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C I T Y O F O X F O R D D I V I S I O N O F P O L I C E
Mission & Values
Our Mission
Our Values
The Division of Police shall endeavor to promote a personalized, proactive partnership between the Police and the Oxford Community to reduce fear and incidence of crime, and to solve contemporary problems with the goal of improving the quality of life for all. As members of the Oxford Police Division, we value:
Integrity & honesty
Dignity & respect of all human beings
Our Vision
Based on earned trust and confidence, coupled with the highest standards of professionalism and accountability, we envision a police division that totally embraces its values and is committed to working in partnership with our citizens to continually improve the quality of life in Oxford.
Loyalty & dedication to our community, our department, and our profession
Constitutional rights & well-being of all persons
Uncompromising commitment to our oath of office
The ideas and opinions of our citizens, recognizing that their partnership is essential to the accomplishment of our mission
Message from the Chief
Thank you for taking the time to view our 2024 Annual Report. The men and women of the Oxford Division of Police appreciate your interest and your support over the years. As we compile this report, we are seeing the many changes taking place in our division. In 2024, we began to plan for significant personnel changes that would take place in 2025. With the retirement of Lt. Lara Fening expected in January 2025, we can expect a domino effect of promotions and organizational stressors. Change is undoubtedly necessary to ensure the longevity of an organization, and the division personnel are committed to delivering the quality of services that our community has come to expect.
Our mission and values continue to guide us as we remain committed to a welcoming community and pursue professional excellence. We are a proud organization in a noble profession, and our members consistently demonstrate a commitment to providing professional and ethical service to the people of the City of Oxford.
This report is meant to provide a snapshot view of our agency in 2024. While we certainly experienced disappointments and successes, we are excited by the challenges ahead and encouraged by the community that continues to support us. As always, we encourage you to contact us if you would like to participate in any of our programs or if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
John A. Jones Chief of Police
Our City
With a total population of nearly 23,000, the city of Oxford is a vibrant college town that is home to Miami University. Throughout the years, Oxford has frequently been named one of America’s Best College Towns.
The Village of Oxford was planned out in 1810 and then incorporated in 1830. The village adopted a charter form of government in the 1960s. Population growth transformed the status of the village into a city in 1971. The city lies in the northwest corner of Butler County, just 5 miles from the Indiana state line, and is now nearly 8 square miles.
Our Police Department
Our
Oxford’s first town marshal position was created before the police department existed. In 1942, Harry Spencer was appointed as Oxford’s first Chief of Police. The City Charter, adopted in the 1960s, defines the police force as the Police Division in the Department of Safety.
The Police Division now employs 30 sworn police officers and 17 non-sworn staff.
History
The Police Division has always occupied a portion of the municipal building at 101 E. High St. in uptown Oxford since it was built in 1939. Both police and fire Divisions were housed in the city building, but the Fire Division left in 1984, after securing their own building. The Police Division has been growing over the years and needed more space. After the Fire Division left, the police took over the basement and the south end of the building. In 2019, the city offices relocated and the building was completely remodeled. The Police Division now occupies the entire building.
Data - Crime Data
Data - Crimes Reported
Officers responded to 17,636 calls for service.
Crash Data
The Ohio Department of Public Safety generated this data chart based on traffic crash reports submitted by OPD. It includes only crashes reported on public streets.
Most Common Crash Factors: Failure to yield (66)
Youth-Related Crashes (132)
Teen-Related Crashes (56) Most crashes occurred on Mondays.
Most dangerous hours:
The highest number of crashes occurred between 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. (25). Then 5 - 6 p.m. (23).
This is a slight change from 2023, where the second most time frame was 4-5 p.m.
2024 TRAFFIC CRASH TOTAL: 287
Public Streets: 223
Private Property: 64
Data - Stops Explanation
Traffic/Pedestrian Stop and Traffic Crash Data
It is the policy of the Division of Police to treat all human beings with dignity and respect. As part of the unconditional respect shown to all persons, the division has established procedures to evaluate discretionary enforcement trends. Division members will capture specific data sets that will not only enhance public transparency in the division’s activities but also provide quantitative information to the Police Community Relations and Review Commission.
The Division of Police tracks the demographic information of those who are stopped, cited, and involved in traffic crashes. Data will be collected for all traffic stops, crashes, and pedestrian stops using a data collection form.
For traffic stops, officers complete the form with information about the driver of the stopped vehicle. For traffic crash investigations, the form is completed with information on all drivers involved in the crash. Officers also complete a form for all people involved in a pedestrian stop.
