ASHLAND — The Ashland Police Division is fully staffed for the first time in more than a decade.
On Monday morning, city of Ashland Mayor Matt Miller swore in Micah Watts of Nova, bringing the APD’s staffing level to 32 sworn officers, which is the number allocated by city ordnance.
“I will have been chief for 11 years in April, and I did the calculations the other day. Over that time, I’ve hired 28 officers and 19 remain, so it’s not for lack of trying,” Chief David Marcelli said.
The APD has struggled to fill available positions due to a lack of candidates and competition from larger places, the chief explained. Over the past few years, the department had reduced minimum staffing requirements and relied on overtime.
“It’s not like a bakery where you just can’t make less bread. We don’t have that option. The calls keep coming whether we have people there to handle them timely or not,” Marcelli said.
Watts will need to complete 14 or more weeks of field training before joining the patrol bureau. At least four other sworn officers also remain in field training.
Watts was the second officer to be sworn in since the start of 2021. Five others joined the staff in 2020.
“If we’re going to have ‘Monday Mornings with Matt,’ I’ll find something to say,” Mayor Miller said about the recent hirings.
He swears the new officers at Monday morning ceremonies in the Ashland City Council Chambers.
On Feb. 1, Watts, his parents, Chief Marcelli and a number of APD officers gathered on the third floor of the city’s municipal building for the occasion. Miller administered the oath, and Watts then joined the other officers for his first day of the job.
Watts previously worked for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. He said he sought out a job with the APD because he wanted to be closer to family in Ashland County.
“I’m excited and happy to start working here. I did a ride along a few months back, and I thought the group of people I was with were nice to be around,” Watts said.
According to Marcelli, the APD hires only about 20 percent of the people who take its civil service test. Only police academy graduates are eligible to take the test.
Outside of the civil service test, the APD also hires officers from other departments. These lateral transfers require the officer to apply, pass a background check and pass physical agility test.
“What I look for is a good heart, a good head, the right amount of character. They have to have the values there,” Marcelli said. “You hire the head and the heart because you can train the hands. You can’t retrain an attitude.”
Though the poll of candidates is limited, the chief said, he won’t sacrifice quality.
Lack of academy graduates
Last year, only 20 of initially 80 interested applicants joined the North Central State College Police Academy, according to Commander Brad Copeland. He found this was partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but said the virus wasn’t entirely to blame.
“We did the day academy (physical) assessment, and we didn’t have a very good turnout. And then, we did the night academy assessment, and we had a worse turnout,” Copeland said.
The college offers the two sessions — one during the day and one in the evening — to cater to different schedules.
Copeland was surprised, so he called everyone on the list.
“A lot of folks were hurt because of a change in childcare, a change in jobs or a change in the flexibility of their jobs, but some said, socially it’s just not a good time to be a cop,” Copeland said.
It’s a sentiment he’s heard more in recent years than ever before.
“(The lack of interested people) puts a huge burden on police agencies trying to hire folks,” Copeland said. “Just about every agency is hiring right now.”
Only about 65 to 70 percent of individuals who enter the NCSC Police Academy graduate, but those who do will likely be hired. The program has nearly a 100-percent success rate for hiring, Copeland said.
The demand allows many graduates leave the area for work in Dublin, Powell and other places offering higher salary.
“We’ve previously relied largely on word of mouth. Brothers, sisters, children and parents. Over my 20 plus years, I’ve had a father and son, and a father and daughter,” Copeland said. “We’re looking to change that up. We need to get the word out.”
To allow more time to find potential students, the NCSC Police Academy has posted its application for interested individuals on its website earlier than usual. In the past, the application process opened in April for the program, which runs from the third week in August through the first week in May.
APD’s attempt to recruit new officers
In summer 2020, Ashland City Council established a new part-time position at the city of Ashland Police Department with the intention to help recruit new officers.
The new position called “Police Recruit” pays $20 to $23 an hour for 20 hours per week. It is offered to an individual who is completing the police academy training and allows the department to build an early connection with a potential full-time employee.
“It’s another tool in our recruiting toolbox to screen respective officers and give them some additional training. And a good way to get them hired by the department,” Marcelli said at that time.
When an individual is hired as a police recruit, they must commit to taking a job with the APD if it’s offered to them.
“Also, if not a good fit, we have a chance to figure that out. You can get an idea what kind of person they are,” Marcelli said.
