Melissa Squier: finding joy by giving back

Dewey Beach police dispatcher Melissa Squier didn’t realize the kids’ coloring book she created of her cartoon-character coworkers would be such a hit.

Squier, who started as a night shift seasonal employee in May, quickly began picking up on her colleagues’ habits and hobbies. For example, PFC Matthew Planer surfs, while PFC Dylan Ebke enjoys the gym.

So when Chief Constance Speake wanted an educational item to give kids along with candy during the Dewey Business Partnership’s trick-or-treat event, Squier tapped into her talents, transformed employee headshots into cartoons and designed a Halloween activity book featuring the department's finest.

“Everyone was excited about it, so I want to try to come up with something new,” she said.

After the summer season, Squier was offered a full-time day shift position. Days in Dewey are less eventful than evenings, so she began devising fun things to do around the office, like creating T-shirts for officers to wear at the shooting range, to lift spirits and rebrand the department.

“Every time I make one thing, I get ideas for more projects,” she said. “Everybody gets excited to see what’s next.”

Squier, who moved with her family to the Cape Region from Anne Arundel County, Md., in 1995 and now lives in Milton, said her mother used to babysit the children of police officers, and the families would get together for meals and parties.

“There were always officers and detectives at my house growing up,” she said. “I feel like I’ve always been surrounded by officers.”

For more than a decade, Squier worked as activity director for the now-closed Gull House Adult Activity Center, an adult day care center in Rehoboth, where she made sure her clients, many of whom had some form of dementia, were engaged and stimulated.

She subsequently moved into real estate, and goes beyond staging homes to help her clients sell their homes; Squier is known to scrape foundations and repaint, repair drywall and resurface countertops.

“What you give comes back around tenfold,” she said. “I rent a pole barn in Ellendale where I store all my furniture for staging homes, and I have a big trailer to pull behind my Jeep.”

Speaking of that Jeep Wrangler, Squier has installed lights under the seats and a 6-inch lift, opted for bigger tires and custom wheels, and invested in the sound system for a reason – she is a regular participant in Jeepers Back the Blue parades.

Squier participated in a convoy to honor Delaware State Police Cpl. Stephen Ballard, who was killed in the line of duty in 2017, joining scores of other Jeepers who drove through the fallen officer’s neighborhood past flag-waving supporters to his home, where his family was watching.

“It gives you the chills when you do those things,” she said.

The Jeepers also paraded when Milford police Cpl. TJ Webb was transported to rehab after being shot in 2020 trying to arrest a fugitive in Rehoboth, and for Delmar police Cpl. Keith Heacook, who was brutally killed in 2021 when responding to a burglary and assault call.

Since she was a kid, Squier has enjoyed working on cars.

“Whatever my brother was doing, I was doing. It’s an expensive hobby, and it’s why I have to sell so many houses,” she laughed.

At age 17, she bought her first car, a Mustang GT 50, from a used car lot and wanted to fix it up. She put on a new distributor cap, replaced the spark plugs and gave it a tune-up.

“I called my dad and told him. He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked if it still runs,” she laughed.

Squier’s three boys live locally. Two sons are grown and one is a 14-year-old Mariner Middle student; her grandson will be 3 in April. All boys love basketball, and her youngest son plays in a few leagues. She loves taking her pitbull/bulldog mix MoMo to the beach.

During her interview for the position at the station, Squier said she was asked why she wanted to work for a police department.

“It’s a way to give back,” she said. “I feel fulfilled now.”

At the station, Squier answers phones and radios, and assists walk-ins. She makes follow-up phone calls and checks on officers to ensure they’re safe and she knows their locations at all times.

“When there’s downtime, I can’t just sit around and wait for the phone to ring,” she said. “I like to keep busy, and you never know when things will get crazy.” 

Doing things in-house saves the town money, said Squier, who recently designed mouse pads depicting a Dewey patrol vehicle and created new employee badges. 

To thank donors who helped fund the purchase of the department’s new ATV, she lettered the vehicle’s window with their names, and etched the station door and windows to assist with wayfinding.

“Such things bring joy to my coworkers. I like to see people smile,” she said. “Where else can you go to work, decorate, make ornaments and turn coworkers into cartoon characters? It’s a great place to be.”