This information is reviewed throughout the year by Police Sergeants for indications of racial profiling. The Chief of Police presents the annual report to the Police Community Relations and Review Commission.
Pedestrian Stops
ETHNICITY PEDESTRIAN STOP DATA
Crashes & Demographics
TRAFFIC STOP DATA VS TRAFFIC CRASH DATA
Patrol
Description
Patrol is the heart of our division. They are professional problem solvers and master communicators. They help people in trouble and protect our community with passion and with compassion. Their duties range from investigating traffic crashes and criminal complaints to the enforcement and arrests of minor misdemeanors up to high-tier felonies.
Sgt. Sikora
Officer Brooke Hartwig
Officer Scott Campbell, PSA Niki Fields, and Officer Mark Ledermeier
Officers Brandon Weaver and David Morgan II
Patrol
In the summer of 2024, the Police Division purchased a new Polaris Ranger XP side-by-side utility vehicle. With the addition of our side-byside to our fleet, the staff developed a procedure for tracking the amount of patrols conducted on the OATS trails. In addition to patrolling the OATS trail, the side-by-side is used to patrol events, move personnel and equipment, and respond to emergencies in off-road situations. We’ve engaged in several positive citizen contacts, issued a few warnings for dogs being off leash, and monitored dismissal at the high school while using the side-by-side. In one instance, the UTV was used to respond to a medical emergency for an elderly male who had broken his ankle in the Miami University Natural Areas trails off Bonham Road. We assisted Fire/EMS in locating the male and extricating him from the woods. We are thankful for this valuable addition to our fleet!
Investigations Description Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU)
CIU is responsible for follow-up investigations on felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile crimes, as well as missing persons cases. The Criminal Investigations Unit is staffed by a detective sergeant and two detectives. Detectives are assigned cases to further investigate and typically are working 12-17 different cases at a time.
In addition to traditional investigations, CIU is also involved in other areas, such as compliance checks involving tobacco and alcohol sales, working as liaisons with other agencies, and working with the prosecutor’s office.
We investigated/followed up on 292 cases in 2024.
Investigations Notable Cases
Viral Video Leads to Arrest
A verbal confrontation between two groups at Brick Street escalated into a physical altercation outside the bar, where two individuals assaulted two members of the opposing group. The incident was captured on video, which quickly went viral on social media. With assistance from witnesses, victims, and numerous tips that surfaced after the video’s spread, officers successfully identified the subjects. The individuals were later arrested and charged, bringing the case to a close.
Accident Investigation Leads to Charges:
Officers responded to a pedestrian strike at Spring and Main, where they found a Jeep positioned on top of a female victim. The fire department successfully helped get her to safety and administered life-saving measures before she was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries. Through a detailed investigation, including reenactments with the vehicle and other pedestrians, the START (Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team) determined that the driver was at fault. He was subsequently charged, and the female victim has since recovered.
Investigations Notable Cases
Forged Check Scheme Uncovered Through Investigation:
A local business issued a refund check of approximately $100 to an employee at an associated facility, but the check was forged and altered to nearly $3,000 before being deposited into the suspect’s account. Investigators worked with multiple banks and digital payment platforms, ultimately confirming that the suspect had cashed the check. A key break in the case came when police monitored recorded prison phone calls, during which the suspect admitted to the crime while speaking with her incarcerated boyfriend. Surveillance footage also captured her cashing the check, linking her to the crime. She was charged and later convicted.
Stolen Grave Markers Recovered Months Later:
A break-in at the Oxford Cemetery pole barn resulted in the theft of grave markers belonging to deceased veterans, along with stolen military flag holders. The case remained open for months until a towing company, preparing to scrap an unclaimed vehicle from Ross Township, discovered the stolen items inside during a required search. Officers identified the names on the grave markers as individuals buried in Oxford, recovered and returned them to their rightful place. Through further investigation, police determined the vehicle's owner and the individual driving it on the night it was towed. Charges were filed, and a warrant remains active for the suspect’s arrest.
Investigations
Notable Cases
Juveniles Arrested in Theft Cases:
In late October, multiple vehicles, primarily Hyundai and Kia models, were targeted for theft in Oxford, with one successful theft and nearly a dozen attempted break-ins. Despite initial challenges in identifying suspects through DNA and other tactics, investigators received a tip in mid-November about a juvenile the PD was familiar with driving to Hamilton in a stolen Kia. Officers set up surveillance, located the suspect, and arrested him after a brief pursuit. During the almost two-hour interview, he admitted to involvement in six or seven car theft attempts. Further collaboration with Butler County and Hamilton PD helped close approximately 14 to 15 related cases. The investigation ultimately identified a group of juveniles responsible for the thefts and helped resolve several additional juvenile cases in Oxford.
