SOUTH BLOOMFIELD, OH — Once a South Bloomfield officer, always a South Bloomfield officer — and for Officer Willie Marcum, that sentiment became reality on July 7, 2025, when he officially returned to the South Bloomfield Police Department, stepping back into the uniform and community he knows best.
Officer Marcum’s law enforcement journey began in South Bloomfield, where he served part-time for nearly seven years. In March 2023, he transitioned to a full-time role with the Ashville Police Department, fulfilling his lifelong dream of serving as a full-time officer. But now, Marcum is coming home — both to his department and to the town that helped shape his career.
“Protecting and serving South Bloomfield has always been close to my heart,” Marcum said. “Coming back feels like stepping into a familiar pair of boots.”
Marcum’s path to public service wasn’t a traditional one. Growing up on his family farm in the Orient area, he dreamed of becoming a U.S. Marine, like his father. However, struggles in school initially kept him from graduating. After working various jobs for a decade, he earned his high school diploma through a correspondence program and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 29 — unusually late by military standards.
“I had to prove I was fit enough to enlist,” Marcum recalled. He did just that, joining the Marines in 2006, serving a tour in Iraq, and continuing his service until a medical discharge in 2012.
Following his military service, Marcum worked more than a decade with the Pickaway County Engineer Highway Department. Still driven by a passion to serve and protect, he put himself through the SOPTI Police Academy, graduating in 2016. That same year, he joined the South Bloomfield Police Department as a part-time officer.
Known for wearing many hats and deeply committed to his community, Marcum balances public service with his role as a family man. He and his wife, Dixie, are raising four children in Pickaway County, where he has lived for most of his life — except for his time in the military.
Now back in the department where it all began, Officer Marcum is ready to continue doing what he loves most: serving his community with integrity and pride.
