Lyle Harvitt
Much of the 45840 Findlay zip code lies in unincorporated areas and is protected by the Hancock County Sheriffs department. We were able to sit down with the 2015 Deputy of the year, Detective Lyle Harvitt, an 18 year veteran of the force.
It was almost his destiny to become a deputy, as his father was a deputy and his grandfather was the county sheriff back in the 1930’s. Lyle is shown here with a picture of his grandfather on the Sheriff’s office wall. (on his right)
Life a…s a peace officer has changed dramatically in almost 20 years. Gone are the days when a single officer handles most calls, as public perception and respect have eroded and put an extra element of danger in many calls. But Lyle loved his years on the road meeting and protecting the people on his shifts. He also enjoyed following leads and solving cases which led to his promotion.
Promoted 4 years ago to Detective, Lyle has a work load that includes more than half of all cases being child abuse and sex crime against children cases. It is prevalent and he has a great team to work with as they strive to help these children escape the abuse and begin to heal. This includes CPS, social workers, judges and Tom Blunk of the Center for Abused Children. These cases do weigh on him and he will take a good hard look in four years when he reaches retirement age if he will continue, or retire to the farm full-time
Lyle also followed in his fathers and grandfathers footsteps in that he has a 200 acre farm and oversees one of the few calf/cow operations locally. He has a few farm dogs that keep him company while he works. He is also skilled with his hands as he studied mechanics in Lima and spent nearly ten years as a diesel mechanic before he followed his heart and got into law enforcement.
Raised on a farm with three sisters, Lyle says, “I had the best childhood you could have.” His father Kerwin was his mentor teaching him to “treat others as you want to be treated.”