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“It takes toughness and willingness to enforce the law and bring the criminals to justice (so) people feel safe in their community,� said Thomas Hurley, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police Cambridge Dorchester Lodge 27. “And Russell Wroten was about that.�

Wroten, who retired from the police department in 2001, died Monday in Easton. He was 84 years old.

Wroten served with the department for 38 years, 30 of which as chief. Hurley, who served under Wroten for many years, said Wroten stood up to crime and stood up for his officers.

“He did a lot for this department, and he was there a long time,� Hurley said. “He did make a difference in the City of Cambridge.�

Current Cambridge Police Chief Justin Todd remembers Wroten as someone who took his job seriously and knew the city “like the back of his hand.�

Todd remembers being less than a year into the job when Wroten pulled Todd into his office to tell him he was retiring and share his thoughts on what Todd needed to do to have a successful career.

“Him taking that time to say that to me, who — I’m brand new, definitely carried with me throughout the years,� Todd said, adding the experience illustrated Wroten’s leadership.

Last year, Wroten was recognized as the first inductee into the Cambridge Police Department Hall of Fame. Todd said he was the first person who came to mind when the department decided it wanted to begin recognizing officers.

“I mean, 30 years as the chief of police, he saw a lot of officers come and go,� Todd said. “He saw the racial riots. He saw Cambridge at its worst. And we just thought that that definitely needed to be recognized.�

Serving the department through multiple decades, Wroten saw good times and tumultuous times in Cambridge. During a time of civil unrest Cambridge experienced in July 1967, Wroten — who was an officer at that time — was shot while investigating a broken window at a laundromat in the 2nd Ward. The incident caused the police chief at the time, Brice Kinnamon, to order the ward be sealed off by police.

Following Kinnamon, Wroten became chief four years later.

Hurley said although Wroten was well-respected, law enforcement officials often face criticism. “But he took care of the job,� Hurley said. “He took care of the city.�

A graduate of the FBI Academy, Wroten received multiple awards and citations in his career, according to his obituary.

Outside of his career, Wroten was a member of multiple organizations, including Cambridge Masonic Lodge 66, Rescue Fire Company and Cambridge Elks Lodge 1272.

According to his obituary, Russell is survived by his wife of 62 years Regina Wroten of East New Market, their daughter Christina “Chrissy� and son-in-law Tom Thompson of Cambridge, granddaughter Savana “Jon� Linthicum of Rhodesdale, great-granddaughter Arya, several nephews and a niece.

Wroten’s funeral will be held Tuesday, April 22, at Newcomb and Collins Funeral Home in Cambridge. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. The service, which will include the city police honor guard, will begin at 1 p.m. Burial will be in East New Market.