City of Harrison Police Officer Byron Wilbur was recognized as the Hometown Hero during the Cincinnati Reds game May 11, 2023.
Wilbur began working for the City in 2018. He was named Law Officer of the Year in 2020 by VFW Duwel Post 7570. He also earned the Blue Coat Award that year.
“The best part about the job is when you get to help people,” Wilbur said.
For a police officer like Wilbur, helping people ranges from small acts to lifesaving measures. Wilbur and then Officer Tara Duganiero both earned the City’s Lifesaving Merit Award in 2018. They responded to a call about a man badly injured while trimming a tree. Wilbur placed a tourniquet on the man’s leg to stop the bleeding before the ambulance arrived.
“I still see him sometimes and we have that connection,” Wilbur said. “We were also both military so we have that connection, too.”
Wilbur enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2006. He was deployed to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. He earned a Joint Service Commendation Medal and then ended his military service with the rank of corporal in 2012.
He began his police career in 2007 in Dearborn County. He was then an officer in North College Hill, where he earned a Law Officer of the Year award and a Medal of Merit in 2016
Wilbur’s wife, Kristina Wilbur, nominated him for the Hometown Hero recognition. They received tickets to the game, where Wilbur stood atop the dugout at the end of the second inning.
The Harrison Police Department preserves the peace, responds to law enforcement service requests and protects life and property within the City limits. The Department employs 24 sworn officers and two police clerks.