Greenfield’s police chief may not be looking for kudos, but he’s getting them anyway from the Greenfield Rotary Club as it has chosen Jeremiah Oyer as this year’s grand marshal for the Greene Countrie Towne Festival Parade to be held Sunday, July 18.
While Oyer will not actually be present for the parade (he will be out of town), the Rotary Club decided to honor him anyway because it said recognition is well-deserved. Club members feel thatthe honor is appropriate at this time in large part because of the department’s ongoing efforts under his leadership that result in drug arrests and subsequent indictments.
Oyer has been with the Greenfield Police Department for more than 20 years, following in the footsteps of other family members that have also served in the department: a grandfather, his father, his brother and an uncle. And while he never aspired to be chief, he finds himself in a position that he not only loves, but that allows him to serve the community he loves in the greatest capacity.
“It is with great respect and honor that I was chosen to be the 2021 grand marshal for the Greene Countrie Towne Festival Parade,” Oyer said. “Unfortunately, I was scheduled to be out of town to take care of some family affairs, so Lieutenant Brian McNeil and my father, James Oyer, will be leading the parade on my behalf. I do want to take time to thank those who nominated me for this great distinction, and I truly appreciate this great accolade. I will continue to take pride in my community and help anyway I can.”
The bottom line, said Oyer and the officers that serve under him, is to work hard every day to keep Greenfield safe for the citizens that call it home.
A large focus of the police department has been eradicating drugs as much as possible. While Oyer admits complete eradication will likely never be achieved anywhere, the work GPD puts in every day goes a long way to making drug’s place in the community much more fragile.
One way the department is tackling drugs is by going after the dealers, he said, and going after them “hard.” Additionally, he said the department takes a proactive approach by not waiting for calls to come in, but being out in the community to patrol and observe, essentially heading the crimes off at the pass.
“We’ll never get rid of all the dope,” he said, “but we sure can make it harder to get.”
While a big focus of the department’s efforts are to erase drugs and drug-related crimes, there are many other aspects to the department.
Monthly, a report is compiled by the chief and presented to village council. It provides detailed statistics tracking the activity of the department which are compared with previous years. Oyer has also started adding a component to the reports that show grand jury indictments that have come from arrests made in the village.
The chief’s approach, too, is one of support, not only to the community, but to the officers. Instead of spending all his time in the office, he routinely assists other officers, and is also at the ready should a K-9 be needed. There are currently two K-9s in the department, and one of them is his dog. If the other K-9 is unavailable, Oyer brings in K-9 Rony, who the chief has been the handler of for many years.
In building the police team that works to ensure Greenfield’s safety, Oyer said he tries to evaluate the officers to determine their strongpoints, and then makes sure officers receive training in those areas as well as assignments to the areas where they are best suited based on those strongpoints.
Police work, he said, “is my passion.” He said that every day he is looking for ways for the department to best serve Greenfield and its citizens.
Oyer, who said he was surprised and humbled to be recognized by the Rotary Club, said he doesn’t ever strive to be recognized. While he truly appreciates all the recognitions that have come through the years, his only goal every day is to serve Greenfield, “to keep it safe for our kids and our community.
“I am very grateful for the support of the community. I am very grateful for the support of the administration and council,” he said. “Without all that support, we couldn’t do what we do every day.”
To keep up with announcements and information, go to the Greenfield Police Department Facebook page. For Greenfield news and information, go to the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Facebook page and to greenfieldohio.net.
Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the village of Greenfield.
