Oak Harbor Police Chief Eric Parker left the Marines with a service-minded attitude that he has carried with him throughout his career with the Oak Harbor police department. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

When Oak Harbor Police Chief Eric Parker graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 1994, he immediately entered the Marines, where he learned the importance of serving the community. When he left the Marines, he joined the Oak Harbor Police Department so he could continue a life of service. He has been there ever since.

“I went into the Marine Corps right out of high school and came out with a service-minded attitude,” he said. “I wanted to continue serving, and becoming a police officer was a way I could do that.”

Parker spent most of his career working the midnight shift. In that season of life, it was a good fit.

“It was good for my family life, and I took pride in keeping the streets safe at night,” he said.

Parker would patrol the streets, come home and sleep, and then spend much of his free time coaching football and wrestling. He formed a flag football community rec league and coached biddy and high school wrestling when his son was on the teams.

“It was another way to give back to the community, and it helped my job. It put a face to the police department. I knew the kids, and I knew the parents,” Parker said.

Parker stepped away from coaching when he was promoted to chief in 2019. He still spends time patrolling the streets, which keeps him connected to the Oak Harbor community, including the kids. The village is in a somewhat unique position of having all the schools in the district within city limits.

“One major focus is our schools. We have a great relationship with B-C-S schools,” Parker said.

The police department employs School Resource Officers (SRO) to protect the schools and connect with the students.

“It really helps to have SROs. We’ve invested in them,” Parker said. “It’s paid off many times. The kids are not afraid to talk to police officers because they interact with them every day.”

Police work has changed in the quarter century since Parker first joined the department. A big shift is the department’s response to mental health emergencies. In the early years, the department was untrained to deal with a mental health crisis and had nowhere to turn for help.

“Mental health is not a police issue, but it became a police issue when no one knew what to do,” Parker said.

Now, the department has resources to turn to, including the Ottawa County Mobile Crisis Team.

“They are amazing. I had a call the other day, and they were there in 15 minutes,” Parker said.

Police officers are now better trained to deal with calls of any nature.

“When I went to the police academy in 1998, we were taught to have a warrior mindset. Now, they teach a caretaker mindset,” Parker said.

That caretaker mindset carries over into the department’s interaction with the community. The department has hosted Cones with a Cop and Coffee with a Cop, and it hosted its first car show this summer. On the ordinary days, the department connects through kindness.

“I tell my officers that how you treat people matters,” he said. “These are people you’ll see at the grocery store and at the gas station.”

That kind of small-town kindness and a strong police force has made Oak Harbor a good place to raise a family.

“People love to live here because the streets are safe, and it has a small-town feel,” Parker said. “I grew up here, and my son grew up here. I want people to have that same safe feel for their families.”