Marion Police Department's MPACT program staff honored

Andrew Carter, Marion Star
Updated ·4 min read
Lt. Ed Brown, left, of the Marion Police Department was selected as the Ohio Crime Prevention Association Practitioner of the Year for his work with the department's MPACT (Marion Police and Community Together) program. Chief Jay McDonald and former MPACT coordinator Major B.J. Gruber were at the conference for the award ceremony on April 4, 2023, in Dublin.

Introduced to the community in 2016, the Marion Police Department's MPACT (Marion Police and Community Together) program has allowed officers to interact with local young people (children and teens) and families on a level not enjoyed in past years.

The goodwill the MPACT program has generated during its tenure was recognized on a statewide level this year as the Ohio Crime Prevention Association (OCPA) honored Lt. Ed Brown, the program's coordinator, during its annual conference on April 4 in Dublin. Brown was honored as the OCPA Practitioner of the Year for his leadership and work with MPACT.

"It is very humbling when you go to the Ohio Crime Prevention Association conference and hear all the good work being done around the state and then to be honored with this award," Brown said. "It is truly an honor, but I share this with the entire police department. I may be the man in the position, but all of our officers at the Marion Police Department embrace our MPACT philosophies, which led to this honor. I appreciate all of our community partners that I have the opportunity to work with on a daily basis."

Chief Jay McDonald said the success of the MPACT program is testament to the leadership Brown has provided for the program.

"We were honored to witness Lt. Ed Brown be recognized as the Ohio Crime Prevention Practitioner of the Year for all of the exceptional work that he does as the coordinator of the MPACT Program," McDonald said. "From creating and organizing programs that help police connect more deeply with the citizens we serve to teaching classes and organizing safety drills in our schools, we are truly ecstatic that our crime prevention partners have recognized Lt. Brown’s exceptional work that we are so blessed to see each and every day here in Marion."

Officer Montel Smith of the Marion Police Department takes time to get a photograph with some of the kids who came to the first installment of Hot Dogs & Heroes on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at Fairview Apartments in Marion. Smith is the juvenile officer for the department's MPACT (Marion Police and Community Together) program.
Officer Montel Smith of the Marion Police Department takes time to get a photograph with some of the kids who came to the first installment of Hot Dogs & Heroes on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at Fairview Apartments in Marion. Smith is the juvenile officer for the department's MPACT (Marion Police and Community Together) program.

Led by then Lt. B.J. Gruber from 2016 to 2021, the program continued to grow and expand, adding other projects to its lineup. In its first year the MPACT program hit the ground running as Marion police officers engaged the community by handing out frozen treats, pool passes, and stickers during the summer months and winter clothing such as gloves and hats to local kids.

Police participated in a wide range of charitable events, including distributing free school supplies and community meals during the holiday season. The Cops, Kids, Cookies and Cocoa events brought schoolchildren to Marion City Hall to share some treats with local officers.

Under the umbrella of MPACT, the Marion Police Department established a close working relationship with Marion City Schools that has also grown over the years. From Too Good for Drugs to Hot Dogs and Heroes to Books and Badges, MPACT has continued to create and modify innovative outreach programs to local school children and their families.

For his work with the MPACT program, in 2017, Gruber was selected as the recipient of the Hometown Hero award by the Marion Modern Woodmen of America Chapter 6511.

Last summer was extremely busy for the MPACT program with four installments of Hot Dogs and Heroes staged at the Fairview Apartments, Glenwood Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, and the Crescent Heights neighborhood. A three-day camp was conducted for the newly-founded Explorers program in June.

Four internet safety workshops for elementary, middle, and high school students, and parents were offered over the course of the summer. Brown conducted all workshops at the Marion Public Library, another valued community partner.

Marion police officers also played pickup basketball with local youth at the Marion Family YMCA. They played kickball games against local Special Olympics athletes at the Marion County Board of DD ballfield and played kickball against kids from the Boys and Girls Club. Additionally, police officers squared off against a local club softball team in a friendly game.

Police also partnered with the Jer-Zee Drive-In for weekly story time activities and Marion Family YMCA summer camp activities and Boys and Girls Club activities throughout the summer of 2022.

The Marion Police Department partnered with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Marion City Schools, and other local organizations to host National Night Out in August prior to the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Grant Middle School has been the location for that event for several years.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Police Department's MPACT program staff honored