A burglary at Verizon, where a suspect broke a window and stole a display case, led to a swift investigation after officers recovered a glove outside the business Surveillancefootage revealed the suspect wearing a hoodie and winter gloves, helping link the gloves to him. The next day, officers released an image ofthe suspect, leading to identification through body camera footagefrom a prior police stop the night before, where he was seen in the same clothing. A day or two after the initial break-in, officers responded to a similar break-in at TMobile with a similar MO, where a witness provided key details A quick police response led to the suspect’s arrest, confirming his involvement in both incidents and leading to his charge.
School Resource Officers
Officer
Shelly Sikora
Pete Durkin
Bob Reihs
Location # of enrolled students
Kramer ES
Talawanda MS
Talawanda HS 527 students 674 students 901 students
School Resources Officers (SROs) fill a vital role in our schools and with our youth, and both the OPD and the Talawanda School District (TSD) are committed to staffing their schools with police officers. SROs strive to foster positive relationships with the students while providing important safety and security to their respective schools. Their mission also includes a combination of police work, mentoring, and education.
Kramer Elementary School
Talawanda Middle School
Talawanda High School
Social Services Liaison - Ashlea Sleiman
MentalHealth FinancialIssues
NeighborDispute SubstanceAbuse
DomenticViolence CivilMatters
SeniorIssues JuvenileIssues
Other AbuseorNeglect
ViolentCrimeVictim DomesticTrouble
SSL Sleiman collaborated with Epiphany Community Services with the development of a platform to track data regarding clients she assists. The program includes referral forms, client demographics, referral types, and much more that can assist with collecting valuable data. With this program we are able to track what services residents are in need of. During the 2024 calendar year, SSL Sleiman worked with 97 individuals and provided 182 referrals that were made to various agencies, including The Hope Line, TOPSS, Serve City, Butler County Job and Family Services, Adult Protective Services, and many more agencies to provide assistance for these clients. She attended community events and remained active in community groups. SSL Sleiman built relationships with various residents in the community and has been able to provide referrals and maintain ongoing contact. She also keeps a record of our overdose stats.
Drone
Description
The Division’s Drone Unit is comprised of multiple UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems). Our pilots are certified by the FAA to fly in unrestricted airspace (or restricted airspace with proper permissions) to support public safety needs. In addition to the FAA certification process, OPD’s pilots are trained to the National Fire Protection standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft (NFPA 2400). As a small unit, we routinely partner with other drone teams, such as Hamilton County UAS500, West Chester Police, Trenton Police, and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, for large-scale missions.
SWAT
Description
The division is a member of the Butler County Regional SWAT Team (Special Weapons and Tactics Team). We currently have 5 team members on the tactical unit and one member on the negotiator unit. This contingency includes two members who are part of the leadership cadre. The Butler County Regional SWAT Team is comprised of five law enforcement agencies and one fire / medic agency. In 2024, the SWAT team responded to 5 missions in Butler County and 1 mission in Preble County, mainly assisting agencies countywide with barricaded subjects and high-risk search warrants.
Community Outreach
The Oxford Division of Police proactively engages with the public to build relationships, promote trust, engage in problem-solving, and encourage an open exchange of ideas and thoughts. With open communication, we strive to understand the needs and concerns of our community. Our goal is to keep our city free from crime and the fear of crime and to maintain a high quality of life for our citizens, businesses, and visitors.
Community Outreach
For more than 25 years, the OPD has hosted an annual Citizens Police Academy (CPA). This is a 10week course that covers a wide variety of topics, highlighting the different facets and functions of our police department and our criminal justice partners.
TOPICS: OPD overview patrol system court system undercover operations hostage negotiations Butler County Coroner/communications department records
Monday evening FEBRUARY 10 TO APRIL 28 6:30-9 PM
CONTACT: Officer Matthew Wagers 513-524-5200 or MWagers@cityofoxford.org
MORE TOPICS: school resource officers property services parking/animal control canines emergency mgt. agency SWAT investigations/crime scene firing range
Recruitment Efforts
Description
The Oxford Division of Police hosted a hiring process for police officers in 2024. We visited career fairs, created an updated flyer, and also created two new recruitment website locations (one on the city website, the other on a state website). We are still using the National Testing Network’s written exam, the first step in our testing process. We also expanded our candidate pool by including a lateral transfer option.
Out of the sixteen applicants, we hired two and sent both to the basic police academy. Demographic breakdown of the 16 applicants: 13 white male, 2 black male, 1 white female.
