Springfield Police play Hide and Seek on Halloween with Jr. and Senior High Schoolers

The Springfield Township Police Department held a “Hide and Seek with Springfield Police” event on Pickle Road, and it was a fantastic success! 

Captain Denise Moore said they were thrilled to see 50 of our high school students join us for an evening of fun and community spirit. Thanks to the generosity of Walmart on S. Arlington Rd., we were able to award prizes to the top 5 “hiders”, including a television, several gift cards, a wireless speaker, and Beats earbuds.

This event would not have been possible without the coordination and efforts of Chief Jack Simone, Trustee Kellie Chapman, and Dustin Boswell from the Springfield Local Schools Board office. A huge thank you to Superintendent Shelly Monachino for allowing us to use Schrop School and the surrounding property for this event.

We’re also grateful to Eric from the Springfield Township Service and Roads Department for his support, including setting up barricades and assisting with other event needs.

A big thank you goes to Officer Kevin Love of the

Winners

Pizza and cookies, cupcakes etc. were on the menu.

Some found the mud!

Mogadore Police Department, who brought his drone to help monitor the area alongside our own drone officer, Ty Klapp. Their assistance was invaluable in keeping students within bounds and locating the last few participants.

A special thank you to DiCheco’s Pizza on Canton Road for donating pizza for our students and volunteers, and to Jeremiah Mock (Mock ponds)for donating water for everyone. In the kitchen, we appreciate the efforts of Gloria Suzuki, Debbie Lininger, and Melissa Simone for serving pizza and refreshments to everyone after the event. We also extend our gratitude to Miranda Terry for coordinating all the amazing volunteers who helped monitor the hide-and-seek areas, and to the Springfield Fire Department for providing their squad, fire crew, and additional support.

Lastly, we want to recognize the officers who volunteered their time to make this event a success: Chief Simone, Captain Moore, Sergeants Gaffney and Meade, and Officers Keys, Mars, McLean, Dorsey (and wife), Klapp, Lawrence, Britt and Wardle. Also our civilian employees Kelsey Keys, Emery Pitman and our police explorers. 

Thank you to everyone who made tonight memorable, and to our community for your continued support.

*** Also thanks to Akron Coach who is always there to support us as well as Barb Angerstein and United Restorations for donating additional funding for our event!

WINNER- Heidi Hileman

SAFETY FORCES HONORED DURING MEETING

During the August Trustees meeting safety forces were honored. We are pleased to honor them. 

Officer Cory Dorsey was officially promoted to a full-time officer. Dorsey has been a dedicated part-time officer since March 2023, selflessly working any shift needed and consistently, going above and beyond for the department. We are also excited to share that he will be taking on the important roll of school resource officer for Education Alterntives School.

Boy Scouts presented a bench to the community. They collected a huge amount of plasic grocery bags to receive the bench.

. In addition, we celebrated a special moment as K-9 Ryker, along with his handler Sgt. Cody Meade, was officially sworn in as a K-9 Officer. Chief Jack Simone administered the oath of office to both Officer Dorsey and K-9 Officer Ryker. Chief Simone also introduced the K-9 program committee, recognizing the members in attendance: Trustee Kellie Chapman, Captain Denise Moore, Sgt. Joe Gaffney, Christina Rohrer, Kelsey Keys, and Kate Thurston. Chief Simone is also a proud member of this committee.

Sgt. Joseph Gaffney took the opportunity to highlight the ongoing success of our Police Explorers program, a vital part of our community outreach and development efforts. We were honored to have Linda Lohr, who was instrumental in starting the program alongside Sgt. Gaffney, in attendance. Longtime supporters of our community policing and explorer’s programs, Kate Thurston and Kelsey Keys, were also recognized for their dedicated volunteer work. Officer Harold Britt has been a crucial part of the team, assisting with training and mentoring the explorers.

Our Police Explorers program has been a steppingstone for many young individuals pursuing careers in law enforcement. Notable alumni, who were in attendance at tonight’s meeting, include:

• Colin Hefner (2015 Springfield HS graduate): Began his policing career with Springfield Township and now serves at Tallmadge PD.

• Adrianna Vaughn (2016 Springfield HS graduate): Currently a supervisory dispatcher at Summit Emergency Communications Center.

• Jordan McClean (2016 Springfield HS graduate): Former officer at our department, now with Summa Police Dept.

• Francesca Teel (2017 Springfield HS graduate): Dispatcher at Summit Emergency Communications Center.

• Hunter Chapman (2018 Springfield HS graduate): Proudly serving as an officer with Springfield Township PD.

• Brooke Eitner (2018 Springfield HS graduate): Stark County Sheriff’s Corrections Officer.

• Katie Limric (2019 Springfield HS graduate): Dispatcher at South Summit Dispatch Center.

