFlo on duty!”

A Lexington native, Howard Florence graduated from Bryan Station High School. He served in the Army and attended New Mexico State University before returning to Lexington. Florence first started working with Lexington Police in 1993 as a Traffic Safety Officer, then graduated from the police academy in 1994.

During his career, Florence worked in the bureaus of Patrol and Special Operations. As downtown Lexington grew and experienced a revitalization of weekend events and nightlife, the police department assigned more officers to the area. That led to the creation of the Downtown Entertainment District Unit, often called the Bike Unit.

“I like the downtown environment, I like being outside,” Florence said in a recent interview. “I enjoy getting to know the business owners downtown, interacting with visitors, and also tackling some of the challenges that a downtown urban environment brings.”

Florence also liked being on two wheels. Cycling became his hobby while living in New Mexico, so having a bike as his primary mode of transportation at work was a perfect fit.

“It makes us a lot more approachable to people. When you’re in police a cruiser, and you’ve got your window rolled up and you’re in traffic, you can’t interact with the public the way I think an urban environment needs you to be accessible.”

Being accessible involves talking to a wide range of people. One minute a downtown officer could be helping a visitor with parking directions, and the next they could be responding to a person who has overdosed. Florence said daily interactions with individuals affected by homelessness, experiencing addiction or some type of crisis has been challenging yet rewarding work.

“You just treat everybody with the same respect that you would expect to be treated with,” Florence said. “I enjoy that challenge quite a bit, especially helping people with severe mental illness. Anybody can be affected by that So really seeing their struggles, and trying to do what you can to help them, that’s probably, in the past two to three years, what I’ve really enjoyed the most.”

At the end of a long day of work, many police officers want to get far away from the sounds of sirens and a bustling city. But Florence genuinely enjoys exploring Lexington’s urban restaurant scene in his free time and is considered the go-to expert for all things happening downtown. He plans to still be a downtown regular, even in retirement.

“Being downtown really kind of invigorated me in my later years to see and do another type of police work. That’s the good thing about police work in general, but especially here, is that there are so many different opportunities. … This is a great place to work.”

Florence said he will miss his fellow officers and the people he’s worked with over the years. But he isn’t going far; Florence has accepted a position working security at the United States Bankruptcy Court.

At the retirement celebration, Mayor Gorton proclaimed October 14, 2019 as Officer Howard Florence Day in Lexington. Members of the Downtown Entertainment District Unit presented Florence with a special shadow box, complete with his bicycle uniform shirt and a pair of white socks (which he was known to wear with black shoes).

Florence is a shining example of a personable, approachable, and professional officer, but even with more than a quarter-century of service with Lexington Police, he said he’s always learning something new.

“It really doesn’t matter how long you’ve been here, you can always learn from watching other people. You just need to do the right thing. Whatever it is, do the right thing.”