ASHLAND — The city of Ashland is seeking to hire a new chief of police to replace the Ashland Police Division’s longtime leader, who intends to retire later this year.
The APD’s Chief David Marcelli plans to work through April 30, 2021, while the city takes applications for new leadership.
The city of Ashland posted the job notice Monday, March 1 and will accept both internal and external applications through April 30. An interim chief may be named during the transition.
“We have a lot of quality men and women in our city police department with the leadership skills needed, but we want to make sure we’re opening up the position to people who we may not otherwise have considered,” Mayor Matt Miller said.
The position pays a salary of $60,000 to $96,000, commensurate with experience and includes insurance, pension membership in the Ohio Police and Fire and a paid time off package. The position allows for 120 hours of vacation, 120 hours of sick leave and ten paid holidays annually.
At minimum, applicants must:
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Be certified as a Peace Officer by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Council and must maintain CEUs required by the State of Ohio
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Have a valid State of Ohio Driver License and must be insurable under the City’s vehicle insurance policy
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Be a resident of the State of Ohio.
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Have a minimum of ten years of full-time employment as a certified law enforcement officer
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Have a minimum of three years of supervisory experience
The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s Degree in police administration or a related field. Additionally, command and upper supervisory experience is preferred.
“We’re looking for someone who has very strong communication skills, knows how to run an organization in a professional manner and recognizes that every human life has value and deserves respect and dignity despite their situation,” Miller said.
As city mayor, Miller will be responsible for choosing the next chief of police.
Chief Marcelli has led the APD for nearly 11 years and served with the APD for 29 years.
“It’s been an extreme honor to lead this fine group of men and women and to be part of the team for a larger 29 years,” Marcelli said. “Law enforcement is a calling. I’m happy I was called to it, and had the opportunity 29 years ago to be part of this community and to serve them.”
His decision to retire relates to his pension. If he would remain with the police department through May 2021, his pension would be negatively impacted.
“He’s done an outstanding job of professionalizing the agency. Everywhere I go people will tell me how much respect and admiration they have for the police department, and that’s attributable to Chief Marcelli,” Miller said.
“Not everyone likes some of his policies, but he is someone who can always give you a solid answer as to why those policies are in place.”
Earlier this year, Marcelli hired the city’s 32nd officer, briefly bringing the department to full staffing. Retirements have dropped the APD back below their maximum staffing level again, but Marcelli was proud to hit that goal, if even only for a short period.
“It was the first time in maybe 20 years,” Marcelli said.
The job notice for the chief of police position can be found at ashland-ohio.com.
