KISS Guitarist Sends Message To Retiring Ellensburg Cop

A retiring Ellensburg Police officer and longtime rock 'n' roll aficionado received quite a surprise at his farewell party last week.

Capt. Dan Hansberry has served the Ellensburg Police Department for 27 years, but has been a fan of the rock band KISS for at least twice as long.

At the end of Hansberry's retirement bash last Thursday, the career law enforcement officer was presented with a special video sendoff by KISS's lead guitarist, Tommy Thayer.

"Hey Dan! Tommy Thayer here from KISS. A huge congratulations on your retirement from the Ellensburg Police Department. Great work. Great career. I know everybody is very proud of everything that you've done, your family, your friends, and everybody in the community."

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Thayer's 60-second message continued, "I know that you've been a big fan of KISS for a long time and you've always loved the band. I think that's a huge tribute to us and I know it's something that I very much appreciate and I know the band does too. So keep up all the good work and keep doing what you love to do, Dan. Congratulations again. Great work. We're all really proud of you."

The message was presented to Hansberry by a group of Ellensburg P.D. record clerks wearing KISS t-shirts.

Thayer, who is from Portland, Oregon, is the founding member of the rock band Black 'N Blue and has also appeared in notable acts such as Harlow, Doro, and Shake The Faith. He joined KISS in 2002, replacing original guitarist Ace Frehley, and performed with band until their recent farewell tour, last year.

Hansberry began his career in law enforcement in 1992 with the Ellensburg Police Department, and also spent time as an officer with Central Washington University's campus police.

He says he plans to spend a lot of time with his grandkids now that he has retired from law enforcement.