George Patrick “Pat” Olvey

Cincinnati Police Lieutenant Badge L4
Golf Manor Police Chief
Elmwood Place Police Chief
Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society President

Pat was born August 30, 1940, in Louisville. After 1946, His family moved to Cincinnati.

Pat joined the Cincinnati Police Division on January 14, 1963, as a Police Recruit. On April 22, 1963, he was promoted to Patrolman, issued Badge 598, and assigned to District 6 (3295 Erie Avenue). He was rotated to District 1 (310 Lincoln Park Drive) on June 7, 1964. A year later, he transferred to Traffic Bureau (City Hall). He was promoted to Police Specialist on November 19, 1967, issued Badge PS-24, and assigned to the Juvenile Bureau where he served four years as School Resource Officer at Central, Walnut Hills, and Withrow High Schools. In 1968, Specialist Olvey was elected to the Board of Directors of the Hamilton County Police Association. In May 1969, in was a Pursuit Driving instructor at the Tri-County Speedway. City Manager Krabach, in December 1969, named Specialist Olvey and three other officers to Mayor Ruehlmann’s Drug Abuse Commission. He transferred to the Vice Control Bureau on February 7, 1971.

He was promoted to Sergeant on October 22, 1972, issued Badge S-21, and reassigned to District 1. In November, Police Chief Carl V. Gooden appointed him and others to a task force to determine guidelines for Community Sector Policing in the district. In 1973, Sergeant Olvey was chosen to head the newly formed District One Anti-Crime Squad. On August 24, 1975, he transferred to District 5 (1012 Ludlow Avenue). During 1976 he qualified Master as the tenth best pistol shot in the Division. On January 30, 1977, Sergeant Olvey transferred to District 2. On May 11, 1980, he was honored at the Annual Police Memorial Week Award Banquet. During 1981, he was assigned to head up a group of undercover police officers placed in Cincinnati Public Schools. Sergeant Olvey was commended by the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association in 1983 in Cancun, Mexico. On May 19, 1985, he transferred to the Regional Enforcement of Narcotics Unit.

A year later, he was promoted to Lieutenant, issued Badge L-4, and reassigned to District 2. In 1988 he took over the District 2 Investigative Unit. Lieutenant Olvey “retired” on February 1, 1992, with 65 letters of appreciation and/or commendation – including seven from Police Chief Myron J. Leistler, two from City Manager William Donaldson, and others from Safety Director Michael Bierman, Sheriff Lincoln Stokes, Assistant U. S. Attorney Ann Marie Tracey, Columbus Police Chief Earl Burden, and Mansfield Mayor Lawrence Harper.

Lieutenant Olvey was appointed Police Chief of the Golf Manor Police Department. Five years later, during June 1997, he was hired by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and put in charge of the multi-agency Regional Electronics Computer Intelligence unit which included detectives and agents from Cincinnati, Springfield Township, and the United States Secret Service. During 2003, he was appointed Police Chief of the Elmwood Place Police Department and “retired” again in 2005. He also assisted other agencies, including Cleves, Arlington Heights, and Lockland with firearms qualifications, and held a commission with Lockland to date for a total of 57 years of service.

Pat began collecting police memorabilia in 1962. He became nationally recognized as a collector and by 1986 boasted a collection of 1500 badges. He won major awards including Best Display at a national show in Louisville and another at Madonna University in Detroit. He was a staff writer for Police Collectors News still in 2020. He also wrote and published “The Police and Historian’s Guide to Major City Police Badges.” His website was viewed internationally as a reference.

By 1990, he was elected to the Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Board of Directors. In 2002 he was elected Vice President and President in 2004. The Greater Cincinnati Police Museum opened in 2006 and loaned to it a major portion of its displays at the time. He resigned from the Museum and Historical Society in 2006.

During 2004, President George W. Bush signed in the Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act (H.R. 218) permitting retired officers to carry firearms concealed nationwide so long as they qualify with them annually. Chief Olvey qualified as an instructor and qualified hundreds of retired officers annually until his death on October 1, 2020, at the age of 80.