FAIRBORN — Fairborn native John P. Wolfe recently retired from the Los Angeles Police Department with 27 years of service.
During the LAPD retirement luncheon, Wolfe was presented a Los Angeles County Certificate of Retirement and an LAPD Training Division plaque noting his honorable, distinguished and noble service to the training division and the City of Los Angeles. His retirement was effective Feb. 28.
Wolfe attended Mary Help of Christians School in Fairborn and graduated from Fairborn High School in 1989. He attended the University of Dayton and received a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology in December 1993.
In January 1995, Wolfe was selected to attend the LAPD Police Academy as a police recruit officer. After seven months of intensive police science instruction and a variety of other training, he graduated and was assigned to the 77th St. Division in South Central as a police officer 1 patrol/vice officer. Later Wolfe served as a police officer 2 special problem officer/patrol officer at the West L.A. Area Police Station. In 1997, he joined Rampart Community Police Station where he served for 15 years as a training officer/bicycle officer/police officer 2/police officer 3 — field training officer and P3+1 senior lead officer. Rampart’s 350 police personnel serves more than 375,000 residents in a compact eight square mile area.
Wolfe was later promoted to police sergeant and assigned to the Hollywood Area Community Police Station. In 2013, he returned to Rampart Division as police sergeant I officer in charge of the Rampart Parole Compliance Unit.
In 2015, Wolfe was assigned to the LAPD Special Events Unit providing operational oversight of planned and spontaneous events. In 2016 Wolfe became the supervisor in charge for the Training Division at the LAPD Academy, overseeing 22 instructors.
Wolfe also taught criminal justice courses in person and online for several years at Cerritos Community College and Long Beach College as an administration of justice adjunct instructor. At the Golden West College Police Academy, Wolfe served as administration of justice instructor, lifetime fitness instructor, recruit training officer and chair of the criminal justice department.
Wolfe was a charter member of the Knights of Columbus-sponsored Fairborn Circle 2271 Squires youth organization and later served as chief squire. He joined Fairborn Council 3724 in April 1989 and currently is a 32-year member. In 2009, Fairborn Council 3724 Grand Knight James L. McCoy named Wolfe as the council’s Blue Coat Awards K of C Police Officer of the Year and sent his nomination to the Ohio State Council K of C for further recognition. During the 110th Annual Ohio State Council Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio State Deputy Larry Moegling named Wolfe as the 2009 Cincinnati Diocese Blue Coat of the Year and as the 2009 Ohio State Council K of C Blue Coat of the Year State Honoree.
Wolfe has been a volunteer “big brother” for eight years and has led a number of physical fitness programs for local youths.