Police Chief Bridges retires
Jun. 9—GREENSBURG — Police Chief Brendan Bridges announced his retirement at this week's meeting of the Greensburg City Council.
Bridges will, however, continue to work in law enforcement as a Resource Officer in the Greensburg Community Schools system.
Bridges started with GPD in 2001, serving as patrol officer and detective before being appointed police chief in 2014.
During his tenure as chief, Bridges was instrumental in bringing new programming and technology to the GPD including in-car computers and a requirement that all officers wear body cameras.
Under his watch, the GPD and its officers earned state and national recognition including being designated a Certified Autism Center.
Bridges established programs designed to bring the community and GPD together to give residents the opportunity to get to know their law enforcement officers. Programs such as Community Night Out, Project Lifesaver and a special partnership with Indiana Special Olympics helped build a deeper community connection and trust.
With a passion to bring children and residents of all ages and abilities together, he also masterminded the Greensburg Inclusion Park coming soon to Rebekah Park.
"We are extremely grateful to have had Chief Bridges serve our community in this capacity for the last 20 years," said Mayor Joshua Marsh. "Chief Bridges is a true example of someone with a servant's heart. He has served selflessly and tirelessly. I am honored to have had him as part of the leadership team at the City of Greensburg, and I am truly excited to see him continue to serve our community in a new way."
Marsh called Bridges a "top tier law enforcement resource in this community," and announced that Bridges will now be moving into a position where he will be able interact with the younger generation of our community and create inter-generational change regarding law enforcement.
"This is not something many communities are able to accomplish," said Marsh," but with Chief Bridges' new position with Greensburg Community Schools we will have a greater chance of creating real change. I thank Chief Bridges for his service to our community and I wish him well in the next step of his career."
Marsh also announced that effective July 1 Assistant Chief of Police Officer Mike McNealy will be succeeding Bridges as Greensburg Chief of Police.
"Mike has been an instrumental part of the GPD and I am excited to see where he will lead the organization in the future. Congratulations to Mike on his new leadership position. I wish him the best," Marsh said.
In 2015, Assistant Chief McNealy was put in charge of Greensburg Police Department's portion of the computer-aided dispatch system that Decatur County Public Safety utilizes and has kept that system up and running for six years.
In 2017, McNealy was promoted to head of Criminal Investigation and has taken on several murder, sex crime and narcotics cases along with financial crimes in the area. While overseeing this division, he has been the lead detective in many high-profile cases leading to several convictions.
As Assistant Chief, McNealy has completed several projects for the Greensburg Police Department and is currently reviewing all Greensburg Police Department policies.
Currently in charge of Greensburg's Tactical Response Team, which serves high profile warrants and other large-scale incidents, he also oversees all major incidents that may occur within the city.
McNealy also has trained for FEMA certifications and has been key in natural disaster planning for the community.
Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-663-3111, ext 217011 or email bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com
