With just two days remaining as an active member of the Batavia Police Department, Sgt. Don Hubbard hardly seems like a man about to retire from one career to devote himself full time to another.
But at age 43 with 21 years on the force, including more than five as a detective with the investigative team, Hubbard is preparing to shift gears from being a law enforcer to being a law practitioner.
“It’s actually a natural progression, going from a police officer to a lawyer,” said Hubbard, who earned his law degree three years ago from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. “Obviously I’ve been inside the courthouse enough over the last 20 years that my working environment won’t change much.”
Suffering a mild dose of insomnia, Hubbard began his workday Wednesday at 3:30 a.m. to put the finishing touches on a handful of cases he has been investigating.
“I don’t like idle time,” he said. “I’m not someone who can sit still in front of a television.”
The proof in that statement can be found in the way Hubbard graduated No. 1 in his class after three years of night and summer school courses while never working fewer than 40 hours a week on the police force. He studied for the bar, passed it, and in October 1991 took on a dual role as a part-time attorney with a local firm.
“I knew that when I was into my mid-40s and my rotation on the investigative desk was up, I wouldn’t want to go back to the street, working weekends and holidays and such,” he said, explaining his decision to seek a second career. “I’ve loved every minute of this work and I know I’m going to miss it, but there’s more to life than being a police officer.”
Hubbard’s last workday for the department is Friday, but he won’t officially retire until March 8, when his accumulated vacation and sick days run out. But he expects to be back to testify in his last few cases.
Hubbard’s soon-to-be full-time colleague said law enforcement’s loss is the legal community’s gain.
“He brings a lot of common sense and street smarts to the job,” said Rory Weiler, a Batavia city alderman and the senior partner in the law firm of Weiler & Noble, where Hubbard will begin full-time work Monday. Hubbard said he plans to work toward a career in personal injury litigation, adding that he will never take on a criminal defense case.
“For more than 20 years, I’ve been trying to gather evidence to prosecute criminals,” he said. “Personally, I could never turn around and try to get them off.”