GREENVILLE – After serving nearly 30 years with the Greenville Police Department, Lieutenant Douglas (Dean) Flanery officially retired earlier this week.
Lt. Flanery served in many roles including Evidence Technician, Field Training Officer, Hostage Negotiator, Patrol Sergeant and most recently Support Services Lieutenant where he managed the dispatch center.
“Being a police officer in Greenville meant the world to me. It was great to work in a small community where there was a lot of support for our department. It was also rewarding to feel like I was making a difference in the community where I lived,” Lt. Flanery stated.
“Dean gave GPD 29 years. He was a valuable asset in every position he held. I was very fortunate he stepped up to take the Support Services Lieutenant spot. I was hoping he would stay longer, but he is going to do something he has spoken about for a long time. He was an amazing source of knowledge. He served the city on the tree commission and was on planning and zoning,” said Greenville Police Chief Eric Roberts.
“To me, the best part of his story is that he knew at a young age that he wanted to be a police officer to help people and that’s what he grew up and did,” Flanery’s wife Dana noted. “He was meant to do that job and I think he did it well. He stuck with it even when it was hard.”
Flanery graduated from high school in Southeastern Ohio and went into the U.S. Air Force for 4.5 years. He then went to the Ohio State Patrol Police Academy, before coming to Greenville where he was sworn in as an officer on January 27, 1995, by former Mayor Richard Rehmert. He was promoted to Patrol Sergeant in June 2008 and then to Lieutenant in August 2022.
According to Flanery, he says his most memorable times were when he first started and working the Broadway cruising detail. The saddest day was the fatal house fire on Montgomery Street. One of the most rewarding parts was when people he had ticketed or arrested would come to him after the fact and thank him and talk with him.
When asked what is next… he simply said, “Right now, I’m just taking some time to decide what I want to do next.”
Thank you for your decades of service Lt. Flanery!
