Gregg Muravchick and Shane Smith

Straight Talk

SFDS Straight Talk For Police Blotter and Gregg Muravchick

Gregg Muravchick  and his  team saved my life 33 years ago today.

I don’t want the normal applause that comes with not drinking for 33 years.  That is why only %2 of alcoholics recover.  That is my opinion.  If you have  hemorrhoids and you keep jumping on a horse do you really want  applause when you figure out it causes you pain?

After the Troopers got me stopped, Gregg noticed I was bleeding after a struggle. Gregg went out of his way to get me to the hospital.  I remember hearing the Dr. stapling my neck shut.  Then the next thing I remember was the sound of the  Jailhouse door slamming.  Gregg made an extra effort on top of his load of work that was Three Times that of the normal Trooper to make sure I was OK.  He didn’t have to do that.  Together we put together an awesome  Drug Talk deemed Straight Talk by the local press.  We always made front page and hit all the TV stations possible due to Gregg and his Trooper friend  that handled PR.  We were good because we were real.  Lots of Gregg’s peers didn’t like the idea too much for one reason or another.  But Gregg reached out.

Season’s Beatings!

I can let parts of this story out a bit at a time but I don’t want to just throw it together.  I want to try to do a good job.  I will advise of updates to this.

My main thing for now is to send a Thank You to Gregg Muravchick, who to this day continues to excel in his profession.

For the longest time I didn’t want to face  these charges in court.  I was embarrassed to be so stupid!  With encouragement  to stop drinking from Gregg I got my act together and booked more shows from Jail than most Fly by Night teams book in a lifetime.

Thanks Gregg!

Click on the photos below to make them bigger.

There is no need to drag my ex through this again so I hopefully blanked out her name. Go look in the mirror and ask yourself if that beer or bottle of rum is more important than the one you love!

Frankfort State Journal

“Traditional Bank Unsung Hero: Muravchick serves as police officer, coach, volunteer

Gregg Muravchick has been in law enforcement so long his co-workers call him Papaw, but he doesn’t plan to stop any time soon.“A lot of people have asked me that,” Muravchick said of retirement. “Right now I’m still enjoying it. The biggest thing is the engagement with people. I read at one of the schools the other day. I believe it was a kindergarten class, and I think I was more excited than the kids.”

Gregg Muravchick, center, is the Traditional Bank Unsung Hero. Muravchick, who works part-time with the Georgetown Police Department, has been in law enforcement for 45 years. His sons, Justin, left, and Brandon, right, are officers with the Lexington Police Department. (Photo submitted)

Muravchick, who has been in law enforcement for 45 years, is also involved with volunteer work, and he coached youth sports for over 30 years.He is a Traditional Bank Unsung Hero.Muravchick, who grew up in Chicago and Detroit, began his career in law enforcement with the Frankfort Police Department in 1978. He’s also been focused on community service.“That’s what kept me alive and involved,” he said. “I came here from Chicago and Detroit in the ’70s and fell in love with Kentucky.”Muravchick spent five years with the Frankfort Police Department before going to the Kentucky State Police, where he retired as a sergeant after 20 years. From there he went to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, serving as a captain and school resource officer for six years.Gov. Steve Beshear appointed Muravchick as executive director of the Office of Investigation for the Justice Cabinet, a post he held for three years. He then spent eight years as the chief of police at Transylvania University.“I was going to retire,” he said. “I sat out two months, and the staff at Georgetown offered me a part-time position. I’ve been there for three years and I love it. I’m working the streets and doing a lot of programs. I’m assigned to patrol, but we do a lot of programs, a lot of community service.”That fits right into what Muravchick likes to do.“Everybody thinks I’m nuts,” he said. “I sat out for two months, but I had to be around people and doing various programs. I got the honey to-dos done, and then Georgetown offered me a part-time position.“I work 30 hours a week. I work the streets, engaging with the community. I’m a field training officer, a hostage negotiator. I try to meet and greet everybody that I see.”Muravchick grew up playing baseball, football and basketball.“There was an officer there in Chicago at the Boys Club, Officer Friendly, and he kind of took me under his wing,” he said. “I played sports, and ever since then I’ve wanted to be a policeman.”Muravchick accepted a football scholarship to Wayne State University but was injured his freshman year.“I went into the supermarkets still with the intention of finishing my education, and I started applying all over the United States,” he said. “Frankfort was the first one to hire me.“Two weeks later I got a phone call from the Michigan State Police to come for my interview, and Chief Harney said if you go I’ll ask for your resignation. So I stayed here, and I’ve fallen in love with Kentucky. I love the community and always been involved in coaching, volunteering, mentoring. I’ve done different counseling groups. I’ve always been involved with youth.”Muravchick did earn his bachelor’s degree from Kentucky State University when he was 55 years old.Muravchick began coaching youth sports when his children were old enough to play. He has two sons, Brandon and Justin, who are both police officers with Lexington Metro, and two daughters, Montana and Jaylin, who work at Frankfort Regional Medical Center and are attending school.“I actually started coaching as they were growing up,” Muravchick said of his children, “and as they came out of the programs I continued to coach, and finally there was a time when you had to cut the strings, if you know what I’m saying, and let them fly. But I coached the boys in their sports, coached the girls through middle school, then they went on to high school roles.“Because I love the kids, there’s nothing greater, not only teaching them athletics, but you taught them discipline, respect, how to work not only as an individual but also as a team player. To me that was the greatest success. With a good strong work ethic, I didn’t care whether we won or lost, it was what they developed as an individual person and how they grew, and it made them better players.”Muravchick serves on the advisory council of the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation. He also does volunteer work with oral boards, teaching young people how to present themselves in interviews.He gives credit for his ability to engage with people to his parents.“Mom and Dad were in the military so we traveled a lot,” Muravchick said. “The nice thing about my folks is they taught me how to really engage and communicate with people. I really owe that to them.”Muravhick and his wife, Libby, have been married for 23 years. She works in the office of the Franklin County Regional Jail as an officer.He has three grandchildren. Justin and his wife, Leslie, have a four-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, and Brandon and his wife, Julie, have two daughters, Makayla, 16, and Emily, 10.And he’s Papaw at the Georgetown Police Department.“People ask, ‘why do they call you Papaw?’ Muravchick said. “I’ve earned it. I’m the elder.””

Published by shanesflyingdiscshow

ShanesFlyingDiscShow@gmail.com did thousands of Frisbee shows all over the United States for over 30 years. Shane is also a photographer. ShaneKSmithPhotography@gmail.com

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