Andy Dean Named 2011 Maumee Police Division Officer Of The Year
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
Maintaining a 24-hour police presence in the city of Maumee means that in the middle of the night, while many are fast asleep, a force of officers continues to keep the community safe.
Officer Andy Dean, a 13-year veteran with the Maumee Police Division, is among those working the third shift, from 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.
“You have fewer people moving around at night so your self-initiated activity keeps you busy,” he said.
“Sometimes you get slammed and sometimes it’s slow – it’s hit or miss,” he continued.
Dean, who has been praised for his effort and diligence to duty, was named the 2011 Maumee Police Division Officer of the Year.
“Patrolman Dean uses his down time to be very pro-active. He is the most well-rounded and active officer on the shift. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time and is in on many arrests,” Sgt. Thomas Hixon wrote in his nomination letter.
It’s the second time Dean has been named Officer of the Year. He also received the award in 2003.
According to Maumee Police Chief Robert Zink, it’s very rare for someone to receive the award more than once.
“It speaks to the kind of officer that he is. He was doing the same things in 2003 and here eight years later he’s still doing the same things – just being a darn good police officer,” Zink said.
Dean, who joined the department in January 1999, also serves as one of four department crime scene photographers.
“You just never know the images you see on this job. You have to learn to separate the job from home and home from the job,” Dean said.
He has also worked as a field training officer for new officers.
According to Zink, because of his work as a crime scene officer and field training officer and because this is the second time he has been named Officer of the Year, Dean also received the Chief’s Achievement Award.
“He is always looking for things and he finds a lot of things, and he likes being a police officer and it shows,” Zink said.
Dean’s regular duties involve making arrests, issuing citations and filing crash reports, offense reports and parking citations.
He has also pursued criminals involved with stolen vehicles, stolen merchandise, illegal drug activity, individuals who are armed and suicidal, as well as those who are drunk and disorderly.
One notable incident occurred two years ago when he found a man with a backpack and bike hiding in some bushes behind a restaurant.
“It was dark and at first I wasn’t sure if I was really seeing someone,” he said.
After investigating further and talking with the suspect, Dean called for backup.
“I knew something wasn’t right and as soon as I reached for his backpack, he began fighting me,” Dean said.
Eventually the suspect was arrested and a large butcher knife was found in his backpack. Dean later learned that the suspect had sent several threatening letters to the manager of the restaurant.
“I honestly think he was waiting for her and he would have killed her,” Dean said. “I probably prevented a tragedy and it’s stuff like that that keeps me going. It’s why I got into the job.”
Dean praised the Maumee department for its progressive approach to law enforcement, noting that the equipment and training make the department the envy of others in the area.
He also said understanding helps in the job.
“It’s really more about experience than anything,” he said.
Prior to working in Maumee, Dean worked in the village of Elmore Police Department and as a campus police officer at the former Medical College of Ohio, which is now the University of Toledo Health Science Campus.
He received an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Owens Community College.
“I didn’t want a job doing the same thing every day and I like serving the public. I still like the job. I like what I do,” he said.
He and his wife Stacey have been married 14 years. They have two daughters, Alyssa, 8, and Emily, 5.
Officer Dean received his awards on February 1 at the Maumee Police Division awards banquet at the Maumee Elks.
Other awards presented at the banquet included Exceptional Duty Awards, Chief’s Achievement Awards, Service Awards and Citizen Awards.
A further report on the banquet and award recipients will appear in the February 9 issue of The Mirror.

Black Swamp Conservancy Adds 1,700 Acres In 2011
Black Swamp Conser-vancy added 1,753 acres of land to its conservation holdings in 2011. With the addition of 12 new properties, the Conservancy now protects 11,171 acres of farmland and natural areas from development, forever.
The Black Swamp Conservancy’s service area covers 12 counties in Northwest Ohio. The properties added in 2011 are located in Fulton, Hardin, Henry, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca counties.
A 603-acre farm owned by the Mauch family in Sandusky County is the year’s largest addition, as well as the Conservancy’s biggest protected property.
“We are pleased to report that the Conservancy had an excellent year in terms of the number of acres protected,” said Kevin Joyce, executive director. “We’re glad we can be a resource for the generous landowners here in Northwest Ohio who are interested in preserving their land for generations to come.”
Black Swamp Conser-vancy preserves land mostly through perpetual land conservation agreements known as conservation or agricultural easements.
Through such an agreement, the landowner gives up the right to develop the property – such as by constructing buildings, putting in roads or driveways or subdividing the land – in order to protect its conservation values, which includes its value as prime farmland or as habitat for native plants and animals.
Conservation agreements protect the land without any change in ownership. The Conservancy does not take ownership of the land, but is responsible for monitoring the condition of the property to ensure the terms of the agreement are being upheld.
For more information, visit www.blackswamp.org.