By Diana Blowers
Dayton Daily News
Once a week, for 20 years, Craig Lehman has driven around Beavercreek, for four hours, looking for trouble.
He wasn’t looking for trouble to get in to, but potential trouble that he can help the Beavercreek Police Department prevent.
The Beavercreek Police Department’s Citizens on Preventive Patrol recognized Lehman for his service. He is the longest active member of the police auxiliary instituted in 1987 as a volunteer group of private citizens to assist officers.
“A friend and former COPP, Fred Bramsway, introduced me to the program in 1989. I had wanted to get involved when the program first started, but had other commitments that prevented that,” he said.
Lehman has stayed with the program because “it is just such a good program that it is very easy to stay involved.
“I have always enjoyed helping people, and in the COPP program, you not only do that, but it also gives you the opportunity to give something back to the community.”
While he enjoys directing traffic, assisting stranded motorists and the many other tasks that COPP members assist with, Lehman’s favorite part of the program is the people.
“Not just the other COPP members, but the members of the Beavercreek Police Department, as well. I have had the pleasure of working with, in my opinion, one of the finest PD s in the country. We are like a large, extended family,” he said.
“The City of Beavercreek has the best volunteer program in the country.
“It is a well-run, professional organization that is second to none. The people involved are very dedicated to not only assisting the police department, but they care about the citizens of our fine city as well.”
The Dayton native and Colonel White High School graduate retired from Delco Products in 1999 after 30 years of service, having taken a break from the company from 1969 -72 to serve in the Army.
When not out with the COPP, he can often be found either fiddling with computers or working on his 1957 Ford Fairlane 500, two-door hardtop.
He and his wife of almost 40 years, Sandy, spend a lot of vacation time in Tennessee, where they hope to some day retire.
“I’ll probably have to start a COPP program there,” he said.
Lehman is active at Kettering Assembly of God as a deacon and a member of the media and security teams.
He also helps coordinate the nursing home ministry.
“Since retirement, I worked for a brief time in the record section at the police department, and I also dispatched for Sugarcreek (Twp.) for awhile. However, I am now a professional baby sitter for three of our five grandchildren.”
He watches McLaren, 9, Dylan, 7, and Kaidyn, 4?, the children of the Lehmans’ daughter, Kelley, and her husband, Mark Schetter, who live in Enon.
Their son, Chris, and his wife, Laurie, live in Beavercreek and have two sons, Noah, 6, and Josiah, 3.
“We are a very close family and enjoy getting together as often as possible,” Lehman said.
Copyright 2009 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.