04/04/2025
Congratulations on your retirement! Thank you for your service to this community. 🤍
Please join the Kings Mountain Police Department in congratulating Commander Thomas Bell, on his retirement. 34 years is a long time to be a police officer. Anonymous sources have said that Thomas Bell will still be very busy in the community and with his church. We all wish you well in your retirement. We will miss you very much.
Officer Thomas Bell began his law enforcement career with the Kings Mountain Police Department as a part time patrol officer on August 1, 1991. From August 1991 to May 2011, Officer Bell continued to serve as a part time patrol officer working to supplement patrol shifts and to assist with Moss Lake patrols and operations.
In May of 2011, Officer Bell was promoted to the rank of Commander and was given the duty to oversee the department's reserve officer unit consisting of seven part time officers. Commander Bell has continued to hold this position while remaining a steadfast and reliable employee for over 30 years. While we are saddened to hear that Thomas is leaving us, we understand and support his decision to retire. His infectious smile and positive demeanor will be truly missed, but he will always be a part of our KMPD family.
It is important to note that while working as a part time police officer for 30 plus years, Thomas also worked for the former Kings Mountain Housing Authority for 39 years as a maintenance supervisor. In this role, Thomas was able to foster a strong relationship between the affordable housing community and the police helping to forge partnerships and mutual understand. His passion for community engagement prompted Thomas to serve as a Kings Mountain Middle School and High School bus driver for over 30 years.
It is evident that Thomas Bell has dedicated over three decades of his life to community service and community programs. It has been an honored to serve with you Thomas and you will always be remembered and recognized as a community ambassador.
Gerald R. Childress
Chief of Police