By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A longtime local police officer called it a career on Thursday after more than 30 years in law enforcement.

Green Oak Township Police Officer Rick Ickes (top pic) was given a final call-out on the police scanner Thursday afternoon as law enforcement from across the county wished him well in retirement. Ickes graduated from Michigan State University and the Mid-Michigan Police Academy in 1988 and then went to work for the Pinckney Police Department until 1994 when he came to the Green Oak Township Police Department. He served as a Field Training Officer, taking a lead role in the training of all new Green Oak Police Officers. He was also featured most recently in the podcast series The Farmhouse Murder, about the unsolved 2003 murder of Nikki Nicholas.

Green Oak Police Chief Jason Pless said that Green Oak residents were served well by Officer Ickes during his tenure and his leadership and experience will be missed by the police department.

Officer Ickes has two adult children and plans to spend time with his family and friends in retirement, “enjoying the new freedoms that retirement will bring.”

Ickes’ retirement follows that of another long-time Green Oak officer. Sergeant Marty Otman retired from the agency on January 31st after 29 years of service. Otman graduated from the Oakland Police Academy, coming to work for Green Oak Township Police in 1992. In 2007 he was promoted to Sergeant.

Chief Pless said Sgt. Otman was an instrumental member of the department and his knowledge and experience will also be greatly missed. “Sgt. Otman had a tremendous impact on citizens and officers alike, both within our department as well as many area departments. He will be enjoying his retirement with his three daughters and wife.”