Shakira Greer grew up wanting to make a positive difference in the world. People saw a strength in her, even when she was young, and that continues to grow to this day. People in her hometown weren’t surprised to see her wrestling on the boys’ wrestling team.  There wasn’t a girls’ wrestling team and Greer wanted to wrestle. So she did. She was so successful at that, she moved up to the Foxcatcher’s Junior National Team. She did that for three years and then she joined the Navy.

“I did that for four years and when I got out, I went to college. I have an undergrad degree in criminal justice and a minor in Arabic,” she explained.

She then earned a master’s degree in homeland security and management. But that wasn’t enough. She was still looking to make a difference in the world, so in April 2016 she joined the Oxford Police Department as a part-time officer.

“I don’t know why, but I always wanted to make a positive difference in this world,” Greer said. “I want to make people know they are worth something. I want to do anything I can do to make a positive difference. As a police officer, I’m not here to arrest people, I’m here to serve and protect them. I hope people don’t judge me by the media or the uniform. I hope they know I am here to help them. We have feelings, too. We are more than the uniform.”

Recently, officer Greer was called on to handle two serious crimes in one evening in the Borough of Oxford.

A stabbing incident occurred on Saturday, Oct. 30,  and she arrested a juvenile, Giovanni Furniss, who has since been charged as an adult, in connection with the stabbing of two juvenile victims.

“The suspect has been charged with two counts of attempted murder. He knew the victims. All of them are juveniles, however, the suspect is being charged as an adult,” Police Chief Sam Iacono explained.

Furniss is currently  being held on $1 million bail. At his preliminary hearing, on Nov. 9 at Oxford District Court, the hearing was continued to Jan. 4, 2022.

“It all comes down to your training,” she explained. “On both incidents you need to take control of the scene. You assess the situation and make sure everyone is safe. You check on the victims and calm them. You make sure onlookers aren’t going to contaminate the crime scene. You wait for the EMS, gather facts, and establish who you are looking for. You basically say to yourself, what do I need to do to find out the facts of this story?”

Greer added, “You keep yourself calm. You have a job to do and you block out the shocking part and take care of the victim, secure the scene, protect the EMS crew, and just make sure everything is okay. When I arrived on the scene, I was trying to locate the suspect. I have to keep in mind the victims and suspect are juveniles. It certainly helps that we have an EMS team with a fantastic response time. I can’t stress it enough, our EMS is on top of it and may get there before we do, within mere minutes.”
While still working on the stabbing case, Greer got dispatched to a domestic call that occurred along the 100 block of N. Third Street. Greer observed injuries to the victim. The female victim reported she was choked around the neck, head butted, and spat on. 

Greer arrested 35 year-old John R. Logan of Oxford for a domestic assault. Logan was charged with one count of strangulation and two additional charges. Logan's preliminary hearing was held on Nov. 9, at at Oxford District Court. At that time, only the simple assault and disorderly conduct chargers were held over to the Court of Common Pleas. All other charges were dismissed.

Greer was quick to point out that although she may have been the arresting officer in both situations, she was backed up by a terrific team. And she is not the only one who makes multiple arrests in a day.

“Officer Taco was also on that night, and other officers helped me with reports, and continue to investigate and move the cases through the courts,” she said. “It takes a team and I have a great team in the OPD.”

This was not her first stabbing or domestic. But going from one situation to another does require a different skill set. Greer said what most officers will tell you, “Domestics are one of the most dangerous calls you can go on.”

She explained, “I had to immediately prepare for the next scene. Once you arrive on the scene it’s not unusual for the person that calls in for help to turn on you. You have to go with your training and your gut instinct. You have to watch your back. At a domestic, you have to keep in mind that the victim has a connection and relationship with the suspect. If you walk into a fight, you have to calm them down. Tempers are flaring and you don’t want to anger them further. They have had a negative experience, and you don’t know how they will react when you show up in uniform.”

Greer said, “You really have to look for signs. You want to help. Often times the victims are scared to speak, for fear of reprisal. So you assess the situation quickly and try to keep everyone calm. You cannot take anything personal. You can’t make assumptions and you can’t be partial. You look at the facts. You tell the court what you witnessed and explain how you came to the conclusion regarding the charges that were ultimately issued.”

And Greer is quick to point out that a criminal investigation is not done when a suspect is arrested.

“While you are going through the court system you are continuously gathering information,” she explained. “Witnesses can come forth at any time. You never stop investigating till it is settled in court. And, of course, cases can be reopened or more information can surface at a later time. Ultimately you want both parties to be heard and justice served.”

Greer is all about justice, the rights of people, and making the world a better place, but she also wants people to know she does have a life beyond being a police officer.

Although her full-time job still requires a uniform, she does perform security for Herr Foods, but she also gets to enjoy another love—dogs. She does pet-sitting on the side and has a dog of her own.

“I do have one spoiled-rotten fur baby at home named Cieli Mae, (pronounced Seely Mae) a chubby Boston Terrier,” Greer said. “I hope people don’t see me as just a serious police officer. I have another side to me. I want to do good in this world.”

She does befriend a lot of pups when she is out patrolling and some of the regulars may be waiting for a biscuit from her.

Some people do occasionally hear music coming from the patrol car when she and other officers try to lighten the mood by playing seasonal music over car speakers. 

“It does happen during Trick-or-Treat patrol and our annual Christmas Eve morning Toy Giveaway for borough children who come outside their homes. There's just something mood lifting about an officer swaying to "Ghostbuster's" or "Here Comes Santa Claus" to get a giggle from the little ones! I also have the honor and privilege to be the department speaker/presenter for our schools' ‘Anti Bully’ and ‘Anti-Drug’ assemblies and Career Day. These are events close to my heart because those children are going to be our future soon and I love to help instill positivity and encouragement. Events like that can only benefit our community. As you can tell, my job keeps me very busy, but I have a great group of co-workers/mentors alongside me who constantly encourage and make me only want to continually do better for myself and my community, just like they do.”