MayJune Associate Magazine.2018.FINAL

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Jeff Kruithoff by Pat Davis THE HISTORIAN’S SPOTLIGHT I n our January/February 2018 edition of The Associate Magazine, our recently appointed National Chaplain Jeff Kruithoff , (Krite-hoff) provided us with a very brief peek into his background, and it left me wanting to know more, so I asked a few questions, got a few answers, and now I’d like to provide a bit more detail so that everyone gets to know Jeff a little better. Jeff was born in Holland, Michigan and lived in, what he refers to as, “a well grounded Christian home.” His mother volunteered at church and other community events, and his father was a tool and die maker. Jeff spent the first forty-seven years of his life in Michigan. As the name suggests, Holland was settled and named by Dutch Im- migrants who settled from the Netherlands. Fittingly, annually during the Month of May, the City of Holland hosts a Tulip Festival. When growing up it was one of the largest in the country and celebrated the Dutch history of the community. There were parades, Dutch vendors and yes, even Klompen Dancers . Klompen means "clog" or "wooden shoe." The story of the wooden shoe comes from The Netherlands. A fishing and sailing country which is below sea level and always wet. In order to keep out the cold and damp, residents would wear layers of heavy socks and wooden shoes (clogs).The Festival Dancers perform in provincial Dutch costume with the women wearing lace hats specific to their region of origin. The Klompen Dance features very high kicking, similar to Irish Ceili Dance and referred to as the cousin of Germany's Holzschuhtanz (Clog Shoe Dance.) Klompen is done in a group, simi- lar to a square dance like the Virginia Reel, or Sir Roger de Coverly, as it's called in England. Dancers partner and “hand off” throughout the dance. It's akin to a Mazurka and Scottish polka, too.

Jeff states that during his younger years his aspirations were to be a Police Officer or a Minister. Those of us who have spent time in Law Enforcement understand that in either field your focus is to protect and save people, many times from themselves. So, as graduation approached the course of study in law enforcement looked much more desirable than the Latin heavy curriculum of a Christian Reformed Minister. Jeff attended Muskegon Community College where he earned Associate Degree in Law Enforcement. He would later earn his Bach- elor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University, followed by a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Western Michigan University. Jeff states that during his younger years his aspirations were to be a Police Officer or a Minister. After starting his police career as Police Cadet in 1972 for the Holland Police Department, he worked briefly for the City of Allegan Michigan and Allegan County Sheriff’s Office as well as for a Regional Drug Enforcement Unit. In 1979 Jeff joined the Battle Creek Michi- gan Police Department. Throughout his career, he has held various positions: Community Service Officer, Undercover Narcotics Investi- gator, Patrol Officer, Crime Prevention Specialist, Grand Jury Investi- gator, Patrol Supervisor, Executive Officer, as well as Deputy Chief of Police. In 1995, Jeff became the Chief of Police/Director of Police and Fire Services for the Battle Creek Police Department. After serving 6 years in that role, he retired from the Department. Jeff was not idle, following a 28 year Law Enforcement career in Michigan he headed to Ohio, specifically the City of Springboro, where he accepted the Chief of Police position and where he continues to serve today. Jeff’s commitment to Law Enforcement networking and ongo- ing education is evident in his memberships and affiliations; he is a member of the Ohio Chiefs of Police and has been awarded Life Member status with the International Chiefs of Police Association. He has served as the chairperson for the Warren County Ohio Chiefs of Police, the Tactical Crime Suppression Unit of South Dayton, and the Greater Warren County Drug Task Force. He is also a member of the Police Executive Research Forum. He is a State of Ohio instructor on the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Management Teams (IMTs.) As an instructor, Jeff has taught over one thousand police and fire managers in Incident Command and NIMS. He has also served as a Team Leader for the State of Ohio, All Hazard’s Incident Management Team, and is a member of the Billy Graham Ministries Rapid Recovery Team.

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