GREENFIELD — Chief Jeff Rasche of the Greenfield Police Department has made three major changes in the leadership team after the department’s deputy chief stepped aside from that role, in part to run for office.
The changes are:
Brian Hartman has been promoted to deputy chief, the second in command at GPD. He formerly was patrol commander.
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Capt. Chuck McMichael has been promoted to patrol commander after working as a patrol lieutenant.
Capt. Michael Schwamberger has been promoted to commander of the support division after serving as a patrol sergeant.
The shift in responsibilities came about because of the decision by former deputy chief Matt Holland to step aside from that role. Holland now will be a patrol lieutenant. He is also running for Hancock County commissioner in the May 5 primary.
Holland also has relinquished his role as public information officer, a responsibility Rasche will oversee for now.
“When you have a change at the top like that, you have a lot of things to consider,” Rasche said. “But ultimately it’s about doing what is best for the department and not an individual.”
Rasche has worked with all three officers for several years. The three have decades of police experience and working with the community.
Hartman, who has been on the force for 12 years, is excited about the promotion to deputy chief, he said. He became a police officer with the hope of changing lives and still lives by that motto today.
Hartman said he is looking forward to learning more about the job’s administrative responsibilities, such as working with the budget.
“It’s going to be a whole new challenge and process for sure,” Hartman said.
Schwamberger has been with the department 10 years, but has 18 years of experience in law enforcement. He formerly worked at the McCordsville Police Department.
He’ll be spending most of his time with investigations of crimes. Schwamberger spent two years in investigations prior to becoming a road sergeant and enjoyed that part of the job.
“I really like doing investigations, figuring things out and helping victims,” Schwamberger said.
Schwamberger already has experience handling a major case: He investigated the 2016 murder of Patricia Dresser, a Greenfield woman whose killer was arrested the day after her body was found in her home in the Cricket Reel neighborhood. The killer is serving 50 years in prison.
“He managed it very well,” Rasche said. “He’s very organized and is going to do a great job for us.”
While Schwamberger enjoyed being a patrol sergeant, he’s looking forward to the new challenge and meeting the chief’s expectations, he said.
McMichael will supervise the department’s largest section, the patrol division, which includes upwards of 30 officers including all the squad lieutenants. His experience as a lieutenant has prepared him well for his new role, he said.
“Functionally, there will be a lot of things that will stay the same,” McMichael said.
He’s been a part of the department for 12½ years.
McMichael will have to manage many moving parts on a daily basis, but he’s a methodical thinker, Rasche said, also noting McMichael’s ability to build up those around him.
“He going to need to be know what patrol is doing, what we need to be doing or what we can be doing,” Rasche said.
McMichael noted one of his biggest responsibilities is to make sure his officers are working well with the people in the community, keeping channels of communication open.
Rasche said the experienced leadership team will help the department focus on areas that may need improvement.
“We all need to work as a team to be good, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Rasche said.
Rasche said he’ll start brainstorming ideas with his new team once the leaders have settled into their new jobs.
“We’re going to be defining some things in this department that have never been defined before,” Rasche said.
