New Bremen Police Chief Visits NB-NK Rotary

In 1980, the Village of New Bremen hired Doug Harrod to be the Chief of Police.  Thirty years later, Chief Harrod is still on the job protecting the citizens of New Bremen with just as much enthusiasm as always.  “You have to have a good working relationship with the community,” Harrod said.  “We need your help to do our job properly.”  Harrod noted that the residents and business community of New Bremen has always been very helpful and supportive of the efforts of its police department.

 The New Bremen Police Department is made up of 6 full time officers including Chief Harrod, his sergeant and four patrolmen.  The village also employs 6 part time officers who help cover vacations and time off for the full time officers.  “The part-timers are really the unsung heroes of our department because save the village a lot of money,” Harrod said.  The department has several officers with over 20 years of service which helps with training and departmental stability.  Harrod explained that they can save money and time by handling many functions in house such as various training requirements and special assignments.  Each of the New Bremen officers are certified with the Sate of Ohio, and a few can even provide various training to other officers.  The New Bremen Police Department has a rare asset for a small agency, their firearms training range out on Hwy 66A on the site of the old New Bremen Speedway.  Agencies from all around the area make use of the facility including the FBI, Ohio Division of Water and Ohio State Parks personnel.

The department runs 3 shifts (8a-4p; 4p-12a; 12a-8a), covering 24 hours each day.  There is one officer on duty each shift, with a swing shift of 8p-4a for two officer coverage during the busier time of the evening.  The patrolmen put from 110,000 miles to120,000 miles on the cruisers each year in an effort to cover the entire community and be visible to the public.  “The best way we can prevent crime is to be highly visible on the road,” Harrod said.  “I stress to my officers that the more you’re out there, the more people can see you, the better crime prevention we can provide.”

 “Around here we experience the same types of crimes, just not nearly as often as they do in the bigger cities,” Harrod said.  “Eighty percent of the problems we have with crime come from folks who live outside the area, and come into our area to commit crimes.  One of the reasons we don’t see the thefts in town like we do out in the county is the constant presence and visibility of your police department,” Harrod said in reference to the latest round of thefts around the surrounding area.  “Keep your cars, homes and equipment locked up and report anything suspicious right away, by calling the county dispatch at the Sheriff’s Office.  That can really help us the most,” Harrod said when asked what residents can do to help.  The Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office number is 419-739-6565.

Hosting Rotarian: Sandy Thieman