Clearwater Police Bid Farewell To Former Police Chief

CLEARWATER, FL – Members of the Clearwater Police Department said their goodbyes to former Police Chief Willis D. Booth during funeral services Saturday, Aug. 12.

Booth died at the age of 93. He served as Clearwater’s chief of police for 11 years.

Born Nov. 12, 1924, in Safety Harbor, he graduated from Clearwater High School in 1942. He joined the Clearwater Police Department as a patrolman on Sept. 6,1947, and became a sergeant two years later. In 1953, he was promoted to captain. He became the chief in 1957.

Booth retired from the police department in 1968 and went to work as the assistant director of the Florida Bureau of Law Enforcement, now known as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, where he was employed until 1984. After that, he served as executive director of the Florida Police Chiefs Association from 1984 to 1991.

Throughout his retirement, he served as a mentor to many law enforcement agencies and personnel. In May 2016, he was named to the inaugural class of the Florida Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame.

"Chief Booth was an invaluable asset to the Clearwater Police Department, as well as countless other law enforcement agencies across the state of Florida," said current Police Chief Dan Slaughter, who was with Booth in 2016 when he was inducted. "He will be missed."

Images via Clearwater Police

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