ENGLEWOOD — June 2 marked the end of an era as Sgt. Mike Lang retired after a distinguished law enforcement career with the City of Englewood that spanned just over 32 years.

During his career Lang earned the respect of prosecutors and received many letters of thanks from crime victims he assisted.

One case he handled that he said stood out from all the rest involved a burglary and rape.

“Without a doubt, back in 2002 we had a rape of a 14-year-old girl. A stranger broke into the house and even though we had DNA evidence, the case went cold,” Lang said. “It was one of the first three John Doe DNA warrants in Montgomery County.”

A decade later a change in the law required that a DNA swab be taken from every person arrested for a felony in Ohio.

“After that law went into effect, another department swabbed a guy which came back as a match to our crime scene DNA and we arrested the suspect,” Lang stated. “That is easily the one case that stands out for me the most.”

The suspect was a long-haul truck driver who graduated from Northmont High School. His arrest shocked those who knew him.

Lang’s long career with Englewood made it obvious that he enjoyed his work there.

“It’s crazy, you know. You never think you are going to stay some place and then you look in your rearview mirror and you have, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lang said.

“The city has been great,” he added. “We couldn’t do what we did at the police department without the support of the citizens, and thick and thin, whether it was local or national issues they have always been behind us and that makes our job so much easier to do. We are really thankful for it.”

Lang will spend his retirement working on his cooking. He is a “Grillographer” for Weber Grills, shooting photos and videos as he cooks on his Weber. In 2021, Lang’s first cookbook, ‘One Beer Grilling’ that promotes fast meals, was published by Castle Point Book. He said he managed to sneak in a few recipes requiring a six-pack.

Since 2018 he has created videos and content for all new model Weber grills. For more on his cooking career visit www.anotherpintplease.com.

Lang started his career with Englewood as a part-time dispatcher on May 20, 1992. While attending college at Purdue University, he worked as a dispatcher and paid-on-call firefighter / EMT for Butler Township Fire Department, where he later retired with the rank of captain in 2006.

After graduating from Purdue, he attended Sinclair’s Basic Police Academy and was appointed as an Englewood police officer Sept. 2, 1996.

From the beginning, Sgt. Lang has been involved with, influenced, or led almost every aspect of the police department’s operations. He was an early member of the department’s bike patrol; and after just over three years of road patrol experience, he was assigned as a detective.

For almost eight years he distinguished himself as a talented and tenacious investigator who was instrumental in the successful prosecution of numerous robberies, sex crimes, and two murders.

His investigations resulted in accolades and numerous letters of commendations from prosecutors and crime victims alike. Additionally, it was during this time that he established himself as the department’s public information officer (PIO) and became esteemed by regional media outlets.

In November 2006, Lang was promoted to sergeant and assumed supervision of the department’s day shift operations, criminal investigations, and the day-to-day operations of the public safety dispatch center.

During his career, Lang supervised almost every member of the department and was involved in the hiring of nearly every member of department, including the current police chief.

Lang delivered the keynote address at the FBI’s 18th annual CODIS DNA conference. He was recognized as a subject matter expert on media relations by the Ohio Peace Officer’s Training Commission and received recognition by then Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for his investigative casework as a detective.

Of note, Sgt. Lang was the first recipient of the department’s Medal of Valor for his selfless act of courage on the evening of December 11, 1999, when he reacted to the threat of deadly violence against a Vandalia police officer by an armed robbery suspect that fled to Englewood.

“Over the last three-plus decades, Sgt. Lang has earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues and our community and has had a significant impact on the operations and success of what we do at the Englewood Police Department,” remarked Englewood Police Chief Corey Follick.

“His extensive knowledge, resourcefulness and leadership will be greatly missed starting June 3, but we wish him nothing but great health, relaxation, and success in the years ahead and look forward to watching his future endeavors,” Follick added.

Reach Ron Nunnari at (937) 684-9124 or email [email protected].