Q&A with Chief David Wood

By Thailyr Scrivner

Grandview’s Chief of Police, David Wood, has had a few months to get used to the community.

Now that he’s acclimated, here’s a little about the man who’s been serving the people of Grandview Heights since May.

What is your previous experience with the police force?

I was with the Columbus Division of Police for 33 years. Twenty-nine of those years, I spent on the SWAT Team.

What are some challenges you think you will face in Grandview?

Well, Grandview is, of course, a lot different from Columbus. Some of the challenges are to serve and protect. That’s what we want to accomplish with the cooperation of the division of police, the city council, the mayor and the community. Our goal is to take everyone’s input of how he or she wants the police department to operate and then give our perspective from the law enforcement side. Our goal is to be the best police department in the country.

What about Grandview interested you to work for its police department?

I heard about the job opening just as I was finishing my career in Columbus. I grew up in Upper Arlington. My grandmother lived here in Grandview on Ashland Avenue, and I had a best friend growing up who lived on West First Avenue. I was always aware of what a wonderful community this is. I just feel great that I’m able to be here and work with this community.

How will you involve yourself with the community?

That’s what’s very interesting about this job compared to my old job. I get to feel the same things everyone else feels here, the small town atmosphere. I have gone to several city council meetings in Grandview and in Marble Cliff. I went to the memorial service earlier this year, The Fourth of July parade, Lazy Daze, celebrity bike races and the mayor’s picnic. All of those functions and just getting to know what Grandview Heights is and what’s important to everybody. It’s a luxury to be able to do that.

What is the biggest reward of being Chief of Police?

So far, this division of police is so professional and is so community oriented. It’s refreshing to be with people who are motivated to do the right thing. I’m very fortunate to be with a great group of officers and, of course, working for Mayor Ray DeGraw, the Director of Administration Patrik Bowman and all of the city council is another luxury. It’s a great thing.

What impact do you hope to have?

I hope to make this the best police department in the country. My goal is to make this the safest city in the country, not only in the realist sense but also in the way that the community feels about their safety as they walk down the street or as they sleep at night. My biggest concern is to make sure that everyone feels that they’re safe.

Are there any new roles you will take on as Chief of Police?

I’ve supervised a fewer number of people at this point, but the activities that I do are a broader range that includes the budget and scheduling process of the division of police.

When you’re not working, what types of things do you like to do in Grandview?

I live in Worthington, but even before I was chief here, my wife, family and I came here to dine quite often. There’s a lot of wonderful dining in this area.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies?

I have four children and four grandchildren. They keep me pretty busy. Also, my main hobby is woodworking, building furniture and all sorts of woodworking things. I’ve been doing that a long time. What’s fun about that is my sons, 26 and 16, have recently gained interest, too, so I get to be with them while doing it. That’s very rewarding.

I’m just really happy and I feel lucky to be here. I’m certainly going to put my best effort forward and I really look forward to serving the people of Grandview.