miami county progress 3 of 4 2013

A LookAhead

A LookAhead

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT OF THE PIQUA DAILY CALL & TROY DAILY NEWS

EMERGENCY SERVICES • GOVERNMENT • COURTS

February 22, 2013Section 3

• RESTORATIONS

• EXTRACTIONS• CROWNS & BRIDGES

• ROOT CANALS• DENTURES & PARTIALS

• WHITENING

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2 February 2013 Piqua Daily Call • Troy Daily NewsProgress 2013TABLE OF CONTENTS

MIAMI COUNTY COMMISSIONPAGE 3

CITY OF PIQUAPAGES 4-5

CITY OF TROYPAGES 6-7

TIPP CITYPAGE 8

WEST MILTONPAGE 9

BRADFORD AND FLETCHERPAGE 10

GOVERNMENT ACADEMYPAGE 11

COVINGTONPAGES 12

TROY POLICE DEPARTMENTPAGE 13

TROY FIRE DEPARTMENTPAGE 14

PIQUA POLICE DEPARTMENTPAGE 15, 20

PIQUA FIRE DEPARTMENTPAGE 16

COVINGTON POLICE & FIREPAGE 17

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTOS

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February 2013 3Piqua Daily Call • Troy Daily News

Progress 2013

Tough year for budgetA request for caution and fiscal

conservatism to officialsBY WILL E SANDERS

Staff [email protected]

TROY — As each pass-ing fiscal year becomesbleaker and bleaker forMiami County, county com-missioners adopted their2013 budget and elected anew president and vicepresident recently to dealwith the growing financialconcerns other local gov-ernments are grapplingwith.

In early January duringa reorganization meetingthe board of county com-missions elected RichardCultice as the board presi-dent after serving as vicepresident in the year prior.Commissioner John “Bud”O’Brien served as presi-dent last year.

Commissioner JackEvans was named as vicepresident of Miami CountyCommission.

All three commissionersare Republicans andO’Brien is the chairman ofthe Miami CountyRepublican Party.

Commissioners haveeach been assigned to vari-ous boards and committeesand the time and days ofcommission meetings willremain unchanged. Theboard meets at 9 a.m. and1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays andThursdays, respectively,and holds their weeklywork sessions at 9 a.m.

Also the commissionersapproved the county’s 2013budget in January, notinghow the county will need to“operate both conservative-ly and cautiously.”

C o m m i s s i o n e r sapproved 2013 appropria-tions in the amount of$27.98 million at the end ofDecember, which repre-sents a $2.5 millionincrease over last year.

Commissioners said theincrease in the budget isthe result of healthcarecosts, increases in costeffective electronic moni-toring by municipal court,long overdue technologyimprovements, increases insupport to the VeteransService Office, and adding$1.6 million toward open-

ing two pods at the incar-ceration facility on CountyRoad 25-A.

General fund revenuesare projected at $22.92 mil-lion, which also is a conser-vative figure.

Meanwhile, 2013 appro-priations for all countyfunds, including the gener-al fund, were set at $96.46million while projected rev-enue for all county funds,including the general fund,has been estimated at$81.73 million.

Commissioner RichardCultice said the comingyear’s budget will be toughand asked for caution andfiscal conservatism fromother elected officials anddepartment heads.

“We will need to watchthis very closely,” Culticesaid of the budget. “This isgoing to be a strain on thebudget. Everyone will needto be cautious with howmoney is spent.”

He added that in orderfor the budget to work “wewill need to be conserva-tive.”

ANTHONY WEBER/STAFF PHOTOWorkers continue to bring down the old Adams Street bridge July 13, 2011, follow-ing the Troy Strawberry Festival. The bridge was completed in 2012.

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4 February 2013 Piqua Daily Call • Troy Daily NewsProgress 2013

BY BETHANY J. ROYERStaff Writer

[email protected]

PIQUA—Anyonewith aNewYear’sresolution list they want to see tofruition may want to take some tipsfrom City Manager Gary Huff.

“There’s just a lot of things, all thecitizen and employee engagement weretremendously important,” said Huffwhen asked aboutwhat event or projectstood out for him against a substantiallist of goals he set out to achieve, andmet, during his first year as city man-ager for the city of Piqua.

It was this time last year, after for-mer city manager Fred Enderle retired,that Huff came into the communitywith ambitious endeavors for 2012.Those included a host of programs, eco-nomic development and branding proj-ects, and city operation changes, thatall began with the National CitizenSurvey.

Conducted randomly, the surveycompares communities nationwide byrank of delivery of services with ques-tions such as how one rates Piqua as aplace to live.

