Capt. Hunter signs off after 42-year career

For those involved with the criminal justice system, Capt. Doug Hunter is a familiar face in the crowd. Those not involved in the system may know him from his Daily Update he hosts on various social media platforms, where he discusses current events and other happenings within the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

Hunter’s career ended on Thursday when he retired after 42 years of service to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

He began his career in Marshallville when those interested in becoming law-enforcement officers needed a sponsor to attend the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. Hunter said he helped around the police station as an auxiliary and eventually got the nod to attend OPOTA from the chief.

“My goal is the same today as when I began my career,” Hunter said. “I have always wanted to come to work each day and do the best job possible. I did not want to be a sergeant, captain or sheriff. I just wanted to be a police officer — and a good one.”

With each passing year, Hunter’s dedication to the badge grew. From patrolling streets and ensuring public safety to investigating complex criminal activity, each experience sharpened his skills. Eventually, as he trained recruits, he helped shape how deputies conducted their duties throughout the county.

“I enjoyed sharing my knowledge with other people,” Hunter said. “I qualified officers on the firing range, and I had a high standard that I enforced. The byproduct was that people got better. People could not show up and pass; there were criteria they had to meet, and it made everyone safer.”

Though there were a lot of long hours and some sleepless nights, Hunter worked to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community.

“When I would get a call at 3 a.m., my first question was always, ‘Is everyone safe?’” Hunter said. “I have enough experience to know that anything else that was going on could be taken care of. I never wanted to hear that I had holes in my people. The first thing I wanted to know was that everyone is OK.”

During his 42-year journey, Hunter has been involved in most of the homicide cases and many of the criminal investigations that have gripped the community over the years.

“While those cases obviously stand out in everyone’s memory, they involve tragedy for others,” he said. “So I tend to focus on programs designed to be helpful to people, like Project Lifesaver and the Are You OK program. Early in my career, I worked on increasing the safety of our deputies. Later on in my career, I worked to provide additional safety measures to the community.”

Hunter said many of his job-related memories had run together over time, but there were many occasions when he interacted with community members and provided advice to them.

Sheriff Travis Hutchinson lauded Hunter for his ability to adapt and change with the times.

“He has always been a visionary, and he brought this office into the future ahead of other agencies,” Hutchinson said. “One example is the body-worn cameras. Doug made sure that we were always ahead of the game. We were one of the first agencies in Ohio that started using body cameras before they were mandated.”

Hutchinson listed other projects Hunter was integral in bringing to fruition including the following:

—Installation of the Multi-Agency Radio Communications System.

—Better body armor.

—New firearms.

—Less lethal firearms in the vehicles.

—The Narcan project.

Hutchinson said Hunter became the voice of the office and was the public information officer.

“That took a lot of pressure off of me. He handled all of the media requests and press conferences,” Hutchinson said. “I had to do one once, and he prepped me. He knew exactly what I needed to say and how to say it. He is excellent at public speaking, and I am grateful to him for always handling that.”

Hunter also ushered in the use of social media. He started a Facebook page that currently has more than 65,000 followers. But he is more widely known for his appearances on The Daily Update, a video recording he started to inform the public with news and updates from the sheriff’s office.

“When I went to order his retirement cake,” Hutchinson said, “they jokingly said they wouldn’t bake it because they didn’t want him to retire and stop doing The Daily Update.”

While the future of The Daily Update is in question, Hunter said he plans to do one more in the upcoming days, where he will sign off with his famous catchphrase, “Think a little more of others and a little less of yourself, and things will be a whole lot better right here in Wayne County.”

Dan Starcher is a public communications coordinator for the Wayne County government.