LAKEMORE: Village police are back on the beat.
After a nearly eight-year hiatus, the Lakemore Police Department returned to operation at 12:01 a.m. Monday.
“It was nice,” Police Chief Ken Ray said about his first day back patrolling the community.
The small village at the southern end of Springfield Lake disbanded its force in July 2009 and contracted with neighbor Springfield Township as a way to save money.
But Lakemore is on better financial footing today and residents missed their local department, so the village decided to revive the force.
About 30 people gathered late Sunday night at the police department to celebrate — balloons included — as officers once again headed out into the community.
“I think we might need to rename Lakemore ‘Phoenix’ because it’s rising up from the ashes,” said Heather Anderson, president of the Lakemore Lions. “So many great things are happening here.”
The group helped fix up the police building, which had been used for storage.
The new department features Ray — who was the chief before the force was disbanded — and Sgts. John Smith and Dawson Wise as the only full-time officers.
“It’s a great community with good people,” said Wise, who also had worked as a Lakemore officer before moving to Springfield under the contract.
The village will employ plenty of part-time officers and expects to spend about $490,000 a year — less than it was paying through its contract with the township.
As Ray drove Monday morning through neighborhoods in his black-and-white sport utility vehicle, people waved and smiled.
“This community has been very good to me,” he said.
The new department is small so Ray will spend his days out in the community interacting with residents, as opposed to sitting behind a desk.
Village leaders say residents missed that personal touch. While Springfield did a great job, officers didn’t have enough time to spend with residents, they said.
Mayor Rick Justice noted that under the contract, there was only one officer patrolling in the village. But there were three on Monday.
“It’s a huge improvement,” he said.
Councilwoman Laura Cochran agreed that the community wants a personal rapport with its officers.
“That’s what’s going to make this work,” she said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .