The Mirror Newspapers Reflecting Life Along The Maumee River
BY MIKE McCARTHY | MIRROR EDITOR — The Maumee Police Division has announced the promotions of veteran officers Jon Warden to the position of captain and Chris Barrow to the rank of sergeant in the MPD.
Maumee Police Chief Josh Sprow was joined by several fellow members of the Maumee law enforcement team as he publicly introduced the two officers to the community at Monday night’s Maumee City Council meeting. Also attending the ceremony were family members of the officers.
Following a brief biographical presentation by Chief Sprow, highlighting the significant accomplishments of each officer, the two men were greeted by the assembled audience with a round of applause.
Following is a biography of each of the two newly promoted officers:
Capt. Jon Warden
Capt. Jon Warden received his criminal justice degree from Bowling Green State University. He joined the MPD in 1998 and will mark his 25th year of service with the department later this year.
Warden was named Officer of the Year in 2006 and earned the Medal of Exceptional Duty in 2011.
Warden graduated from the Police Executive Leadership College in 2017, which is a three-month police leadership development training course conducted by the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP).
Warden also worked as a Maumee police detective for eight years and served in the role of detective sergeant from 2018 to 2022. He has held the rank of sergeant with the MPD for a total of nine years.
Warden has served on the Special Response Unit (SRU) for 21 consecutive years and has been the SRU team leader since 2014. He has also been a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force since 2015.
The new captain has also served the department as an instructor for the following courses: Firearms, Chemical Munitions, Noise Flash Distraction Devices, Specialty Impact Munitions, Ballistic Breaching and Pepper Ball.
The newly created position of captain in the Maumee Police Division was authorized earlier this year following approval by Maumee City Council.
For several months, Chief Sprow and Assistant Chief Mike Love had found themselves being steadily consumed in dealing with increasing state mandates for continuing professional training and oversight regulations. Both men realized that all the extra work was sapping their efficiency and their energy.
With Warden’s appointment to captain, Love can now primarily focus on managing the department’s road patrol unit functions, while also having enough time to work closely with Sprow and Warden in dealing with the various bureaucratic matters that occasionally come up within the department.
Warden’s duties as captain will see him handling divisional training procedures as well as various state certification requirements, while also allowing him to oversee such areas as the school resource officers, the detective bureau, the SRU, division instructors, crime prevention and community outreach.
Sgt. Chris Barrow
Sgt. Barrow obtained his criminal justice degree from Owens Community College and has been a police officer for seven years, serving with the Maumee Police Division for the past four of those years.
Barrow is a member of the Maumee SRU and he is trained as a tactical medic. He also serves on the Maumee Police Division’s recruitment team, which is designed to encourage new police officer candidates to apply for positions in the MPD.
Barrow has been an instructor of multiple courses, including Subject Control, Tactical EMS and First Aid, and Jujitsu and Judo.
Sgt. Barrow’s promotion means that the MPD currently has seven sergeants on staff.
