Circleville, Ohio (June 26, 2024) – On Tuesday, June 26, the Circleville Safety Committee met to discuss an ordinance that could broaden the pool of candidates eligible for the position of Chief of Police. The current requirement mandates that applicants for the Chief of Police position within the Circleville Police Department must reside in the city of Circleville. However, the committee is considering rolling back these requirements to align more closely with the Ohio Revised Code (ORC).
Chairperson Jeff Hallinin explained that the city’s existing ordinance, passed years ago, is stricter than the state’s guidelines. “Ohio Revised Code is less strict than our own guidelines, so it gives a better opportunity to get the best candidate available without restricting it to a small area,” Hallinin stated.
According to the ORC, “Each village shall have a marshal, designated chief of police, appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the legislative authority of the village, who need not be a resident of the village at the time of appointment but shall become a resident thereof within six months after appointment by the mayor and confirmation by the legislative authority unless such residence requirement is waived by ordinance.”
Hallinin further noted that the residency requirement rollback isn’t limited to the Chief of Police position, “Law Director Kendra Kinney emphasized the need to update residency requirements for other key positions as well. We need to do it for the service director, we need to do it for the wastewater treatment. Those are just done in a different committee, but a lot has to be updated. I just think it’s restrictive. We want always the best candidate. And we’d love to move people to Circleville. But then if you can’t find that person in Circleville, you need to be a little more flexible. And that’s why the state guidelines are that way as well to see and get the best candidate.”
During the safety committee meeting, the ordinance was passed. The new ordinance waives the requirement that the Chief of Police must live in Circleville, but become a resident of Circleville within ninety days of appointment, under certain conditions, and repeals Ordinance #43-89. This change is expected to help Circleville attract a wider range of qualified candidates for the position of Chief of Police and other essential roles within the city administration.
Currently, the City is still looking for a Chief of Police and a Deputy Chief. Three Sergeants from the City of Circleville are qualified acting current Chief Kenny Fisher, acting Deputy Chief Jon Farrelly, and Eric Nicholson. Also, the city has interviewed several candidates for hire outside of the police department. Circleville has been without a Chief or Deputy Chief for months.
