OXFORD — Eaton native David L. Morgan II is the newest addition to Oxford’s Police Department. He was sworn in during Oxford’s City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
Morgan graduated from Eaton High School in 2008 and went to Rhode Island for college, where he played on the football team. Unfortunately, an existing knee injury cut his career short and Morgan moved back home.
While in Rhode Island he was studying business, but he realized the field was not for him. When he came home he went to Sinclair Community College, where he obtained an associates degrees in psychology and criminal justice.
Morgan says he got his psychology degree because the field interested him. He added, “I bounced around through multiple things and found that when it comes to people’s brains, it’s what I’m interested in. It applied. It was something that, you know, if you get a degree in psychology you can apply it to basically any career.”
Now he sees the numerous ways his psychology degree can be applied to police work.
“It kind of gives you a view of the way people tinker,” he said. “How they tick and what can drive people. Now I know that I will learn a ton being [at OPD], actually interacting with people in the field. It will be different than reading books about psychology, but it’s going to be something that I think will help me. Especially with crisis intervention situations.”
He originally thought he was going to pursue additional schooling, eventually going for his Masters, but he “switched gears” and decided on policing instead. He graduated from the police academy in 2016.
On his decision to pursue police work, Morgan said, “At about the same time Ferguson happened, I was starting to look into police work. I like to argue, something that I always like to do — I’m a debater. When people would present certain things that happened with police officers as overall encompassing negative things, stereotyping it and saying that all cops were bad — it really triggered me to look into it more.
“Because you know, I knew a lot of police officers, I grew up knowing a bunch of them and met a lot through work. I don’t think I’ve ever met a single bad cop. Yet, everyone was saying all of them were bad.”
He then began to look into the requirements and qualifications. He originally wanted to become a high school guidance counselor, but after his research, he realized that he could help just as much, if not more, as a cop.
He added, “Police academy affirmed everything and made me want to be a cop 10 times more.”
When he graduated, he knew he wanted to be a police officer in Oxford specifically. Growing up in Eaton, he spent a lot of time in the neighboring city. Then, he spent some time at Miami University before going to Sinclair Community College. “The city’s given me a lot,” he said of Oxford.
He liked that it was a happy medium between the rural Eaton and the more dangerous Dayton. All these factors combined to make Oxford the perfect choice for Morgan.
The actual hiring process was a long and grueling one. He applied in early November and was called in to take two initial tests. One is a civil service exam — a written exam that quizzes an individual on numerous skills such as memory and common police knowledge. The next test is the physical exam, which consists of push ups, sit ups, and a run.
After he passed those two tests, Morgan was given an initial background packet to fill out. This gave Oxford Police officials the ability to start his background check when the time came.
Next came the interviewing process. Morgan had to take part in two separate panel interviews. Once he passed that stage, he had a meeting with Chief John Jones — and that is when he was given a tentative offer.
This is when the background check began. OPD staff even came to Eaton to talk to those who knew Morgan. They also stopped into Morgan’s home for a home visit when he was not expecting them.
He was also given a polygraph, a psychiatric evaluation, and a medical physical.
Finally, Morgan had to meet with the City Manager to make sure there were no “red flags.” Once he decided Morgan was okay, they sent him downstairs to sign the paperwork, Morgan said.
His first day on the job was on Feb. 1
He started FTO on Monday, Feb. 13. This will last a minimum of three months, depending on how quickly he takes to the training.
Morgan says he wants to only work at Oxford. “I want to move here, I want to grow here, if I can keep it here, I want my entire career to be here,” he stressed.
“It’s just something that would really appeal to me, because I love to interact with people. The ability to get to stick with the people I know for the rest of my life would be awesome,” he said.
He just started the job, so right now, Morgan does not know what he wants to specialize in as a cop. However, two fields really interest him — that of a K9 Officer or a School Resource Officer. He says, as of now, he would love to eventually be a K9 handler for the OPD.