The idea behind the survey was tosee not only where the city stood interms of resident opinions but to helpestablish a 5-year Strategic Plan.

“We can build off that and use thatinformation to drive some of the thingsthat we are doing,” said Huff of the sur-vey that will be performed every threeyears as a gauge to see, “Where we are,and the priorities and emphasis of

where we are going to be.”Along with the aforementioned

branding project currently in theworks,Huff touched-base on the ultra high-speed fiber optic project for the newyear, stating, “It’s going to lead us into alot of new things.”And spoke on a num-ber of citizen engagement goals such asthe successful Government Academythat has so far seen two classes withnearly 50 graduates. All of whom weregiven a unique behind-the-scenes lookinto numerous city departments underthe wing of Development ProgramManager Bill Lutz.

“It proved to be pretty successful,”said Huff of the government academyclasses that will be expanded to adjustsome of the dual courses into single seg-ments, with the next academy class tobegin in March.

As new city manager, Huff also ush-ered in several new city-wide programsthat included INVOLVE (InterestedNeighbors Volunteering ValuableEnergy) and the Adopt-a-Program forparks, trails, streets, landscaped areas,playgrounds and more. While creatingGIVE (Generosity, Involvement andVolunteerism by Employees) andPERforM (Piqua Employees Reachingfor More). Along with the implementa-tion of the Volunteer Park Ranger pro-gram that has received donations fromarea businesses, including a grant fromthe Lundgard Foundation, to purchaseequipment and supplies for those par-ticipants who will patrol the city’s popu-lar bike/walking paths and trails.

Training will take place over the

winter, with spring being the first timeof involvement for an estimated 20 newrecruits, according to Huff.

The new year also saw to the forma-tion ofHousingEnhancementLeague ofPiqua or HELP to provide assistance toproperty owners in enhancing propertyandneighborhoods.The firstmajor proj-ect is scheduled for June and is a culmi-nation of the following local organiza-tions: Shawnee NeighborhoodAssociation Positively Promoting Piqua(PPP) Habitat for Humanity SouthviewNeighborhood Association ReNewPiqua Miami County Home BuildersAssociation Northparks NeighorhoodAssociation Property OwnersImproving Neighborhoods Together(POINT) Piqua NeighborhoodImprovement, Inc. SouthwestNeighborhood Association PiquaCompassionNetwork PiquaAssociationof Churches

Huff’s arrival also coincided withmany large, in-the-works projects suchas themassive undertaking of studying,debating and discussing whether or notto build a new water treatment plant.Amajor decision that was made over thesummer to build new and one that iscurrently in the design phase thatshould take until the end of 2013.

The city manager also saw comple-tion of the new power system buildingon County Road-25A. An official ribboncutting ceremony was held on Dec. 3,with a number of individuals in atten-dance, including Senator Bill Beagle,Representative Richard Adams, cityleaders and employees, and the Piqua

A look ahead forthe city of PiquaFrom programs to development2012 was productive, rewarding

but what of 2013?

Area Chamber of CommerceBoard of Directors.There was also the much-

anticipated Piqua MemorialHospital that came tumblingdown for what will eventuallybe home to a new school cam-pus, and the beginnings of aRiverfront project at the for-mer power building that,should grant applicationsprove successful, will see itseventual demolition.The Ash Street corridor

wasanother largeproject thatrequired 8 months of work,with the Wayne Streetstreetscaping completed atthe end of November. Therewas also a number of specialevents from the popularTasteof the Arts, Christmas on theGreen, and the Brown BagSeries, to newly implementedCommission Coffees andCommissioner Breakfasts.Not to be forgotten is the

eventual inclusion of a med-ical clinic for city employeesthat will tie-in with the city ofTroy and the county.The in-house clinicwill see

an annual savings between$400K to $700K in healthinsurance costs and whenestablished, will be free toemployees and their depend-ents through a third party.With new health care

measures implemented orplanned, the city of Piquawasrecognized as the 2012Healthiest Employer by theDayton Business Journal.They also received recogni-tion as Tree City USA, a dis-tinction the city has enjoyedfor 17 years, was recognizedas a state model for the OhioEPA Watershed ProtectionPlan, and the 2012 AmericanGraphic Design Award fortheir Plaza Save the DateMailer, to name but a few.Several other distinctions

and awards are currentlyunder development for thenew year.The city also tackled a

number of operational pro-grams and plans, from devel-opment of their new financialsoftware to the creation of awastewater treatment and

collection master plan, arestructuring of the PublicWorksdepartment,successfulunion negotiations, and theacquirement of a weed har-vester. The latter one ofnumerous items brought tosuccess in thanks to grantsand generous donations.Suchas the Walmart Foundationhaving donated toward theannual Pick it Up and Cleanit Up Day, while a new skatepark was brought to areayouth thanks to the generousfunds and exemplier devotedtime put in to see its comple-tion by Rich Donnelly.The 2012 holiday season

also saw a number of busi-nesses and individualsdonate towards Christmaslighting.However, it may be the 5-

year Strategic Plan complet-ed in November 2012 thatwill prove to be the city’s, andthe city manager’s, greatestlegacy into 2013 and beyond.It covers categories concern-ing quality of life, public safe-ty and security, infrastruc-ture, growth and develop-ment, administration, finan-cial stability, citizen and com-munity relations. Along withanumber of secondary strate-

gic goals of eliminating citynorth versus south percep-tions, utilization of vacantlots, encouragement of citizeninvolvement and much more.“As you can see there’s

beena lot of thingshappeningthis past year and we havemade some good progress,”said Huff on the overall com-pletion and implementationof projects for 2012. “I look for2013 to be just as active andinvolved in a lot of newthings.”Some of those activities

more currently released andupdated via the CityManager’s website as we gointo 2013 include the watermain extension on U.S. Route36, sidewalkADA (Americanswith Disabilities Act) compli-ance, street resurfacing, theU.S. 36 beautification project,College Street Corridor trafficsignal, County Road 25-Aresurfacing and reconstruc-tion into phase II, seeing tothe removal of the SouthCemetery bridge and aFountain Park pedestrianbridge access.The latter has been assist-

ed thanks to a generous grantthrough the LundgardFoundation at an amount of

$65,000 that will raise thebridge for handicap accessi-

bility andassure clearance forthe city’s weedharvester.For themost part, the year

of 2012 has seen a great dealof improvements, success,andprogress with only a fewshortfalls, most notably thefailure of the Public SafetyIncome Levy on theNovember ballot. This left abig question for 2013 after thecity’s request of a .25 percentincrease for the fire and policedepartments due to statefunding reductions that affectthe general fund failed at thetime of the interview.Passage of the fall levy

would have generated $1mil-lion for annual operating,per-sonnel and capital costs, tohelp offset the $3 millionbeing taken from the generalfund.An amount beyond ded-icated tax dollars for the safe-ty budget that had alreadyseena reduction inpolice staffby 12.5 percent since 2010,fire by 6.7 percent, with capi-

tal needs delayed andreduced over the last fiveyears.However, right before

Christmas, the Piqua FireDepartment received a feder-al grant of more than $1 mil-lion that will provide addi-tional staffing. Something thedepartment has been in needafter being under-manned forseveral years.U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown

(D-OH) announced the$1,034,028 grant before theholidays. Stating the grantwill assist the Piqua FireDepartment with hiring sixfirefighters for a two yearperiod, and pays 100 percentof the personnel costs, withthe city responsible for equip-ment.The grantwas awarded by

the U.S. Deparment ofHomeland Security’s FederalEmergency ManagementAgency SAFER grant pro-gram.

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February 2013 5Piqua Daily Call • Troy Daily News Progress 2013

BETHANY J. ROYER/STAFF PHOTOThe past year has been productive for Piqua and the community, with a number ofnewly established programs including the Adopt-a-Program that gives residents theopportunity to adopt everything from parks to even fire hydrants.

BY NATALIE KNOTHStaff Writer

[email protected]

TROY — Troy officialsare anticipating one of themost exciting years in Troyhistory, while they alsowork to prevent — andplan for — potentialstatewide budget cuts.

Mayor Michael Beamishsaid the city calendar isteeming with an exception-al number of recreationaland cultural events for2013, the most he’s seen inseveral years — or ever.Troy was selected as one ofthree U.S. stops for theGentlemen of the Roadtour — featuring headlinerMumford & Sons — andthe city also was selected tohost the 25th anniversaryGreat Ohio BicycleAdventure. Annual eventsinclude the Festival of

Nations, Summer MusicSeries and Mayor’sConcert, among manyother events.

“I don’t know if I’ve everseen such a fully packedsummer schedule,”Beamish said.

Beginning in May, 20lifelike sculptures will beon display for the sixthinstallment of Sculptureson the Square, organizedby Troy Main Street.

The mayor noted thathosting quality events — inaddition to offering qualityservices — requires suffi-cient revenue, which couldbe at stake in the future.

“One of the things thatconcerns us down the roadis legislation that couldimpact Troy’s financial pic-ture,” Beamish said. “Butwe’ve done pretty well tokeep our heads abovewater with revenues ver-

sus expenditures. Revenuewas higher than anticipat-ed, and expenditures lowerthan anticipated.”

Director of PublicService and Safety PatrickTitterington said much ofthe city’s budget planningis contingent on whetherHouse Bill 5 passes in itscurrent state. The city isposed to lose between$750,000 and $1.25 millionper year to the generalfund if it passes withoutsignificant revision, headded.

“It’s tough now to beoptimistic when you don’tknow what’s going to hap-pen,” he said.

The city is not opposedto the principles of the bill— which aims to create taxuniformity — but ratherthe execution of it, whichwill be costly for citiesacross the state,

Titterington said.“The sponsors have said,

one city does it one way,and another does it anoth-er way, and it’s tough to dobusiness in Ohio.We’re try-ing to be a part of the solu-tion through regional coop-eration,” Titterington said.“We are — we have —developed an alternativeplan that is revenue-neu-tral and addresses non-uni-form sections without hurt-ing our revenue streams orbusinesses’ revenuestreams. One of our priori-ties is getting the messagethrough to all legislators.”

Titterington estimatesthat the loss in city rev-enue would result in need-ing to cut half a citydepartment, such as policeor fire.

He stressed that the cityis collaborating with othermunicipalities and villages

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An excitingyear ahead

for TroyOptimistic

despite potentialstatewide

budget cuts

ANTHONY WEBER/STAFF PHOTOTroy Mayor Mike Beamish conducts His Honor March during the 20th Mayors’ Concert held at Troy’s HobartArena last summer. The Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band and Chorus along with the Troy Mayors’ ConcertBoard dedicated the performance to the memory of founder, Bruce George, and board member, SidneyWheat.

as well as legislators tochange the language of thebill in a way that does notresult in revenue losses.Another important issue

for Troy residents in 2013 isthe North Market Streetreconstruction project, which

is already underway.The cityhas been working to ensurethat residents and business-es still have access and utili-ties.Council will be deciding

on another project later thisyear — financing the water

and sewer capital program.With interest rates increas-ing, council will need tomakea decision on the project ear-lier than originally expected.Mayor Beamish said the

city also will be focusing oneconomic development at theeducational level, meetingwith businesses to see wha t

their employment needs arefor the future and how tomatch these with education-al programs at Troy CitySchools, career centers andtechnical schools.“I think you’re going to

see in this year an emphasisin trying to develop a strongrelationship with the school

system,” Beamish said.“That’s important for the cityof Troy as well as this wholeregion.”Both Titterington and

Beamish said maintainingthe same quality of serviceswill remain of utmost impor-tance.“You know I have strongly

been an advocate for main-taining the quality of life andservices in Troy,” Beamishsaid. “I hate to see some ofthe services challenged orcut. The administration haslooked at attrition, what wecan do better with less. Ithink we’ve done anadmirable job.”

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MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTOThe Troy Pop Rocks Jump Rope Team entertained athalf-time of the Piqua vs Sidney basketball game inFebruary. The group is comprised of 3rd through 8thgrade Troy students and is coached by Troy PhysicalEducation teacher Josh Oakes. The group received astanding ovation as they left the floor and another frompeople in the lobby at Piqua High School as the left toboard their bus. For more information on Troy PopRocks, visit their website at www.troypoprocks.com.

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTOThe Adams Street Bridge in Troy was completed in 2012. The construction project sent the city’s annual Strawberry Festival to downtown city streets for 2012. The festi-val will return to the levee this coming June.

BY BRAD VATHTipp City Assistant City

Manager

TIPP CITY — With thepassage of the 0.25 percentCapital ImprovementIncome Tax Levy in 2011,along with grant funds andutility fund monies, TippCity will be reinvestingmore than $9,000,000 inpublic infrastructureimprovements in 2013. Thenew 100-foot ladder truckwas delivered in December2012, and will be equippedand become operational inearly 2013.The Fire/EMS Station

will be expanded to accom-modate 24/7 EMS needs,including sleeping accommo-dations, new EMS vehiclebays, Fire and EMS offices,training room, kitchen, rest-rooms, etc. starting in thespring. Downtown MainStreet from the railroad toFirst Street will be recon-structed to replace 100 plusyear old utilities,StreetScape enhancementssuch as sidewalks, benches,trees, decorative street

lights and traffic signals,brick pavers, etc..Everything from the build-ing face to the building facewill be replaced.This work should start in

