ASHLAND — Ashland is set to hire a part-time police officer strictly dedicated to traffic enforcement and add brand-new SUVs to the fleet.
Ashland police Chief Dave Lay said the hire is a direct result of current full-time officers “not having a lot of time to dedicate to the call volume and work load they’ve got.”
Traffic enforcement across the city has been a concern recent years, voiced by residents and elected officials.
The Ashland Police Division is currently at full-force with 32 officers, Lay said. However, the department is authorized to employ four part-time officers to help fill in.
Lay said the department has employed two retired, part-time officers who help with specialties and evidence. They do not patrol.
“(The third part-time position) is a new hire into the part-time ranks — it’s never been done before. So it’ll take twice as long to train him. But once that’s complete, we’ll use him for traffic enforcement,” Lay said.
The chief said the new hire could be sworn in as early as this week.
Traffic enforcement during June, July and August increased from 2021 to 2022, but dropped slightly this year in terms of citations and warnings issued.
From June to August of 2021, police issued 178 citations for speed and other traffic-related violations. During the same time period in 2022, there were 259 citations, a 45.5% increase — mirroring complaints received.
This year, from June to August, police issued 149 traffic-related citations, according to police data. The number represents a drop by 42%.
Warnings were down by 9% this summer, too, according to records.
Additional vehicles
The part-time traffic enforcement hire comes when Ashland City Council authorized the police department to buy four new SUVs for the fleet.
Though the city is buying four 2023 Dodge Durangos, only two will be added to the fleet. The other two will replace older models, Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said.
The vehicles will cost up to $325,000, according to the ordinance city council unanimously approved Sept. 19.
Miller said the SUVs themselves cost around $41,000 apiece. Equipping them with mobile data terminals, police radars and other law enforcement tools costs another $30,000 to $35,000, the mayor said.
Lay said the vehicles should be ready to be picked up by the end of this month from a dealership near Akron.
Each officer shares a vehicle, Lay said. The only exceptions are K9 officers and student resource officers, who each have a dedicated vehicle.
APD growth?
Currently, APD is at capacity with 32 full-time officers.
However, the two extra SUVs could be a foreshadowing of the hiring of two full-time officers by the start of 2024. Miller said the city could hire two additional officers come January.
Chief Lay said he’s concerned with the city’s recent annexation of 91 acres causing more work for the force.
Officials approved of the annexation east of the city, in what was previously designated as Montgomery Township, in July. Some of the businesses included in the expansion by U.S. Route 250 and Interstate 71 are McDonald’s, Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, Grandpa’s Cheesebarn and Wingate by Wynham, among others.
“We’re trying to anticipate the additional workload,” Lay said.