The Dayton Daily News reviewed more than 600 pages worth of personnel files for the 52-year-old officers. The files were obtained using Ohio’s public records law.
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Shanesy joined the department in 1984 and was appointed to sergeant in 1990 — the year he was also commended for saving a child from a burning home.
Thomas was hired in 1991 and, among the commendations in his file, was recognized several times for dealing with armed or combative subjects threatening death by suicide.
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Neither officer appears to have incurred any major disciplinary issues during their service.
While Shanesy was employed by the department at the time, he does not appear to have been involved in the January 1987 officer-involved shooting, according to a review of his personnel file and this newspaper’s archives.
That year, officers shot and killed an armed man who fired at officers near Tower Heights Middle School. A grand jury reviewed the incident and cleared a sheriff’s deputy and two Centerville officers, including then-Lt. Stephen Walker, who would later become department chief.
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