lateMarch and be completedby Winter’s Gathering inNovember. During construc-tion please make sure youvisit and support our localmerchant’s downtown.Access to shops and storeswill be maintained duringconstruction, but mayinclude using rearentrances, side streets, orfront entrances.SouthThird Street recon-

struction from Elm to therailroad will be underway inFebruary. West Dow Streetreconstruction from Rohrerto Fifth Street will be doneduring the summer months.There will also be severalutility replacement projects(water and sewer lines) donethis fall. The annual StreetResurfacing Program willrepave streets throughouttown.Tipp City’s website,

www.t ippc i tyoh io .gov,Twitter account@CityofTippCity, orFacebook page “City of TippCity, Ohio” will all provideupdates on these projects

and provide additional localinformation.On the Economic

Development side, theAbbott Liquid NutritionManufacturing Facility willstart producing their prod-ucts, Ensure™ andGlucerna™ inTipp City dur-ing the fourth quarter of2013, while employing 240persons when line 2 is func-tioning (www.abbott.com).The Randall Residence

Assisted Living Facility at6400 S. County Road 25-A isslated to open in early June,with 56 assisted living bedsand 24 Alzheimer beds,chapel with contemplationgarden, theater, beauty shop,café, and employing 85 per-sons at full staffing(www.randallresidence.com)Hock’s Pharmacy located

at 5175 S. County Road 25-Awill be opening in early May,and employ 10 persons.Theywill be offering medical sup-plies and free prescriptiondelivery (www.hockstippci-ty.com).Several other Tipp City

businesses and industrieshave or are expanding andadding employees and thenumber of new residentialhousing starts almost dou-bled in 2012.

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Tipp City has plansto expand itsFire/EMS stationduring 2013.

Tipp City reinvests

BY MATTHEW KLINEMunicipal Manager of

West Milton

WEST MILTON —Community development willbe the focus inWestMilton for2013. The village plans toachieve this in two ways: oninfrastructure improvementsand a concentration onenhancing thequality of life interms of both recreational andbusiness friendly means.

The former PVP buildingon South Miami Street in theheart of our downtownwill bedemolished this spring and aparking lot will take its place.This is a seed, which will helpcurrent businesses grow andperhaps spur some neededactivity by making some ofthe empty buildings moreattractive for future businessopportunities.The parking lotalso will allow village officialsto strengthen community cel-ebrations and perhaps addmore,suchasmovies, concertsand a community Christmasceremony.

West Milton plans to fur-ther its partnership with theMilton-Union School Districtand concentrate on creatinglong-term plans for the devel-opment of the former elemen-tary school site for recreation-al purposes. Last year, bothgoverning bodies came to anagreement on dedicating thesite for community recreationand this year will be a plan-ning year for developing thesite.

The village council will beappointing members to theWest Milton Park Board andit is hoped that reactivatingthe boardwill in turn re-ener-gize the community withrecreational enhancements

(the board has been dormantfor about four years). Severalideas include a splash pad, askate board park,and even anartistic wall. Council willappointmembers inFebruary,then an organization meetingwill be held in March, withplans to take the board on atour of all lands owned or con-trolled by West Milton inApril, after the weatherbreaks. The remainder of theyear will be spent on brain-storming and planning whatactivities, programs, and capi-tal improvements the boardwould like to seebuilt and cre-

ated.When it comes to infra-

structure,West Milton will beworking hard at strengthen-ing its core in terms of water,sewer and streets by complet-ing projects, which will in thelong term keep operationalcosts down.Themajor sourcesof infiltration ofwater into thesanitary sewer,whichdoesnotneed to be treated will beidentified and corrected.Enhancements at both waterandwastewater plants will bemade this year, which willstrengthen systems andreduce the manpower associ-

ated with daily tasks.Finally,manyof the streets

will be saying hello to freshneeded asphalt as the villagewill be renewing its pavingprogram. The most excitingand promising news will befacing the challenge of how tocapitalize on the installationof the fiber optic cable, whichis nearing completion. Notonly is the installation impor-tant in termsofhelping topro-vide Internet services to ruralOhio, and for strengtheningeducation in the classroom,but city officials believe itaffords them the ability to

marketWestMilton forpoten-tial business growth andopportunities.The installationwas fundedbyan“Internet for

RuralAmerican” stimulus billthrough the AmericanRecovery and ReinvestmentAct.

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PROVIDED PHOTOMany improvement projects are slated asWest Milton headsinto this summer, including street paving and demolishion ofthe former PVP building to make room for a parking lot.

Development focalpoint for village

BY SHERYL ROADCAPCivitas Media

BRADFORD — TheVillage of Bradford hassome major changes com-ing in 2013. From majorrefurbishing projects tomore modest makeovers,Bradford has a of lot plansfor the year.