Career Fair and Academy Visits
Career Fairs Attended
January 31
Ohio Means Jobs meeting for recruitment/promotional
February 20
Miami University Career Fair - main campus
February 21
Miami University Career Fair—for the common good
February 28
Mount St. Joseph University Career Fair
March 6
University of Cincinnati Criminal Justice Expo
March 6
Miami University Regionals Career Fair
2024 Hiring Flyer
Example of letter sent to applicants:
Dispatcher/Clerks
Description
Dispatcher/Clerks have a wide range of responsibilities. They are responsible for processing citation payments, meter rental, and solicitor permits. They also sell permits for the leased spaces in the parking garage and residential areas. They input traffic and criminal citation information into the Records Management System (RMS) database, prepare and send criminal reports for the prosecutor’s office, help process court expungement and report document filings, RMS database validations, and perform background checks. Additionally, they help answer and route inquiries and phone calls to different departments, as needed. They enter arrest warrants, dispatch radio calls to PSA officers, assist police officers with Law Enforcement Automated Data Systems (LEADS) information, assist where needed with calls for service, send emergency Nixle messages, and help process vacant house check entries.
Dispatcher/Clerk
Dispatcher/Clerk
Our Personnel
The Dispatcher/Clerk position consists of 6 fulltime employees and 2 part-time employees.
Full-Time:
Intisar Anderson
Larren Lipps
Robb Kingsley
Chris Warren
Ashlee Conrad
Maria Garnett
Part-Time:
Joanne Handley
Breana Claxton
Ashlee Conrad
Robb Kingsley
Records
Description
Records Specialist Matthew Stitzel manages all police records and public records requests for the police division. He is responsible for properly categorizing and maintaining division records, adhering to the redaction and release mandates according to Ohio public records laws, and destroying records per the Ohio Historical Society’s protocol. Additionally, the Records Specialist is asked to release reports and records for the public regularly, as well as the Butler County Prosecutor, insurance companies, background check requests, and Miami University. He also manages, redacts, and releases the police officer's body-worn camera footage.
Public Safety Assistants
The primary duties of our Public Safety Assistants (PSA) are parking control and enforcement. They perform most of the maintenance on our parking equipment, which is becoming more technologically complex every year, and our PSAs are keeping up with the advancements. Pay stations, credit card-equipped meters, and parking payment apps are the standards now for paying for parking.
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR)
enforcement tool.
Public Safety Assistants
Another responsibility of our fulltime Public Safety Assistants is animal control. They investigate animal welfare calls, neglect situations, deceased or injured wildlife, animal bites, and lost and recovered dogs. They have specific professional training to deal with such situations. They are trained to deal with domestic animals and also receive regular instruction on handling a wide variety of wildlife scenarios.
PSA Alcorn, Fields, and Schatzle were called to assist an adult male white tail deer who had gotten stuck in a fence.
PSA Fields was able to successfully remove a skunk that was trapped in a window well.
Citation Revenuetickets issued: 18,703 total amount: $351,881
200000
Property Description
The Property Technician, Perry Gordon, is responsible for managing all property and evidence submitted by our police personnel. There are several categories of property that OPD takes in: evidence, found property, and property kept for safekeeping. Property is stored in a secured area, including a vault for firearms, narcotics, and money. The Property Technician is also responsible for maintaining a chain of custody for all items that come through OPD He assists in transferring evidence needed for laboratory processing to one of the three crime labs we have available (the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab, and the Hamilton County Coroner and Crime Laboratory).
In a typical year, over 1,900 items are taken in (including fake IDs, illegal weaponry, drugs, drug paraphernalia, etc.).
The Property Technician maintains a long-term storage area at the impound building, which is used as a staging area of eventual property disposal for items that require extended storage
2024 Illegal Drugs Destruction: After cases are adjudicated or drugs are found, they are destined for destruction. Boxes of confiscated drugs are taken to a confidential site where they are crushed by a large auger and then soaked in a combination of chemicals and waste materials, which ruin the drugs for consumption. The pulverized and soaked drugs are then incinerated Heroin, fentanyl, meth, cocaine, marijuana, and other substances were destroyed in this process, which occurs every 1-3 years or so.
Property Description
Property Intake (includes lost & found items): 1,542 compared to 1,938 in 2023.
Property Disposal: 2,028 items disposed of (the disposal list ran from 01/09/2024 to 01/09/2025). (These disposals included cases that went as far back as 2016 of cases just closed.)
Contraband Drug Disposal at Environmental Enterprises (Cincinnati): A disposal did not occur during the year 2024, so it is pending for 2025.
