Tribute to Brown County first responders

This story is part four of the “Tribute to Brown County first responders” series by Wade Linville (editor of The News Democrat, The Ripley Bee, and The Brown County Press).

Around a month after graduating high school in 1993, David Benjamin had already started his career in law enforcement. He got his start as an officer with the Manchester Police Department in Adams County, following in the footsteps of family members who held careers in law enforcement. Benjamin now serves as the police chief in the village of Aberdeen.

His late grandfather, Larry Fulton, had a successful career in law enforcement. Larry’s late brother, Louis Fulton, was an Adams County Sheriff for 12 years. His great grandfather, Eugene Fulton, was also an Adams County Sheriff.

David Benjamin currently has a sister and a cousin working locally at law enforcement agencies, so the family’s desire to protect and serve has been ongoing for decades.

“I come from a long line in law enforcement,” said Benjamin. “And a bunch of us are still in it.”

“My grandfather was someone I really looked up to, and hearing him talk about the way he was able to impact people’s lives, I thought that’s something I want to do,” Benjamin said of his inspiration to start a career in law enforcement.

For David Benjamin, his start as a young police officer in the 1990s was a bit overwhelming.

“For me, because of my maturity, it was overwhelming to see all of the different things law enforcement has to deal with…the variety of things we have to deal with,” Benjamin said of his start as a police officer.

During his high school years, Benjamin attended the law enforcement program at Southern Hills Career/Technical Center in Brown County. His original goal was to work as a wildlife officer, possibly leaving Ohio later in life to move out west.

He later attended Hocking College and obtained two Associate Degrees, one in Ranger Services and one in Back Country Horsemanship.

“My intentions were to go out west and be a mounted ranger,” said Benjamin. “Of course, we never know where God is going to lead us, but it wasn’t that way.”

He left his part-time job as an officer with the Manchester Police Department in the mid-1990s and went to work at Rocky Fork Lake where he remained for three years.

In 1998, he started his job as a police officer in his hometown of Ripley, OH.

“That was my first full-time job in law enforcement,” Benjamin said of his start at Ripley.

Within a few years at the Ripley Police Department, Benjamin had climbed the ranks to lieutenant and became a K-9 handler with the RPD.

“When we got the K-9 I had no intentions of being the K-9 handler. I was trying to get Adam Pennington to be the K-9 handler,” Benjamin explained.

It didn’t take long for Officer Pennington to decide that being a K-9 handler just wasn’t for him, and so Benjamin decided to give it a go.

“I took on the K-9 program at that point, and me and Zello worked the road for about six years together,” said Benjamin.

The RPD later discontinued its K-9 unit.

It was in 2008 when Benjamin left the Ripley Police Department and took on the role as Winchester Police Department chief, his first opportunity to run a police department.

“I got the opportunity up there to be chief,” said Benjamin. “I thought, ‘Man, I don’t know whether I can do this or not, but I guess I will figure it out as I go.’”

Benjamin served as the Winchester Police chief for 10 years before taking a job closer to home and becoming chief of the Aberdeen Police Department in 2018.

As a first responder actively patrolling roadways and responding to emergency calls, police officers are oftentimes the first on the scene. It could be a traffic accident with injuries, a violent crime, a fire, a drug overdose, or a medical emergency that a police officer may arrive first to. So, the more training and experience an officer can receive, the more successful they can be as first responders.

In his 30 years of working in law enforcement and his previous years of planning for a career in law enforcement, Benjamin has received training and certifications in a number of areas that include: CPR, Boat Operation and Rescue, K-9 handling, and Ropes and Repelling.

Benjamin recalled showing up first at the scene of a large fire at Millston apartment complex in Aberdeen, a case of arson.

The fire took place around a couple of years ago.

“We got the call that there was an active fire, so we were the first on scene. I see the first apartment engulfed, and I said, ‘This is going to spread fast, we have to get these people out these apartments.’ That was one of those occasions where you’re first on scene to a fire and you’re trying to get people out and do all of those things even before the fire department gets there to keep everybody safe,” said Benjamin.

Benjamin couldn’t count the many number of times he’s had to perform CPR while on the job. Working with local life squads and fire departments for three decades, Benjamin has become familiar with what to do to help prepare for the arrival of other emergency crews at times when he and his officers are first on the scene of an incident.

In addition to serving as the Aberdeen Police Chief, he also serves as the pastor at the Aberdeen United Methodist Church.

Whether it’s serving as a first responder or providing spiritual guidance as a pastor, Benjamin’s reward comes through helping others.

His many years of service in his community has not gone unrecognized, as he was honored to be named the grand marshal of last year’s Ohio Rural Heritage Festival in Ripley.

Of the many incidents Benjamin recalls over his years in law enforcement, there is one that stands out above them all. Benjamin will never forget the collapse of the retired DP&L power plant building near Manchester in Adams County that resulted in the death of two workers and leaving other workers trapped. Those trapped were part of a demolition crew working to take down the retired power station that once operated as part of Dayton Power and Light’s power grid.

Benjamin responded to the scene when receiving the call, looking to provide help in any way possible.

“I think they were calling for all hands on deck…anyone who could come and help to come help,” Benjamin recalled. “It wasn’t really a law enforcement thing, but I wanted to be there to help out any way I could.”

Upon arrival, Benjamin asked emergency crews what he could do to help. He assisted emergency crews with unloading and placing of equipment and later was approached by the Manchester Fire Department chief who, knowing he also served as a pastor, asked Benjamin to pray with victims and their families. And that’s what Benjamin did.

Emergency crews that included the Hamilton County Urban Search and Rescue Team were able to rescue worker Travis Miller. While on the scene, Benjamin prayed with Miller.

“We were able to get Travis Miller out of the power plant, prayed with him, and he’s made a recovery,” said Benjamin.

Miller lost his legs after being trapped in the collapse, but is thankful to be alive with his family, and thankful for those who rescued him and prayed with him at the Killen power plant collapse.

The two have kept in touch, and Miller recently sent a video to Benjamin of him dancing with his daughter on his prosthetic legs.

Over his many years in law enforcement, Benjamin has enjoyed developing working relationships with a number of fellow law enforcement workers.

Benjamin will always remember Gary Wise, his instructor at SHCTC (formerly Southern Hills Joint Vocational School) in the early 1990s, and how interesting he made the criminal justice program for high school juniors and seniors planning careers in law enforcement.

Benjamin also credits Dave Stamper (Sheriff Dept.) for helping him learn to search vehicles for illegal drugs.

He will also always remember his years of service with his dedicated K-9 Zello.

Benjamin is as much of a family man as he is a police chief and pastor, committed to his wife Michele and their children.

During his time as the Aberdeen Police Chief, he has been able to improve the relationships between Aberdeen officers and residents through community involvement.

He took over at a time when many Aberdeen residents lacked respect and trust in the village’s police department, but Benjamin is pleased to have been able to change that negative view of the police department in the eyes of many residents.

“I think we’ve changed our persona,” Benjamin said of how the Aberdeen Police Department’s view among residents has changed since he took over five years ago.

Benjamin is honored to be in a position to assist others in his community in a variety of ways, one who has been dedicated to protecting and serving for 30 years and counting.