Sue Vickroy, who man-ages the history room atthe Bradford PublicLibrary and is a trusteewith the Bradford RailroadMuseum, said one of thefirst upcoming events forthe village is ‘BradfordHistory Day,’ was held Feb.17 at the BradfordRailroad Museum. On thisday, the village’s heritagewas celebrated and dis-played through variousphotos and artifacts. Thisevent was the result of thecombined effort of theBradford Historical Societyand the BradfordCommunity Center.

Vickroy also said theBradford Railroad Museumis in the middle of a huge$250,000 campaign ofrestoration for the museumand signal tower. At somepoint in the future, shesaid, the museum hasanother large project in theworks to build a scale-model of the former rail-road yards, as they oncewere. She explains thatprior to the great fire of1920 — which nearlydestroyed the entire vil-lage, along with the rail-road yards — Bradford wasthe largest rail line west ofPennsylvania.

Bradford AdministratorRick Looker said the vil-lage has two other majorprojects beginning thisspring — a $3.2 millionwaste-water upgrade and a$1.4 million sewer-separa-tion project. He adds that,

within the next two years,the water treatment plantalso will incur between$1.4 to $1.5 million inupgrades to the softenertanks, electrical upgrades,and backwash tanks,among others.

“We also have a lot ofsmall projects that we willaccomplish this year. Wegot a parking lot that weplan to construct over atthe library, that’s going tohappen spring time. Wenow own 30 acres of rail-road property; we boughtthat over the last fouryears, and we got a grant tobulldoze a lot of that 30acres down and get it sothat it will be a lot nicerthan it is currently,” Lookersaid.

Looker explained thatthe land to be bulldozedcontains a lot of debris, oldtrees, overgrown vegeta-tion, and such, that has notbeen tended to during the

last 50 years or so, and theplan is to make it more eye-appealing.

In terms of other upcom-ing events for Bradford,Looker named the village’sannual ‘Movie in the Park’that takes place lateJuly/early August, and itsfamous Pumpkin Showfrom Oct. 8-12. He said thatfor the movie, they hire acompany to erect a large,inflatable screen in thepark that community chil-dren and their family gath-

er to watch right before theschool year begins. Duringthat evening, the villageprovides hotdogs, popcorn,stuffed animals, schoolsupplies, and Walmart giftcards to viewers for thenew school year. Then inautumn, at the PumpkinShow, which is well-knownfor lots of confetti thrownby festival-goers, the vil-lage closes Miami Avenuefrom Oakwood to CenterStreet for the week-longjubilee.

Looker says that thePumpkin Show is the old-est and only festival whereconfetti is thrown, but thatthere is a designated con-fetti-free day for those whowish to avoid it. Duringthat week, there are sever-al different rides, carnivalstands, plenty of food andlots of contests.

For more informationabout any upcoming eventsor Bradford’s attractions,visit the village’s website atwww.bradfordoh.org.

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Changes ahead for Bradford Villageseekslevy onMayballot

STAFF REPORT

FLETCHER —Officials with the villageof Fletcher are seekingthe placement of a taxlevy on the ballot for theMay primary election.

The proposed contin-uing tax levy is for 1.5mill and would takeeffect starting in calen-dar year 2014.

The purpose of thelevy is for general con-struction, reconstruc-tion, resurfacing andrepair of streets, roadsand bridges, according tothe proposal.

The 1.5 mill levy pro-posal amounts to a col-lection of 15 cents forevery $100 of valuationfor a continuing periodof time.

Drew Higgins, MiamiCounty Board ofElections director, saidthe language of the pro-posal must first beapproved by the state forit to appear on the Mayprimary ballot.

The primary electionis slated for May 7.

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTO

Bradford holds its annual Memorial Day parade.

PIQUA — Interestaround the weaponry car-ried by those who patrolthe city streets was piquedas questions ranging fromwhy the need for a rifleand a shotgun, to whethera bullet proof vest suffi-ciently protects against athreat came from thoseattending Wednesdaynight's session of the firstever government academy.

It’s not very often thatthe public gets to not onlysee the behind-the-scenesworkings of the policedepartment, but visitthose who uphold the lawand risk their lives for thesafety of others. However,the academy participantswere able to do just that asPolice Chief BruceJamison hosted the secondgovernment academy classof an eventual 11 sessions.

