Basic Police Officer Training graduate Josh Dillard overcame a big personal challenge to graduate from the academy, but now sets his sights on making a larger impact on his community.
Four years ago, Josh Dillard realized that he needed to make a change. His job was leaving him unfulfilled. His physical health was not in a good place, leaving him tired and wanting to do more than his body allowed him. Both left him wondering what was in store for his future should he remain on the same path.
Today, you would not recognize Josh in his latest class photo as a member of the 114th squadron of the Eastland Police Academy. Now, he is known as Officer Dillard, an Eastland-Fairfield Basic Police Officer Training program graduate, and peace officer with the Groveport Police Department.
In 2020, Dillard admitted that he was stuck in a false sense of comfort with his job and his health. Change wasn’t something that he naturally welcomed. It took a radio ad, a long look in the mirror, and a good friend to ask the blunt question, “Are you going to live the way you’re living forever, or are you going to make a change?”
The idea of becoming a police officer had been present from a very young age. Dillard shared that growing up he had trouble managing his weight and as much as he wanted to explore law enforcement as a career, self-doubt crept in and prevented him from pursuing it. After a brief attempt at college and working odd jobs, Dillard went on to take a job as an industrial maintenance technician, specializing in maintaining overhead cranes. He did this for 12 years but there was still a fire smoldering within, driving him to want more.
Married and with children, Dillard responded to his friend’s challenge by deciding to go after his dream of becoming a police officer. However, being in his mid-30s, standing under six feet tall, and weighing in at more than 350 pounds there was still a sizable obstacle in the way of accomplishing that dream: himself.
Dillard began his journey to become a peace officer two years before signing up for the Eastland-Fairfield Basic Police Officer Training program. Once he decided to chase his dream, he started preparing himself for the physical rigors of the program and the job. Dillard completely changed his diet. He exercised. He ran, a lot. He did everything possible to achieve the physical standards to get into the program, but he still wasn’t where he needed or wanted to be.
“Everything, physically, was still a struggle for me,” said Dillard. “I had to work every single day at it. Even the days we didn’t have PT (physical training) for class I was out running the parking lot or running out at the track. Me and a couple other cadets would meet early before class and we’d go run just to make sure we could do it when it was time to actually do it.”
His family supported him as it took Josh three attempts to pass the physical entrance exam. Once he was admitted, his fellow cadets held him accountable. He pushed himself through days in which motivation was low. Over time, the payoff was becoming real. The weight continued to fall off and muscle took its place. Dillard lost 150 pounds and weighed in at 203 pounds on his final day at the Eastland Police Academy.
“When I graduated, that was probably the healthiest I’ve been probably since I was in middle school,” said Dillard. “My sleeping was better. My breathing was better. My overall health was exponentially better.”
As a byproduct of his physical health improving, his class marks improved. He became a class leader. Then, 10 short months after starting the BPOT program he was congratulated by his instructors and accepted his certificate of completion with a job already in hand.
“Once I actually got my certificate, it was disbelief,” said Dillard. “I don’t even know that wearing the uniform now that it’s fully hit me, that this is what I did and this is where I am.”
Through the relationships built with his BPOT program instructors, Dillard made an impression on Buckeye Lake Police Chief Jason Harget. Seeing his skill and determination, he recruited Dillard to join his team in the Buckeye Lake Police Department as an auxiliary police officer and had a badge waiting for him after being awarded his OPOTA certification.
Dilliard’s story could have happily ended at this moment but the newly minted police officer had bigger aspirations. Dillard grew up in Columbus and attended Groveport Madison High School. Both left a significant and positive impact on his life. While grateful for the opportunity to begin his career in the Buckeye Lake Police Department, he set a goal to eventually serve the community that he grew up in. Chief Harget convinced Officer Dilliard that getting experience would lead him to where he wanted to go and that he would help. Chief Harget was true to his word and when a position in the Groveport Police Department became available, Dillard was the first in line and earned the job.
“Groveport is an area that I grew up in. I wanted to give back to my community,” said Dillard. “That is something that I always felt was important to me, that if I am going to put a uniform on I want to do it for the people that I grew up with in the area that I grew up in so that I feel like I am giving back something to the community.”
Officer Dillard joined the Groveport PD staff in October 2023. He recently celebrated the first anniversary of his graduation from the Eastland Police Academy, but he’s not done dreaming. Currently, he is keeping the streets of Groveport safe while working the overnight shift. He is committed to more deeply connecting with the citizens of Groveport by investing time and effort into fostering relationships, participating in community events, and becoming recognizable for all the right reasons.
Much has changed for Dillard in his personal and professional world since he decided to pursue his dream nearly four years and 150 pounds ago. He said, “If I hadn’t enrolled in the program I would not be where I am today. My weight would still be probably hovering around the 300-pound range. I would still be doing nothing on my off days. This forced me to be better. This was a good change as far as my health was concerned for my personal life … this was necessary to ensure that I got healthier for me, for my future career, and for my family.”
For more information about the Eastland-Fairfield Basic Police Officer Training day and evening programs, please visit www.EastlandFairfield.com/bpot. Facility tours and financial aid assistance are available.