Oil City Native Jeff Craft to Step Down as Edinboro Police Chief

| July 1, 2018

EDINBORO, Pa. (EYT) – Jeff Craft, the soon-to-be-retired Edinboro Police Chief, might be 45 minutes from his hometown of Oil City, but his hometown is a big part of who he is.

(Photo: Chief Jeff Craft in his office at the Edinboro Police Department)

“Edinboro is only 45 minutes away from Oil City,” said Craft, who is a 1985 graduate of Oil City High School. “I got my first job at Oil City YMCA. They taught me a lot about my work ethic. I helped out with summer camps there, did maintenance work. I learned to box at the YMCA and actually won the Pennsylvania Golden Glove there in 1985.”

Craft has guided the Edinboro Police Department for the last 20 years but has decided it’s time for a change.

“It’s time to move on,” he said. “I’ve hired all the people here, and it’s a great department. I’ve enjoyed working here, but I’m 51 now, and it’s time to look for other things to do.”

Craft’s path to law enforcement started with a test in high school.

“We did an aptitude test in high school, and my results were in law enforcement,” Craft said. “That’s what gave me the idea. It’s been a great career, and I’m glad I chose it. I’m not sure what I would do if I hadn’t got into this.”

Before working in Edinboro, he was a part-time police officer and a parole officer. He had interned in parole and found it to be a good start. Craft became an officer at Edinboro in 1993. By 1996, he took over as police chief. He also worked with the Attorney General’s Narcotics Task Force.

Over 20 years of law enforcement also means over 20 years of changes, which is something Craft embraced.

“The case law and the court cases constantly change,” he said. “But, the other thing is technology. You can access a lot more information now than you could in the past. There are a lot more resources out there – social media, the internet. When I started, we were basically using a typewriter. Everything is more sophisticated now.”

Craft said technology has made his job easier in the long run. The hardest part was the adjustment period when the technology was new.

“The younger officers, they grew up with this technology,” Craft explained. “For me and the others who had been here before, we had to evolve into it.”

For him, the biggest change may come July 2, when the department is someone else’s responsibility.

“I’ll be able to put my phone down,” Craft said. “I’m on call 24/7. It’s just a load off your shoulders. You’re not responsible for your department and your town anymore.”

When asked about standout moments in his career, Craft was unable to pin down one event that is more exciting or momentous than the others. However, he does have some regular advice that he gives to people starting out in life.

“What you do when you’re young affects you your entire life,” Craft said. “If you go down the wrong road early, it impacts your whole life. It’s challenging to get jobs these days, so be aware of what you’re doing and who you’re hanging out with. Once kids get into groups, they do what their friends say more than what their parents say. So, be your own person and don’t follow the crowd.”

Being his own person allowed him to hand his successor a department that he describes as running well.

“I believe I have led the department in the right direction,” Craft said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have a great department. We’ve never had any serious injuries, lawsuits, or complaints. Now, I will take some time to figure out what I’m going to do next.”


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