LAKEMORE: Facing a steep financial crisis, the village disbanded its police department nearly eight years ago, opting to contract with Springfield Township as a way to save money.
But now with the small community on the south end of Springfield Lake on better financial footing, Lakemore is reviving its force — and says it’s going to save money in the process.
Beginning June 5, Lakemore officers will once again patrol the community.
“Our police force will be more visible and more accessible,” Mayor Rick Justice vowed during an interview alongside former — and now future — Police Chief Ken Ray inside the former — and now future — police building.
The building, located behind Village Hall at 1400 Main St., has been used for storage since the department was shuttered.
It’s now being converted back into a full-time police department.
A little history
Lakemore never really wanted to get rid of its department in the first place. But its finances were a wreck and village leaders felt they had no choice.
For years, the quiet community of about 3,060 people had been on the state’s “inauditable” list — a group of communities doing such a poor job of record keeping that the state cannot conduct a complete audit.
The village later was placed under “fiscal emergency” by the state — a tag that the village would crawl out from under only late last year.
In 2008, Lakemore was spending $750,000 on its police department, made up of eight full-time and five part-time officers at the time.
The village saw its contract with Springfield as a way to save money. Meanwhile, Springfield saw it as a way to help out a neighbor.
The police department, which was formed in 1954, officially disbanded in July 2009 and became part of Springfield.
But the village says it will be less expensive to run its own department now. Justice also said residents have pushed to bring back the local force.
The 2017 contract with Springfield called for the village to pay $540,138, but that amount didn’t include other costs such as Lakemore providing two police cruisers and paying for fuel.
Justice and Ray, who both praised the job that the township police did, estimate that the village can run its own department with an annual budget of about $490,000.
New force
The new force will consist of Ray, full-time Sgts. Dawson Wise and John Smith, and seven part-time officers.
There’s plenty of village experience among Ray, Wise and Smith.
Ray served as chief for five years before joining the Springfield force as part of the contract.
“It’s nice for me,” he said. “It’s like being back home.”
Wise previously worked as a Lakemore officer and Smith is a former Springfield police chief who now works as a resource officer at Springfield Local Schools in Lakemore.
Under the Springfield contract, one officer was assigned full time in Lakemore.
The new force will be able to do things the contracted officer wasn’t able to under the contract — like spend more time keeping an eye on the Tri-County Plaza on Canton Road and helping with zoning enforcement when needed, for example.
Personal attention
Justice and Ray also said the community missed some of the personal interaction with its officers.
Amin Abraham, who runs the Pit-Stop Market & Cafe in Lakemore, agreed with that feeling and is happy that the village will have its own force again.
“Everybody here seems to be ready for it,” he said. “They didn’t like the idea when they left.”
Under the current arrangement, officers are often pulled out of the village to handle issues in the larger township, Abraham said, and Lakemore residents prefer when officers can spend time with them and talk.
“This is the kind of community where they expect that,” he said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .