bill tome, president
Bill has been a police officer for more than 35 years. He began his career in Delray Beach in 1981 and retired from the Boynton Beach Police Department in 2010. He began working for the Boynton Beach Police Department in 1987 as an undercover narcotics officer. After this experience and recognizing a need to keep the youth off the streets and involved in positive programs, Bill was chosen by the police department to begin a pilot program called “Recreation, Athletics and Police” (RAP). RAP’s mission was to identify 30 inner city youth from the Boynton Beach community and instill a positive relationship with police by involving these children in sports and recreational activities run by police.
For five years RAP grew and each year served more and more children However, due to budget limitations, Bill could not serve the community to the extent that he saw the need. With the support of the Boynton Beach Police Department, Bill was given the green light to create an affiliation with the National and State Police Athletic League organizations. Pal served over 1000 youth per year in various programs such as football, basketball, cheerleading, travel leagues and community functions. Bill’s favorite saying holds true for him: “Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” After his retirement, the City of Boynton Beach renamed the sports fields and press box after him, “The Bill Tome Sports Complex”. Not only is this an incredible honor to Bill but also a responsibility to feels to the community. Bill has stayed involved with the community of kids and families since his retirement and especially enjoys working with the same multi-generational families that he worked with at the Boynton Beach PAL.
Contact Information:
bill@thebilltomefoundation.org