Hermitage police chief to retire this month

Dec. 2—HERMITAGE — With about a week left before he retires, Chief Eric Jewell said many things have changed over his 29-year career with the Hermitage Police Department, but the most important part of the job hasn't — the people in the community.

"You have to be honest with people and treat them fairly," Jewell said. "We're for the people and of the people, and you've got to remember that."

Jewell's last working day with the Hermitage Police Department will be Dec. 9.

The police chief said he will be retiring from the Hermitage Police Department and taking up another law enforcement job in the area.

"I still feel I have some good leadership to provide, so I'm going to hand this football off to my successor here," Jewell said.

Even before he joined the Hermitage Police Department, Jewell said he had a lifelong fascination with law enforcement, along with a desire to serve in the military.

This led Jewell to serve in the Army as a military policeman from 1986 to 1993. He later served in the Army Reserves as a criminal investigator from 1999 to 2004.

"Ever since I was a child I wanted to get into law enforcement, and after high school I knew I didn't want to go to college but I did want to serve my country," Jewell said.

Earlier this week, Hermitage City Manager Gary Hinkson said he expected an announcement regarding Jewell's successor would be made soon.

Hinkson said Jewell has had an "outstanding" career in the Hermitage Police Department, and said the department under Jewell's leadership has fulfilled the law enforcement mission of "to protect and serve."

During Jewell's tenure, Hinkson said Jewell expanded grant-funded programs and implemented several new programs including the Alzheimer's and Dementia Registry, a college internship program, a canine unit, impact patrols for high crime areas and a Naloxone Deployment Policy for opioid overdoses and accidental officer exposure.

Jewell also expanded interaction with the community, including establishing open meetings with residents to receive input and answer questions.

"I wish to congratulate Eric on his retirement, thank him for his dedication and service to the department and our community, and wish him the very best in his future endeavors," Hinkson said.

Jewell joined the Hermitage Police Department in 1994 as a uniformed patrol officer, and was promoted to criminal investigator in 2001, captain of investigations in 2007, deputy chief of police in 2013, and rose to chief of police on June 3, 2016.

Along with his Hermitage police career, Jewell also was tactical commander for the Mercer County Critical Incident Response team from 2005 to 2009; crime scene investigator for the Mercer County Major Crime Scene Unit from 2001 to 2007, and a narcotics officer for the Mercer County Drug Task Force from 1995 to 2012.

Jewell completed his municipal police training at the Mercyhurst College Municipal Police Training Academy, but has since taken an "extensive and widely varied" number of police training courses related to all aspects of law enforcement.

This training culminated with Jewell's graduation from the FBI National Academy, 263rd Session, Quantico, Va., in 2016.

Jewell said he never expected to become Hermitage's police chief and that the credit lies with the department's officers and records staff who "do all the work."

"I just point things in a direction and make sure that we're doing what the law says we're supposed to be doing, professionally and courteously," Jewell said.

While there have been some changes to the Hermitage Police Department — including increasing the number of officers fro 26 to 31 — over the course of Jewell's career, law enforcement in general has changed in many ways.

Inter-agency cooperation — from interacting with state and federal agencies to sharing resources and databases with other police departments across the United States — has increased, much of which driven by technology, Jewell said.

"It used to be if you needed something, you mailed or faxed something," Jewell said. "But now with texting and emailing, it's much easier to network and make connections with people in different places."

Social media was another major change for law enforcement, since the ability to post information, via messages, videos or photos, can be both "good and bad," Jewell said.

In some cases, such as the Hermitage Police Department's official Facebook page, social media can be used as a tool for sharing information with the public, but it can also be used to rapidly spread misinformation.

There has also been more attention paid to policing in the U.S., particularly negative attention over the past few years. Jewell said that although there are some officers who "probably shouldn't be for various reasons," policing remains about compassion and empathizing with people who need help.

"We are fallible just like any human being, but nationwide, I'd say 99.9 percent of police officers are doing great jobs, saving lives, preventing crime, arresting criminals, and trying to help people in a not-so-helpful world," he said.

In the case of Hermitage, Jewell said the overwhelming majority of the city's residents are supportive of the police, which not only reflects on the department's officers but helps keep the community safer, since law enforcement is a "team effort" between police and the public.

That doesn't mean the job is always pleasant though, and Jewell said the saddest part of his career has been seeing the aftermath of homicides, suicides and overdoses — and the grief experienced by the victims' family members.

"You're seeing people at their lowest point," Jewell said. "Even if a conviction is obtained and you get a sense that your duty is done, it still doesn't undo the wrong."

However, Jewell said policing remains a noble profession and that young men and women looking to enter law enforcement should remember that it's both a passion and a calling.

"The job's ever changing and you have to follow statutory changes and societal changes, but you can't forget what your community expects of you," he said.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at .

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.