Oakwood swears in two public safety officers; manager announces hires and council recognizes regional awards

Mayor Duncan administered the oath of office to two new Oakwood Public Safety officers, Natalie Florie and Chris Warwick, at the Jan. 6 Oakwood City Council meeting.

Officer Natalie Florie, the mayor said, began her public-safety career with the Dayton Police Department in 2018. The council-record background said Florie served in Dayton’s road patrol, worked as an assigned evidence technician for the Dayton homicide unit, and is a certified evidence technician, certified bike-patrol officer and a state-certified law enforcement training instructor. She previously served in the Army National Guard from 2014 to 2020 and received several service medals, the mayor said. The mayor told the chamber Florie is completing her field-training program and “will soon be working on her own.”

Officer Chris Warwick was introduced as having begun his public-safety career with the Huber Heights Fire Department in September 2009 and serving as a firefighter-paramedic. The mayor recited awards and certifications attributed to Warwick, including Star of Life awards and recognition for rescue and medical care, hazardous-materials and vehicle rescue certifications, advanced tactical medical specialist certification, and completion of Sinclair law-enforcement basic training and the state law-enforcement exam.

City Manager (name not specified in the meeting) also used the status-report portion of the agenda to welcome two recent hires: Lisa Gower as assistant finance director and Joe O’Brien as a general services worker in public works. The manager said the city is continuing recruitment for a part-time groundskeeper in Leisure Services and for a full finance director in the coming weeks.

The manager also praised the Public Works Department’s snow response, describing three crews assigned during the storm: a first plow crew that came in at noon and worked until 10 p.m.; a sidewalk crew of five that started at 7 a.m. Sunday and worked through 4 p.m. the following day; and a second plow crew of six that began at 10 p.m. and worked through the night and through 4 p.m. the next day. The manager said crews cycled back after 4 p.m. to continue clearing.

In council comments, Council Member Jackson urged residents — especially seniors or people who live alone — to enroll in Oakwood’s ACORN public-safety program, saying the program “captures information about your home, enrolling in the program. It helps our public safety officers help you.” Council Member Turban promoted the Sister City Association and an upcoming wine tasting fundraiser on Feb. 22; Council Member Stevens urged residents to move vehicles off streets during snow events to improve plowing efficiency and safety. Vice Mayor Byington had no comments.

Mayor Duncan also recognized several Oakwood public-safety officers for regional work. The mayor said three Oakwood officers are members of the regional Tactical Crime Suppression Unit (TCSU) and that Detective Casey Ballinger was recognized by the TCSU director for investigative work related to the Huntington National Bank robbery follow-up and a fraud investigation that the mayor stated “will result in a $515,000 forfeiture.” (The meeting transcript included a repeated, inconsistent figure immediately after that statement; see clarifying details.) The mayor said Ballinger was also recognized for work with the Miami Valley Human Trafficking Task Force.

No formal council action was required or taken on the staffing welcomes, snow operations report, ACORN program promotion, sister-city events or the recognitions. Council adjourned the meeting at the end of the agenda.