A tour of the policedepartment at the govern-ment complex took stu-dents from the wall ofhonor for Piqua officerswho have fallen in the lineof duty, to the two-baygarage, armory, passed theinterrogation rooms andnumerous office/adminis-trative areas, to a sub-floorclassroom. It was here thatJamison explained tothose in attendance every-thing from departmentstructure, rotating shiftsand procedures, to a high-tech GPS system thatallows the department tosee the location of a cruis-er, where they are going,even speed.

Jamison noted themany technologicaladvances over the span ofhis 25-year career havealso resulted in challenges,such as learning a newrecords management sys-tem, policy system, per-formance tracking, and

even social media.“I’m beginning to see

and appreciate how valu-able some of those commu-nity” relation elementsare,” Jamison said regard-ing how reductions in thedepartment meant the loss

of a crime prevention andcommunity relationsdepartment and the valueof Facebook, particularlyafter the Fountain Parkshooting.

Jamison is working on avolunteer public informa-tion unit to help withsocial media along withother tasks that willinclude, as announced byCity Manager Gary Huff, anew volunteer park rangerprogram.

Volunteers in the policedepartment have assistedwith patrol of the bikepaths, bike safety pro-

grams, chaplain work, anon-site greeter and at spe-cial events.

Jamison covered thechallenges of workingaround a tightbudget that hasseen the loss

of 12 percent of staff overthe last five years throughretirement and attrition.Even working around anaging cruiser fleet poses adilemma for a departmentthat typically sees a fouryear life expectancy ontheir vehicles.

Detective Dave Thomasalso spoke to the group onthe typical weapons car-ried by officers with a dis-play of those items from abullet proof vest, hand-cuffs, a duty firearm, 12-gauge shotgun, rifle andtaser. The latter of whichthe detective dispelled the

myths associated with thedevice, such as how manyvolts are actually dis-pensed to the fact it is notan electrocution but a

neuromuscu la rincapacitationwhich inter-rupts thebrain’s abil-ity to con-trol thebody’s mus-cles.“ T h e

50,000 is givingyou the ability to

jump through the cloth-ing,” explained Thomas ofthe initial 50,000 voltsdelivered from the deviceto effect the muscles.“Then it instantly cyclesdown to 1,200 volts.”

Thanks to several part-nerships with EdisonCommunity College and agrant that allowed for thepurchase, academy partici-pants were given an oppor-tunity to visit the depart-ment’s training lab “use offorce” simulator. DeputyChief Marty Grove show-cased a few of the hun-dreds of potential scenar-ios that allow officers topractice in a variety of set-tings, situations and indi-viduals. One scenarioGrove presented to theacademicians included aman standing over awounded officer, reachingfor a gun.

Also on hand wasDeputy Chief Tom SteinerIn his duties includeTactical Team commander,Steiner brought the PiquaPolice DepartmentTactical Response Teamvehicle to Edison, alongwith gear.

The next governmentacademy class will be heldat the city fire depart-ment.

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City to host thirdGovernment Academy

PIQUA — The City of Piqua will bekicking off their third Piqua GovernmentAcademy to give residents an inside look atoperations of the city government.

“The Piqua Government Academy has developed atradition of providing a rich experience for partici-pants. For seventeen weeks, our participants are goingto get an inside look at how our city operates and evenhave a chance to be a city commissioner for a mockcommission meeting,” stated William Lutz,Development Program Manager, who is managing theacademy. “Participants will see our facilities andunderstand the work we do on a daily basis.”

The program will kick off on March 7 and will con-tinue each Thursday night for 17 weeks culminatingwith a Mock City Commission meeting on June 20.

Participants can register on-line for the programthrough the city website at www.piqua.org, by clickingon the Piqua Government Academy logo.

Applicants also can register by contacting Lutz at778-2062 or via email at [email protected].

Registration for the Government Academy programwill close on Feb. 28.

Class is in session A look back at the firstever GovernmentAcademy with a focuson police dept.

BY TOM MILLHOUSEStaff Writer

[email protected]

COVINGTON — Afterachieving a number of goalsduring 2012, CovingtonVillage Council has set outto accomplish a new set oftasks this year, including astudy that will shape thevillage’s wastewater treat-ment utility service foryears to come.Village Administrator