2024 Firearms Disposal (includes court-ordered forfeitures, owners’ disposal requests, found and unclaimed weapons): 36 firearms destroyed by Gun Busters (pistols, long guns, shotguns, and pellet rifles)
Unclaimed clothing/textile donations to Thread-Up Oxford (keeping them out of the landfills): 84 pounds (gross weight) in 2024.
Evidence runs to crime labs: 54 (slightly over one a week).
Sharp containers disposed at McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital: 17 containers in 2024 (includes drop-offs at OPD lobby, sharps collected at fall/spring drug takebacks, and needles confiscated as evidence in criminal cases).
Unclaimed cell phones donated to Cell Phone Bank (CPB): 79 in 2023 (including GPS devices, some tablets and one external hard drive).
National Take Back Initiative drug collections: OPD turned in 603 2 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals to the DEA collection in 2024.
Training
Overview
In 2024, the division remained committed to maintaining high standards of professional development and exceeding training requirements set by the State of Ohio Continued Professional Training (CPT) remained a priority, with each officer meeting the mandated 24-hour requirement. CPT requirements that were completed:
Legal Updates (2 hours)
Responding to Mental Health Issues (2 hours)
Crisis Mitigation De-Escalation (2 hours)
Marsy’s Law / Victim Rights (1 hour)
NIBIN (1 hour)
The division also conducted additional in-service training. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident course hosted for multiple departments. Defensive tactics and subject control training led by a certified in-house instructor “Stops and Approaches” instruction for new officers
Drone in-service training for certified operators
Basic SRO Academy completed by one School Resource Officer
Tactical training with Norse Tactical, including building search and room clearing
Firearms transition training to 9mm Glock 47 and Red Dot sight system
Annual firearms requalification, including deadly force review and basic range skills
Patrol rifle training in coordination with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office
Instructor development for Firearms, Taser, Field Training, and Instructional Skills
Executive and command-level training, including FBI-LEEDA, OACP & IACP conferences, FBINAA conference participation
Commitment to Growth:
The division continues to prioritize professional development at every level Whether preparing recruits or advancing executive leadership, Oxford PD supports a learning culture to enhance community safety and trust.
Interns
interns patrolling the OATS
Chief Jones and COP intern working an event uptown
Every semester, the OPD accepts college students into their internship program Typically, these are Miami University students with a criminal justice or criminology major or minor, and must complete over 120 internship hours. Unless the intern is tasked to work on special assignments, like records management work or the annual report, they are assigned to work with the Citizens Observer Patrol (COP). The COP is a volunteer-based citizen-staffed patrol, using a decommissioned police cruiser. They are given areas in town where an extra set of eyes and ears is welcomed and appreciated. They conduct speed studies, walk the area public trails, are watchful for school bus safety, patrol the elementary school area when kids are walking to and from school, patrol the retail parking lots for prevention purposes, and more. When there are events in town, we ask them to don a safety vest and walk the event while being city safety ambassadors.
COP intern working the Halloween event uptown
COP interns using the cruiser to patrol.
COP interns working an event
COP
Transitions
Bo Staat hired as a Patrol Officer
NOT pictured: Part-time Public Safety Assistant Peyton Torres resigned.
Jeremiah South hired as a Patrol Officer
Officer Hardin Resigned in April and is currently working for the Butler County Sheriff’s Office
His K9 partner Roscoe retired after7 years with OPD.
Hired: part-time Public Safety Assistant Logan Shull
NOT pictured: Patrol Officer Austin Lovins resigned.
The Oxford Division of Polic processfor police officers in 2024 We visited career fairs, created an updated flyer, and also created two new recruitment website locations (one on the city website, the other on a state website) Out ofthe sixteen applicants, we hired two (Jake Rosser [L] and Wade Estes [R]) and sent both to the basic police academy
Demographic breakdown ofthe16 applicants: 13 white male, 2 black male, 1 whitefemale
Acknowledgments
Chief Jones would like to acknowledge Emily Boyer’s work in compiling and creating this Annual Report for the Oxford Police Department. As part of her internship with OPD in the Spring Semester of 2025, Emily worked hard on gathering data, sourcing relevant photos, collecting community stories, and shaping the content that brings this report together.
Through this hands-on experience, Emily was able to directly apply the skills she had gained in her Strategic Communication coursework, while also deepening her understanding of law enforcement operations and public engagement. Her work offered a unique opportunity for her to see an inside look at the responsibilities OPD deals with daily.
Emily Boyer is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Strategic Communication with minors in Criminology and Business at Miami University and is expected to graduate in May 2026.
