Patch Gets To Know Aaron Nedeff

MARIETTA, OH — Aaron Nedeff is the Captain of the Marietta Police Department and has been with the department for almost 21-years now. He’s the operations manager for the force, meaning he oversees training, scheduling, putting together action plans for events in town. “I review the work of the sergeants to make sure they’re making sure their guys are doing their jobs.”

Live in Marietta? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow Marietta Patch on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free Patch mobile app on Android or iPhone.

While he does oversee most of the department, that wasn’t really his goal from the start. “All I really ever wanted to be was a street sergeant.” He spent a year as a detective before quickly achieving his goal of becoming a street sergeant. “Then a year later the captain’s position came open and I took it.” He says it’s a lot different for him now. “As an administrator, I sit behind a desk instead of necessarily going out and fighting crime.” Nedeff says he still checks in on his officers, goes into their case files, and sees where he can lend a hand.

In the 20 years he’s been with the department he’s noticed some changes in Marietta. “It’s gotten a little bit quieter downtown.” He says just a couple of decades ago downtown was rougher than it is now. “I hear the older guys say ‘40 years ago it was really rough!’” He says we still have a real solid community with decent folks. “We don’t have major problems like gangs and murders in the streets.”

One problem that has grown in Marietta is drugs. “Most of our thefts, things like that, are all related to drugs. It’s all about getting money for drugs.” Nedeff says you can trace a lot of violence in Marietta back to drugs. “Particularly the meth, the heroin.” He pointed out that sadly, it isn’t just us. “Everywhere in the United States is dealing with this.” He says that’s their main issue, fighting hard drugs here in Marietta.

Nedeff has been busting drug dealers in Marietta for quite some time, and he’s noticed a pattern. “As soon as you put one dealer away, the next one moves in.” He says the reality is, it’s going to be that way for a long time. They keep the pressure on the local drug trade to keep the streets clean and keep violence from spilling over. “We have good working relations with the other agencies. If someone’s a hardcore drug dealer, our prosecutor’s office will put them in prison for a long time.”

Captain Nedeff wants folks to know they’re working to keep them safe. “We want this to be as pleasant a place as we can.” He says it might not be nice to get a ticket, but they’re trying to keep a watchful eye out for drunk drivers.

“We’ve got a great group of people here.” He says they’ve had a lot of success, and a lot of the credit goes to you. “The public has our support. They’ll help us out, give us tips and let us know what they know.” The support is appreciated. “We look forward to doing what we can to keep them safe and be as open as we can about what we do.” He says they’ve had really good success at catching robbers and other major criminals.

The Marietta Police Department works hard to stay responsive to Marietta’s needs. “If folks have a question as to why they see a cop on this street all the time, they’re welcome to call in and talk to us.” The reason might be because they’ve had a lot of speeding complaints on that street. “If you have a cop sitting there it’s not because there’s someone dangerous in the neighborhood.”

The Marietta Police Department has tried to keep involved in the community. Nedeff says COVID-19 has made that difficult. “We haven’t been able to do as much community action like going to neighborhood watch meetings.” He says now that restrictions are being lifted, that’s likely going to be coming back. “It’s been on pause. We didn’t have our police picnic last year.” He says they’ll try to have it this August. In previous years they’ve had pool parties. “We go out and buy a bunch of toys. It’s free to come, get a ticket for your child age 5-12 who are eligible to win prizes.” He said the last year they had a picnic, every child who turned in a ticket won a prize.

He wants to remind folks that they’re participating in the National Drug Take-Back Day. They’re doing car side dropoff this year. "So you can just pull up, hand us a bag, we throw it in a box, run it up to Cambridge." They take these drugs up to be destroyed safely.

There are a number of reasons for old drugs to be disposed of. Flushed medication can wind up in local water sources. And if left in cabinets, some drugs can be taken by friends or family members. They can be used, sold, or even wind up in the hands of a kid. Nedeff says if a family member passes away, you should dispose of their pills. "Turn it in, we'll make sure it's destroyed." He says they'll even take over-the-counter pills. National Drug Take-Back Day is on Saturday, April 24, law enforcement will be out collecting drugs between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Marietta Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of our latest sponsors? Email any and all inquiries to me at christopher.schmitt@patch.com.