Travis Goss has been a familiar face at the Rome Police Department since 1976, rising from the ranks of patrolman to major.
After the retirement of Deputy Chief Lonzo Roberson, Goss was promoted to deputy chief.
His years of service in law enforcement began when he got out of the Navy, where he served for four years after joining right out of high school.
He started not in his native Rome, but in nearby Cedartown in Polk County.
He was having a tooth fixed, he said, when he met someone who was married to an employee of the Polk County Jail.
He walked across the street and was hired, working there a month before joining the Cedartown Police Department.
Goss only stayed for a few years before he was hired in Rome — which paid more.
“I drew $215 on the 15th and 30th,” he said of his job in Cedartown. “I drew $265 every two weeks in Rome.”
He started out as a patrolman, often working third shift with Roberson. He was promoted to sergeant in 1984.
Goss started the DUI Task Force, securing a $500,000 grant in 1988. The task force was successful making about 550 arrests.
He finished college when he was 50 years old, completing a lifelong goal. He graduated from the FBI Academy in 1995.
He also worked for the Drug Task force before he was promoted to major, supervising support services that includes training, investigation, planning and research and vehicle maintenance.
“Being a police officer has been good to me and provided for me family,” Goss said. “It’s not a mundane job.”
He has been married to his wife, Beth Goss, for 32 years and has raised two daughters.
The secret to a successful professional and home life, Goss said, is to “always do the right thing.”
“Treat people the way you want to be treated,” Goss said.
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