• Jared Lawrence (Springfield HS graduate): Currently serving as an officer with Springfield Township PD.

We also had the pleasure of introducing our current Police Explorers, who represent the future of law enforcement:

• Gabriel Prexta (Senior, Green HS)

• Cadence Rose (Senior, Green HS and PLCC)

• Veronika Oliver (Sophomore, Manchester HS)

• Natalie Adkins (Sophomore, Ohio Virtual Academy)

• Zeke Wilson (Sophomore, High Point Academy)

                          

Fire Fighter EMT Gregory Sowl was sworn in by Chief Brett Reinbolt.




These young individuals are gaining invaluable experience, riding along with our officers, observing real-time law enforcement, and even assisting with radio communications during non-emergency calls. We are confident they will continue the tradition of excellence set by those before them.

We were also delighted to have Boy Scout Troop 304/Pack 3304 in attendance, who generously donated a bench to the township. The troop recycled 1,000 pounds of plastic bags for the project—a remarkable achievement by the Scouts! Additionally, Fire Chief Brett Reinbolt swore in one of his employees to full-time status during the meeting.

Please join us in congratulating Officer Dorsey and K-9 Officer Ryker (handler Sgt. Cody Meade).

***Thank you to all of the Springfield Police Officers and employees who attended to support the officers as well.

For the Fire Department, Firefighter EMT Gregory Sowl was sworn in by Chief Brett Reinbolt.

+43

SPRINGFIELD CARES ANNUAL BACK TO SCHOOL BACKPACK GIVEAWAY 2024--SMILES BRIGHTENED THE ROOM

The students were excited as they anticipated receiving a new backpack and an assortment of school supplies to begin their new year. 

It was the morning thatSpringfield Cares organization held its annual backpack giveaway at Lakemore United Methodist Church. Volunteers were on hand to help out with giving out backpacks, passing out supplies and many other duties. 

The event was Saturday August 3 from 9 a.m. to noon.

The room at the church was sporting more than 500 backpacks and more than 400 students came though that morning to choose their favorite one.

Nancy Rodrigues, coordinator of the event, said that she will disperse the rest of the backpacks to the schools and the upcoming Safety Town event.

Those participating were GASP, Modern Movement Dance, Springfield Assembly of God with information ontheir upcoming events. 

It was a great day filled with smiles.

Those that donated or were volunterring were:

Nativity Church, Springfield Assembly Church, Springfield Baptist Church, T's and Things, Lakemore United Methodist Church, Elizabetn Pence, Mayor Richard Cole, Lakemore Council members, Village Administrator Tracy Sayers, and members of the community. 

August 3rd--Backpack Giveaway by Springfield Cares

 It is getting close to the kids going back to school and, as in the past, Springfield Cares will be holding its annual Backpack Giveaway for school age students of the Springfield Schools. 

It is being held August 3 at the Lakemore United Methodist Church at 1536 Flickinger Road. The time is 9 a.m. to noon.

GASP with Bob and Darlene Haren will be there. 

A parent or guardian must be present with the children for them to receive the backpack.

POLICE BEAT---NEW K9 OFFICER JOINS THE FORCE

 

Springfield Township Police Department is thrilled to announce the newest addition to our law enforcement family - Meet Ryker, our versatile and highly skilled K-9!

After careful consideration and extensive interaction with various K-9s, we are proud to introduce Ryker, a beautiful Dutch German Shepherd from Holland, as our newest recruit. This decision was made following a visit to Tri-state K-9, where most of our K-9 committee members, including Chief Jack Simone, Trustee Kellie Chapman, Captain Denise Moore, Sgt. Cody Meade, and Christina Rohrer, had the opportunity to meet several outstanding K-9 candidates.

Sgt. Cody Meade, who has been an integral part of our department since 2019 and currently serves as one of our midnight shift sergeants, will be Ryker's handler. Sgt. Meade is also a member of the Metro SWAT Team. Sgt. Meade's expertise and commitment to our community make him the perfect fit for this important role.

Ryker isn't just your average K-9 officer – he will be a multi-talented member of our team. Sgt. Meade and Ryker are currently undergoing five week comprehensive cross-training to serve as a drug detection dog, a tracking dog, and an article search dog. With his diverse skill set, Ryker will be an invaluable asset in keeping our community safe and secure.

Ryker had his first veterinary appointment at Boston Heights Veterinary Hospital prior to the start of training. The veterinarian hospital is owned by Kelly Willard, who generously provides ultra discounted services for Ryker's care.

We understand the significance of this addition to our Township, and we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Ryker to our team. Please see the photos below from our visit to Tri-state K-9 and from training that he is currently going through. Video's will be posted in the comments section as well.

Let's give Ryker a warm welcome and wish him and Sgt. Meade the best as they embark on their journey together!

+21