BELLVILLE — Chief Jon Fletcher can still remember when the entire Bellville Police Department was just a small room in city hall.
It was 2005. He was fresh out of the academy and had taken his first law-enforcement job with his hometown department. He’s has been there ever since.
Last month, Fletcher swore to serve and protect his fellow citizens once again — this time as police chief. He took over on Aug. 1 for Ron Willey, who retired after 38 years.
“Jon has been with the department for 16 years, most of those as my second in command,” Willey said. “He will fill the role nicely.”
Richland Source spoke with Fletcher about the decision to pursue law enforcement, his time in the department and his vision for its future. Below is a transcript of that conversation, lightly edited for clarity and length.
Richland Source: Describe your emotions upon being sworn in as chief?
Fletcher: It felt good. It was an honor. I had Chief Willey pin my badges on me, so that was a very special moment for me, especially having served with him for so many years.
Being that Chief had been here for 38 years, it’s more sentimental for me to have him do that. Mayors come and go, village councilmen come and go. And he was such a big icon, he had such a big influence in the Valley. So it was definitely special.
Richland Source: You graduated from Clear Fork High School in 1993 and joined the police department in 2005. Did you have a different career prior to entering law enforcement?
Fletcher: Yeah, I was actually going in a different direction before I decided to go into law enforcement. After graduation, I went to Pittsburgh’s Institute of Aeronautics and from there, I want to the North American Institute of Aviation down in South Carolina. I actually have a degree in aeronautics.
Richland Source: What made you decide to go into law enforcement?
Fletcher: Serving the country is probably the biggest push. I currently have a brother that’s a Delaware County Sheriff. I have another brother that did 10 years in the military. I have a son in the military. My nephews are in the military. So all of us seem to end up with one of the two.
Richland Source: What do you like best about the job?
Fletcher: Nothing’s routine and it’s always changing. After high school, I took the first year off and I went to work for a factory. I realized real fast, pushing the same button, doing the same thing every day, that was not for me.
There’s always something new, always a new challenge. Most people that get into this field that’s what they enjoy.
Richland Source: What made you interested in becoming police chief?
Fletcher: It’s the next natural step in the career.
Richland Source: What do you hope to achieve as the chief?
Fletcher: Right now, we’re going to do status quo. I’ve been here 16, almost 17 years. So I’ve had a lot of input into the policies and procedures of how we actually operate. It works well for us. It serves our community extremely well.
Richland Source: When I spoke with Chief Willey about his retirement, he told me the department was much smaller than it is now.
Fletcher: When I started in ’05, the entire police department was in a room smaller than (my office). We still used electronic typewriters and I think we had one patrol car, maybe two patrol cars. It’s grown a lot over the years. And with the anticipated growth out here, it’s only going to continue to grow.
Richland Source: You’ve been here long enough to help steer the department as it’s grown. What are some of the things you’re most proud of?
Fletcher: The continuous growth of the department is one big thing. Like every department out there, manpower is always a struggle. Everyone’s trying to compete for the same personnel because there’s not a big pool right now for us to grab from. But like I said, when I started out, there was three on the department. Now we’re at eight (policemen), six cars. That’s the biggest thing is just to continue to grow.
Richland Source: What else do you want the community to know about you?
Fletcher: I think 90 percent of the community knows me. I do a lot of interaction with the community. I like to get out in the community.