The Richland County Sheriff’s Office promoted three officers in a short ceremony Thursday afternoon, joined by fellow officers and a myriad of friends and family. Deputy Jeffery Alfrey was promoted to Sergeant, Lieutenant James Myers was promoted to Staff Lieutenant, Assistant Jail Administrator, and Staff Lieutenant Christopher Blunk was promoted to Captain, Jail Administrator.
“It’s always a great feeling to watch people get promoted and moving up through the ranks,” said Sheriff Steve Sheldon. “You see people progress in their law enforcement careers and you see people really stepping up. We’re very lucky with the supervision we have here at the sheriff’s office, and we’re trying to make things better every day.”
Alfrey has served with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy since 2001, previously serving as a special deputy from 1996 to 2001. He has been a member of the ASORT/SWAT team since 2005 and serves as a member of the Violent Crimes Impact Team, as well as a Field Training Officer. In addition, he has achieved numerous awards and accommodations during his service.
“Jeff, as you can see, has some fast feet under him and he looks like he’s in pretty good shape,” said Sheldon as he described watching Alfrey’s quickness in action. “Jeff is fast of foot and he’s a good officer. We’re real proud to promote him to sergeant, he does an excellent job around here.”
Myers has served 17 years at the Richland County Sheriff’s Office starting in November of 1996, 13 of those years as a supervisor. He was promoted to sergeant in 2000, transferred to Transportation Sergeant in 2001, promoted again to Lieutenant in 2006, and then transferred to Transportation Lieutenant in 2011. Myers was also named Supervisor of the Year in 2010.
“Staff Lieutenant Myers is going to be missed by the courts first and foremost,” said Chief Deputy Major Joe Masi. “He has a great relationship with the courts with his ability to coordinate his transport division to have inmates where they need to be in the several courts he is responsible for.”
Masi noted while Myers was assigned to the transport division in 2013, the division completed 8,490 transports including medical appointments, courts, and transporting inmates in various capacities.
“With his prior training and experience supervising as a lieutenant on a shift in corrections and his experience in transport, Lieutenant Myers is a well-rounded knowledgeable leader,” said Masi. “He will be an asset as a jail administrator.”
Blunk started in corrections at the Richland County Sheriff’s Office in 1998, and was named Officer of the Year in 2003. Blunk served as a Field Training Officer from 2004 to 2009 and was promoted to sergeant in 2006. He was named Supervisor of the Year in 2008 and 2012 and promoted to Staff Lieutenant in 2013.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris over the last three years,” said Masi.
Blunk has brought numerous improvements to the jail over the years, including providing medical services on the weekend and upgrading security cameras in the jail with no additional costs to the county. Blunk also arranged for mental health services to be brought into the jail and established the presence of a drug dog in the jail 24 hours a day. He is actively involved as a member of the Northeast Ohio Jail Administrators Organization as well as the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association’s Corrections Committee.
“Probably one of the toughest jobs here at the sheriff’s office is that of a corrections officer,” said Sheldon. “Our jail at full operation holds 265 people, you’re feeding a lot of people and trying to keep a lot of people under control. (Myers and Blunk) keep that going, they do an excellent job. With the brains of these two I think it’s going to keep going a lot farther.”
Alfrey was the only officer officially sworn in on Thursday afternoon, as Myers and Blunk had been officially promoted a few weeks prior due to logistical reasons. Masi noted Corrections Officer Donald Bigler was also officially promoted to Sergeant, but did not participate in Thursday’s ceremony. After each newly promoted officer was given their new badges had them pinned by family members, it was time to enjoy cake and punch.
“We’re real proud of all these officers, they do a great job for the department,” said Sheldon.
