Lieutenant Robert Wayne “Bob” Chetwood
(1939-2024)

 

 

Bob was born July 6, 1939 in Cincinnati, the second of three children born to bakery salesman, Myrl B. and Marciel Virginia (Pope) Chetwood. Just before his seventh birthday, his father joined the Cincinnati Police Department’s 11thRecruit Class and became a Patrolman. Bob attended Western Hills High School where he participated in the band and choir. He graduated in June 1957.

Immediately thereafter on June 25th, Bob enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. He completed boot camp in Cape May, New Jersey and came out a Seaman Apprentice. After a month at the Receiving Station in Norfolk, Virginia, he boarded the Cutter Tender C.G.C. Violet (WAGL-250) at Baltimore. He served on her for 20 months. Quartermaster 2ndClass Chetwood was honorably discharged on June 24, 1959 and continued to serve in the Coast Guard Reserves until at least 1963.

Bob joined the Cincinnati Police Department on April 11, 1960 as its 58th Police Cadet and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau. He resigned on December 15, 1960 to go into the banking business.

In addition to his fulltime job and serving in the Coast Guard Reserves, in 1962 Bob joined the Delhi Volunteer Fire Department. In 1968, he was nominated for election as President of the Volunteers. He served as a firefighter for 11 years until 1973.

Eleven days after his father retired from the Cincinnati Police Division, Bob was sworn in as a Delhi Township Patrolman on February 6, 1969 as a Patrolman. On May 17, 1972, he caught a youth carrying a television out of a home that he had burgled twice. In the first burglary, thousands of dollars of firearms were taken. On October 31, 1973, Patrolman Chetwood arrested a female burglar, searched her residence, garnering a large quantity of loot from other burglaries. On January 1, 1974, he arrested a man walking down the street with a bag full of televisions taken in several burglaries and who was an escapee from a Pennsylvania jail.

In 1974, Patrolman Chetwood took office as President of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 84. After a seminar in Columbus, he and others trained various departments’ representatives in wage negotiations. In December 1975, he represented North College Hill officers in their collective bargaining.

On April 27, 1975, while carrying supplies outside a hotel during an FOP Convention in Sharonville, he and the wife of a Cheviot policeman were accosted by an armed robber. Patrolman Chetwood stepped in front of the lady, pulled his sidearm, informed the man that he was under arrest, and the robber fled. Chetwood gave chase and as the robber turned to shoot him, Chetwood instead shot the robber twice in the chest killing him. The Detroit man was also a suspect in a robbery and fatal shooting in Dayton the night before. On November 9, 1975, Patrolman Chetwood responded to a motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival he found the driver pinned under the dashboard and the car on fire. Chetwood, going in through the rear door, was able to get hold of the 200-pound man, pull him over the front seat and extract him before the fire reached them both. In May 1976, Officer Chetwood was honored at the annual Police Week Banquet for his valor in both the robbery and auto fire incidents.

On October 4, 1978, was sworn in as Sergeant and assigned to patrol. He was also, occasionally, the Department’s spokesman. On November 17, 1982, Sergeant Chetwood pulled in behind a car where two men were beating a third. When they realized he was a policeman, the two jumped into the car and took off. The victim, who was a victim of a kidnapping and robbery in Covington, jumped over the guardrail to safety. Sergeant Chetwood pursued the vehicle into Cincinnati where it crashed. Sergeant Chetwood and two Cincinnati Officers and the two men engaged in a running gun battle resulting in one of the men being shot in the arm. On June 6, 1988 Sergent Chetwood responded to a man holding three hostages at the Catholic Social Service of Southwest Ohio. Chetwood, with a shotgun pointed directly at himself, talked with the man for 45 minutes until he finally put down the shotgun and submitted to arrest.

Sergeant Chetwood, in October 1991, was one of many officers from agencies around the country who traveled to Washington D.C. for the dedication of the National Law Enforcement Memorial and to read some of the names therein inscribed, including that of Delhi Patrolman John Bechtol who was killed in 1978.

In April 1993, he was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1995, Delhi Police Chief Howard Makin assessed him as “one of the finest police officers I’ve ever worked with.” Lieutenant Chetwood retired on February 27, 1996 with 33 years of service to the country and the Cincinnati Police, Delhi Fire, and Delhi Police Departments. Delhi Board of Trustees declared March 29th of that year, “Lt. Robert W. Chetwood Day.”

He continued to serve Hamilton County as a Deputy Bailiff.

In 2017, Delhi erected Veterans’ Memorial Monument and Lieutenant Chetwood’s name was one of 62 names inscribed upon it.

Lieutenant Chetwood died peacefully, surrounded by family, on December 31, 2024 at the age of 85½.

He was predeceased by his brother, Blaine Chetwood, and siblings in law, Ted Vineyard, Jack Vineyard, Jim Vineyard, and Connie Cinnamon. Lieutenant Chetwood is survived by his wife of 42 years, Janis “Teenie” (Vineyard) Chetwood; children, Cincinnati Firefighter Mark (Marcia) Chetwood and Patricia (Doug) Biehl; 17 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; brother Gary (Nancy) Chetwood; stepchildren, Todd Deasey, Lisa (Russ) Anderson, and Amy (Mike) Deasey Witsken; siblings-in-law, Jerry Vineyard, Wayne Vineyard, Bobby Vineyard, Sylvia Kettlewell, and Judith Vineyard; and a great-grandchild on the way.

Visitation and an FOP service were held on January 9, 2025 at the Radel Funeral Home. A Funeral service was held the next morning before burial.

Memorials may be made to the Delhi Citizens Police Association, 934 Neeb Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45233.

 

_{© 2025 – All rights reserved to LT Stephen R. Kramer RET and the Greater Cincinnati Police Museum}