Sheriff’s lieutenant expresses gratitude for the support

By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
 ORION TWP. — When a tragedy happens in Oakland County first responders jump into action to deal with the situation and help as many people affected as possible.
But after the initial incident, behind the scenes, there are still the victims and their families who need additional support to cope with the sudden injuries, and sometimes tragic loss.
When the Oxford High School shooting happened in November 2021, a group of Oakland County Sheriff’s Office officers and deputies were assigned to help the families in any way they needed, said Lt. Darren Ofiara, commander of the Orion Township substation,
After the Oxford tragedy, the sheriff’s office created DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team). The DART team responds to mass casualty events and becomes the official liaison between the family and the sheriff’s office, said Ofiara, one of two people who oversees the team.

“Since that time, we’ve learned a lot and we started creating this new DART team. Just in case of emergency, we are aware of people (in the sheriff’s office) who are good with families, know the job, are detectives for the most part, and go out support families, period,” Ofiara said. “We work with the community to get resources to make sure the families get what they need.”
After the shooting at the Rochester Hills splash pad on June 15, the team needed some place private to share with one another what they had learned and experienced while supporting victims and their families.
Ofiara and the sheriff’s office are now thanking two local businessmen who stepped up to support the team.
Pashko Gjonaj, owner of Ignite Tavern in Orion Township, offered a quiet place in his restaurant for the team to meet privately and discuss what they had been going through. Matt Pfeiffer, owner of Northern Flooring in Orion Township, helped coordinate the location and worked to secure funding to help.
“Matt set up a luncheon so that my team leaders could all sit down together quietly go over everything and work together and have a debriefing,” Ofiara said. “Matt and Pashko really stepped up to us. I appreciate Matt and Pashko; the sheriff’s office appreciates them.”
“I support our law enforcement officers any way that I can. They’re out there protecting us and keeping us safe, so I want to be there for them, support them, like they’re there for us,” Pfeiffer said.
“The DART team is about making sure the families have what they need, when they need it, how they need it,” Ofiara said, noting that the team is an “unofficial” team in the sheriff’s office.
He added that the community as a whole has been supportive of the victims of tragedies and the sheriff’s office, and that he appreciates how businesses and the community step up when needed.
“I just want to make sure that the community knows they are doing a fantastic job everywhere,” Ofiara said. “Thank you for what you’re doing. I appreciate it. Orion Township, as always, stands up beyond whatever I expected. It still amazes me.”