Good morning: Father figures in Officer of Year’s police work in Dover

Detective Spicer earns Crime Stoppers honor 18 years after dad

By Craig Anderson
Posted 1/26/22

DOVER — For Logan Spicer, the path to becoming an award-winning police officer was paved long ago and by a quite familiar source.

In December, the Dover Police Department detective received the Robert J. Seinsoth Memorial Award as the 2021 Delaware Crime Stoppers Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, just as his father, DPD’s current deputy chief, Maj. Dave Spicer, did as a detective in 2003.

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Good morning: Father figures in Officer of Year’s police work in Dover

Detective Spicer earns Crime Stoppers honor 18 years after dad

Posted

DOVER — For Logan Spicer, the path to becoming an award-winning police officer was paved long ago and by a quite familiar source.

In December, the Dover Police Department detective received the Robert J. Seinsoth Memorial Award as the 2021 Delaware Crime Stoppers Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, just as his father, DPD’s current deputy chief, Maj. Dave Spicer, did as a detective in 2003.

“On a personal level, it means a great deal, as it validates the effort I put into my work but also because my father was the recipient of this award,” he said. “Following in the footsteps of my role model is extremely rewarding.”

Other large-department award winners were Detective Michael McNasby of New Castle County and Detective Devon Jones of Wilmington. Newark’s Cpl. Casey Rivers and Patrolman Kevin MacDowell earned medium-department honors, and Newport Patrolman Ryan Jones earned the small-department nod. They were given based on work from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

While there’s typically one award per department size, “this year, we had so many strong large-department submissions, we decided to award three for that category instead of just one,” DCS executive director Michael Gallagher said.

“Detective Spicer and the other two winners were selected among a lot of other nominees.”

 Regarding Dover PD’s winner, Mr. Gallagher said, “Detective Spicer has shown that he is a true team player and is always volunteering to help other units with their investigations. Now being assigned to the U.S. Marshals’ Task Force, Detective Spicer spends countless hours tracking down some of the most dangerous criminals both in and out of the state of Delaware.”

Dover police said Detective Spicer was nominated for his work in numerous cases, including the arrest of multiple subjects on firearms charges in April 2021 — which also involved the arrest of a suspect in connection with a 2020 homicide. These investigations resulted in the seizure of seven firearms in a 24-hour period, as well, authorities said.

In addition to those cases, police said, Detective Spicer conducted many drug, firearm and gang investigations that resulted in the arrest of 63 suspects and the seizure of 15 firearms, 88 grams of cocaine, 1,699 grams of marijuana, 2,499 bags of heroin, 56 grams of PCP and 19 grams of ecstasy.

The 25-year-old detective joined Dover PD five years ago after serving as a cadet and earning an associate degree from Delaware Technical Community College. He’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Wilmington University.

The detective earned the Dover Police Department’s Officer of the Year Award in 2018. He served three years in the patrol unit before being transferred to the Street Crimes Section. In March 2021, he was transferred to the Drugs, Vice & Organized Crime Section to serve in his current position as a task force officer with the U.S. Marshals’ First State Fugitive Task Force.

When it comes to achieving success, Detective Spicer believes “the most important detail is being able to work and communicate with other officers, units/divisions and other agencies to achieve our common goal of making our city and state a safer place for all.”

He added, “As any officer will tell you, we take on this profession because we want to serve our community and help others. In my current role, it is extremely rewarding when we can give crime victims peace of mind, knowing we are getting suspects off the streets and helping other officers close out cases by tracking and arresting fugitives that are often challenging to locate.”

While the spotlight shone on Detective Spicer, he pointed to his comrades at Dover PD.

“I am proud of a lot of the work our agency has accomplished in 2021, closing out major cases at a very high rate, seizing a number of weapons and drugs and, most importantly, making arrests in unresolved violent crimes and preventing additional incidents from occurring," he said.

Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson saluted the award-winning detective, saying, “Logan has been a very effective police officer since his first day on the job. His talents have consistently produced quality results and made the city of Dover a safer place.

“He has earned commendation several times within our organization, so I’m not surprised at all that his efforts were recognized by Delaware Crime Stoppers. Whether you are focused on the devastating impact of dangerous drugs, or the guns and violence that are associated with that lifestyle, the collection of arrests made last April were critical disruptions to the ongoing criminal behavior of serious offenders and literally saved lives.”

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