By Patricia Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Florence Police Chief Tom Grau has made the decision to retire after 29 years totally spent at the Florence Police Department. Grau was the last police officer sworn in at the city under former Mayor Evelyn Kalb, and former police chief Charlie Callen on May 1, 1995. He will leave the job on May 1.
“I grew up on the west side of Cincinnati and was a 1990 graduate of Elder,” Grau said. “At that time a lot of guys were going into police work, a lot of them because their dads were police. I rode with a guy called Ed Taylor and his brother Pat worked in Florence. He told me to take the tests of all the departments in the area, and I did take a few. I saw at one point that Florence was hiring, so I took the test, and was hired. But the west side of Cincinnati, that was where it all started, the service before self mentality.”
Florence Police Chief Tom Grau (Photo by Patricia Scheyer/NKyTribune)
Grau went to UC and studied Criminal Justice and interned in Cheviot, which was where he met Taylor.
He spent his entire career at the Florence Police Department. He started in patrol, became a detective, was a sergeant in Community Resource, moved to Crimes Suppression, worked in Accident Reconstruction, and was in the police command staff. He was also a hostage negotiator. Which was his favorite? He had to think about that.
“I don’t know, patrol is where you cut your teeth,” he mused. “I enjoyed it all. I am a cop’s cop. But if someone had told me I would eventually be the Police Chief in Florence when I was sworn in on patrol, I would’ve said ‘you’re crazy!’ My only goal was to get a job — maybe eventually to be a sergeant.”
Looking back over his career, Grau remembers a lot,and understands that some things are seared into his memory. He said he has knocked on too many doors, telling families bad news.
But one memory stands out, and it is one that was at once sad and inspiring.
“Gavin Ward,” he said. “He was 14 years old and I administered the oath of office to him. He had DIPG, an incurable cancer, but his goal was to spread positivity, and he did. He radiated a positive attitude. He kind of made everything come full circle. He died in July of 2021.”
Grau said he will really miss the people of Florence, the people he is used to seeing all the time. He will miss visiting the businesses and asking the people how they are doing and listening when they relate that things are okay in their neighborhood.
Chief Grau in last year’s Memorial Day parade. (Photo by Patricia Scheyer/NKyTribune)
He likes to be out in the community talking to people. He believes people are the eyes and ears of the community.
One of the things Grau finds extremely satisfying is coaching. He has coached track and peewee football, and fast pitch softball. He loves to coach. He says it gives kids an outlet, a sense of community.
If he isn’t coaching, Grau likes to hunt and fish, and his three kids — daughter Riley, 25, son Zach, 22, and son Matthew, 12 — enjoy some of same things.
“They really keep me on my toes,” said Grau, laughing. “Especially Matthew. Keeping up with a 12-year-old can be exhilarating. My wife, Tricia, agrees.”
Grau said he loves to help people, and solve problems. He said he will also miss the city’s leadership team.
He has an internal mission, a goal, that he has always carried with him.
“My mission is two-fold, I guess,” he said. “The first is to lead the department considered the most professional around, and that includes the technical part of it. The second is to be engaged in the community. Small things matter. If someone asks us to read to a child in school, we’re going to be there.”
Grau has watched Florence grow and grow. But with that growth has come more problems, with a homeless issue and a drug issue.
“We have 7 to 8 miles of interstate, so there is going to be some issues with drugs,” he said. “What we have to do is get in front of the problem. We started the drug unit. The key is to get out in front of it and stay out in front. Our call volume is high, but that is to be expected with a city our size that is growing. When Diane Whalen was our mayor, I remember telling her Florence is not a sleepy little town anymore. It’s all grown up.”
A younger Tom Grau when he was sworn in as a Captain. (File photo)
Whalen has worked with Grau for years and has nothing but good things to say about him.
“Chief Grau is the ultimate professional,” she said. “I always knew that he had the best interest of both the city and his department at heart. His advice was always sound and based on his knowledge and experience. He leaves big shoes to fill, and I wish him well as he moves to the next chapter.”
So why is Grau retiring now? He is obviously in the prime of his life, very active, very vigorous.
“Well, you get to a point where you have accomplished everything that you wanted to,” he explained. “You’ve hired all these great people who have so much potential, who are exhibiting great leadership skills. These guys, and girls, are ready. I need to give them a chance.”
He said he looked back at the chiefs before him, Kathman, Szurlinski, McDermott and himself, and saw that they all stayed in the chief position about 5 to 7 years. He knows he is not done; he is too active to sit down. He has many more chapters in his life.
He thought about it for awhile and came to a conclusion.
“I knew May first was coming up, and I was sworn in on May first, I was married on May first —that date is very important,” he said. “In my heart, I knew it was time.”
