Thicker skin has become part of the uniform requirements for area police and fire departments in the wake of a recent sex scandal.
"There's still the normal gossip talk and the typical jokes you would expect, but I think we still have a lot of support in the community," said Marietta police Capt. Jeff Waite. "I just encourage our officers to hold their heads up and to go out and do their jobs to the best of their ability."
Waite said the public's perception and trust of the department and its officers is important. When an officer makes a mistake, it can reflect negatively on the whole department.
The Marietta Police Department, Marietta Fire Department and Washington County Sheriff's Office are still feeling the effects of recent internal affairs investigations that led to the firing of a police Patrolman Joe Hilverding and Firefighter John Brooks, the demotion of police Sgt. Ed Wright to patrolman and the resignation of sheriff's Sgt. Robert Eddy.
All of the men were accused of having on-duty affairs with Crystle Phillips, 27, of Marietta, who was recently indicted on drug trafficking charges.
Brooks and Wright admitted involvement; Hilverding and Eddy have denied any wrongdoing. Brooks and Wright have filed grievances through their unions.
Meanwhile, sheriff's Lt. Mark Hiatt remains on paid leave pending the outcome of an unrelated investigation involving alleged affairs with other deputies' wives and girlfriends while on duty.
"(The police department) is comprised of a lot of good officers who go out and do their job and who still need the support of their community," Waite said. "The community can continue to have faith in their integrity and ability to do their job and that they will do it well."
Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said morale is still good at his department, despite the recent turmoil.
"I've not seen a letdown in work performance. In fact, I've seen a lot of enthusiasm," Mincks said. "When an officer goes to work, they have to put aside all of their personal feelings and concentrate on their job and safety and just answering calls and responding."
Other officers contacted declined to comment.
Marietta fire Chief Tom Dempsey could not be reached for comment.
Some citizens feel the situation reflects poorly on the departments as a whole, while others say allegations against some should not overshadow the work done by their co-workers.
"(The scandal) makes the headlines that day, but every day out there, our police and firefighters are doing good jobs that don't always make the headlines," said Suzanne Walker of Marietta. "It's such a difficult situation, but this sort of thing happens everywhere.
"I have no qualms about these officers doing their jobs," Walker said. "We live on Alta Street, just down from the fire station. There was some sort of unusual fumes in our area one time and they were there in an instant and didn't need to be."
She said Marietta police have been equally responsive to her neighborhood in the past.
Gary Morey, 30, of rural Washington County, said he has no intention to judge the accused officers or firefighters.
"I'm not one to judge people and I don't want to be judged," he said. "When I heard about what happened, I thought to myself, 'Oh, man, that's bad."
Morey said he has always had a good relationship with sheriff's deputies.
"I wave at them and they wave back to me," he said. "I think that they perform their jobs well."
Volunteer firefighter and Warren Township Trustee Jeff Knowlton, 58, said he has not lost confidence in any area law enforcement officers or Marietta firefighters because of these incidents.
"This occurs everywhere," he said. "A few people are making the mistakes, but the organization, especially the sheriff's department, is large."
Knowlton praised recent work of the sheriff's office in drug enforcement.
"They are fighting this drug problem right now," he said. "They've got the sheriff on the spot now and he's handling it very well."
There are "bad apples" in every organization, said Fred Wood of Marietta.
"In general, I am still very comfortable with our police and firefighters," Wood said. "There are exceptions, but on the whole, I don't have a concern with any of them. It's upsetting, there is no doubt."
Wood said similar incidents have probably happened in years gone by.
"They just didn't get caught," he said.
A lifelong resident of Marietta, who asked that her name not be used, called the situation "sad."
"I had met one of the officers involved not too long ago and I thought that he was great," she said. "I realized that it was him and it was hard for me to believe."
She has lost confidence in Marietta police and firefighters overall, she said.
"I did have confidence until all this happened," she said. "This has put a whole new light on it.
"Now when I drive by the firehouse, it makes me wonder what's going on in there," she said.
Harry Irvine, 64, of Belpre, said incidents like the ones described will not undermine his confidence in the departments overall.
"It's unfortunate because they are in the public eye," Irvine said. "Internal problems like this are part of every industry and most every workplace. Their job is just more public."
