Deb Malewski
Contributing Writer

Even as a child Richard Dover always knew he would be a police officer, an EMT, or maybe in the military. The final decision was made after doing a ride-along with a police officer as part of one of his college classes. This was his calling in life, he felt, to become a police officer.
His parents were both in related fields; his mother was a nurse and his father a security officer, and Dover liked the idea of “to protect and to serve,” he explained. He is the only police officer in his family, he said.
Dover received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Siena Heights, and an associate degree in Law Enforcement and Applied Science at Jackson College. He has always enjoyed school and is currently working on his master’s degree in emergency management and homeland security. He would like to be able to use this education to do more work in emergency management. Working class time into twelve-hour shifts of work and family responsibilities isn’t always easy, though, he explained.
Dover and his wife, Megan, live in Pleasant Lake, which is north of Jackson, just over 20 miles away from Eaton Rapids. He grew up in Tipton, Michigan, and worked in Ypsilanti after graduating from the police academy in 2008. He then worked part-time for two years with ERPD Chief Weeks in Morenci, Michigan, plus part-time in Blissfield before being hired into ERPD. He has worked in Eaton Rapids for about eight years.
“Every day is different. You never know what to expect,” Dover said in regards to why he likes his job. Doing thorough investigations is probably his favorite technical part of the job, he added.
“With so much negativity towards police now around the country, Eaton Rapids has been a wonderful community to work in,” Dover stated. “We are lucky and fortunate to be here.”
The community is very appreciative of their local police department, he said.
“Thank you for what you do,” they are told by the public, he said, and even receive snacks and treats from those who are appreciative in recognition of their efforts to keep Eaton Rapids safe.
“We hope we treat them as well as they treat us,” Dover said.
Officer Dover has recently been in the news a lot after being the lead officer for the Playground of Dreams razor blade incident. Due to it being an ongoing investigation, Dover was unable to comment on the incident which involved the finding of over 40 razor blades in the children’s play area at the park.
“These are uncertain times,” Dover said. “We have to keep trying to keep faith that things will get better.”
Officer Dover can be reached through the Eaton Rapids Police Department or by email at rdover@cityofeatonrapids.com.