Like a book, life has chapters that must end for new ones to begin. For Director of Police, Chief Tom Thompson, the next chapter starts in Houston, Texas, leaving Sinclair Community College with a legacy of service and leadership.
“I am a husband of almost 35 years, a father of three, and a grandfather of eight. I have been in policing for almost 30 years. So, I am very blessed that I got to spend a career helping add value to people’s lives. And so, my career is significant, and since we are at Sinclair, I will say education is extremely important,” said Thompson.
Chief Thompson (left) alongside Sinclair President Steve Johnson. Photo Credit: JD Atayi
As Director of police, Thompson is particularly proud of the department’s strong community involvement. One of his notable accomplishments is that the department received recognition as the “Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police Department of the Month” for the entire state due to its community engagement efforts.
He emphasized his officers’ dedication to adding value to the lives of Sinclair students and building relationships with community members, aiming to help them achieve successful lives. Additionally, Thompson expressed pride in fostering a culture within the department that supports young officers in their professional and personal growth, enabling them to become influential leaders.
“I hope to leave behind the importance of investing time in building relationships with people unlike ourselves, bridging divides with love, compassion, and empathy so our community can grow stronger together,” said Thompson.
He hopes that people will remember him as someone who stressed the importance of these relationships.
“God walks alongside us every day, and whatever is supposed to happen is going to happen. So, I do not have any regrets about things that did not happen. But I know we can continue growing and improving in every area. And I feel greatly confident that the soon-to-be chief will continue to strengthen our department and community,” said Thompson.
Thompson advises his successor or anyone aspiring to become a Director of Police to invest in people and always make decisions based on the best outcome for them. They should be flexible about the laws and rules but determine what will create the most value.
“Throughout my career investigating traumatic crimes, I’ve learned the importance of faith, viewing people as God would, and making decisions accordingly. A strong family and my wife’s support have been essential to functioning at a high level. Over time, I have realized I am not special, but with God and family, I can be better than I am,” said Thompson.
Thompson thinks that the rise of social media and cell phones, where videos can be uploaded immediately, will force police to look at themselves and become more accountable for their actions. Sometimes, that means police get accused of things they did not do or are wrongly accused.
He thinks that over the years, society’s expectations for police officers have gotten a lot higher, and they are being held accountable for their actions and the way they treat people.
“The biggest future challenge will be finding police leaders who can build empathetic, service-focused cultures within their departments while ensuring accountability. True public servants must genuinely serve the community, and strong leaders are key to driving this cultural change,” said Thompson.
Thompson will miss most of his job and the relationships with the department and within the community, but he thinks that is what he is looking forward to. He is finding out as he moves to Houston that he will be serving communities from all over the world, African countries included. As Thompson embarks on his next journey in Texas, he looks forward to building new connections and continuing his mission of service guided by faith, compassion, and purpose.
“If I look back on my career, there are a lot of cases where I thought, boy, I am going to feel a lot of satisfaction when this thing is solved and done, and they are convicted. But I always really felt at the end that you cannot take away the bad that happened, so you never feel as impressive as you thought it would.”
“I think the best way I would see success is that when you’re talking about a defining moment would be the culture that we have within a department where our young officers can be successful both at work and at home and be in an environment where every day, they can just focus in coming in and being the best version of themselves,” said Thompson.
According to Thompson, the department has many opportunities, such as investing in Sinclair students. The students are what build a thriving community as a whole. Many employers rely on students to fill jobs that make the economy, and communities work in Montgomery County.
“We have students from every part of our community—rich, poor, Black, white, Hispanic. We also have people returning from prison and trying to do well and succeed. And I think the opportunities for our police department to invest outside the school into our community and in everybody that goes here will lift our entire community. So, it is a huge daily opportunity to improve our community’s treatment of people,” said Thompson.
To Thompson, wisdom is the essential quality of a police chief; the wisdom to know how to strategically put together the department, who to hire, what decisions to make, understand budgets, almost have to be able to forecast the future a little bit, know what the needs are; Wisdom on how to be able to treat people in difficult situations, how to navigate trauma, and people skills.
To the community, Thompson had this to say as a piece of advice as support to effective policing and public safety:
“The same thing that I tell police officers is that the community should be seeking to build relationships with police officers because when they do, they will not see them as just uniforms. It is important for police to get out there and maybe push some walls out of the way and build relationships with people who are not like them; the same goes for the public as they need to spend time building some relationships with police and building that trust. The police and community make our community safer since you need both.” said Thompson.
Thompson’s dedication to bridging gaps and giving value to people’s lives remains unwavering as he embarks on this new chapter in Texas. His effect on Sinclair will definitely be felt through the connections he built, the culture he promoted, and the example he established. He hopes his legacy of service will encourage others to lead with sensitivity and knowledge.
Esperance Amuri, Intern