Mike Busse said Covingtonwill be employing an engi-neering firm to conduct astudy of the wastewatertreatment. Busse said thestudy is an important stepfor the village.“It’s very important to

make the right decisionbecause the decision youmake today people willhave to live with in thefuture,” Busse said, notingthe current plant was lastupdated in 1982.The study will study

three possible options forthe village:1. Building complete new

treatment facility.2. Upgrading the current

treatment facility.3. Abandoning the vil-

lage’s current wastewaterplant and sending thewastewater to another com-munity for treatment.Another infrastructure

the village will undertakethis year are a study ofstorm sewers in the SpringStreet area and workingwith the county on ditchmaintenance issues, specifi-cally Rocky Branch Ditch.Busse said the village

plans to expand it’s alreadysuccessful recycling pro-gram.“We are working on a

recycling grant to helpexpand the program to allresidents,” Busse said. “Ifwe receive the grant weplan to purchase 48-gallonroll-around toters to beused by larger volume resi-dential customers in thecommunity.“Future plans are to sep-

arate the recycling into cat-egories,” he said. “This willallow Covington to recoversome of the costs for curb-side recycling thus helpingto hold down the costs. Thiscan be accomplishedthrough the purchasing ofmulti-bin trailers, allowingresidents to sort the recy-clables into various cate-gories. We also plan to pur-chase a cardboard baler tobail the card board we col-lect for resale.”With the goal of improv-

ing the safety of studentswalking and riding bicyclesto school, the village hasapplied for two Safe Routesto School grants, one toinstall sidewalks in theneighborhoods surroundingthe elementary school andanother to pay for increasepolice patrols during thetimes when students arewalking to and from school.

While the village plansfor the future with projectsundertaken this year, Bussesaid a number of goals weremet during 2012.The village implemented

new software package forfinancial records, payrolland billing. The new utilitybilling system transitionedfrom quarterly billing tomonthly billing. As part ofthat program the villagehas installed a number ofradio read meters, whichhas reduced the timerequired to read all utilitymeters in the village fromeight days to six days.Whenall meters are switched toradio read, Busse said itwill only take about two

hours to read all meters inthe village.Another major change in

Covington came in Junewhen the village hiredBusse as the village’s firstadministrator. He came toCovington from Russiawhere he also served as vil-lage administrator.Covington Mayor Ed

McCord listed the followingadditional accomplish-ments for the village during2012:• Addressing the prob-

lem of stormwater infiltra-tion into the sewage sys-tem;• Continued planning of

the anticipated SpringStreet reconstruction proj-

ect;• Exploring funding for

future capital projects;• Improving communica-

tion with village residentsthrough a village newslet-ter.

“We did very well inmeeting our goals last year,”McCord said. “We havesome good goals for thisyear and we’re monitoringthem monthly.”

2363747

Progress 201312 February 2013 Piqua Daily Call • Troy Daily News

TOM MILLHOUSE/STAFF FILE PHOTOMike Busse, the first Covington village administrator, left, discusses sewage treatment plant issues with RayKimmel, village utilities superintendent. Busse said the village will be conducting a study of the sewage plantstarting later this year to determine what improvements will be needed in the future.

Wastewater plant to undergo studyWill determine three possible options for Covington

BUSSE

BY MELANIE YINGSTStaff Writer

[email protected]

TROY — Troy PoliceDepartment will approachthe 2013 year with a “busi-ness as usual” mentality.“It’s going to be status

quo with us for now,” saidCapt. Joe Long. Accordingto Long, the departmentstill has four positions leftunfilled in regards to offi-cers.The department also

has two clerk positionsopen as well as the build-ing superintendent andsecretary are part-time.The department did add

four new Ford InterceptorSUVs to its fleet this yearto retire high mileage vehi-cles.Long also said

unmarked cruisers may beupdated this year.Troy Police Department

officials are also research-ing ways to replace thedepartment’s fire arms forthe 39 officers on duty.The department did hire

former Miami CountySheriff ’s Office DominicBurnside as a patrolmanfor the city.The department main-

tains three school resourceofficers and three detec-tives.Four Troy car dealer-

ships donated a 2007 JeepLiberty to the Troy PoliceDepartment’s SchoolResource Officers and itsD.A.R.E program inJanuary 2011. ErwinChrysler Dodge, DaveArbogast GMC, JoeJohnson Chevrolet andTroy Ford donated funds topromote the school dis-trict’s D.A.R.E. program.The 2007 Jeep Libertysports an American-themed logo “wrap” on thethe vehicle. The “wrap” onthe Jeep lists the business-

es that helped with thepurchase of the D.A.R.E.vehicle.The police department

will continue to offer theSafety Patrol program inthe summer in mid-June atHobart Arena. Troy PoliceDepartment’s RapeAggression Defense willcontinue as long as commu-nity members requestsclasses from the depart-ment. Troy Police officerJoel Misirian is certified toinstruct the class and hasreceived positive feedbackfrom the program’s partici-pants.For more information

about R.A.D., visit thedepartment Web site atwww.troyohio.gov/police/police.html or contact OfficerJoel Misirian by calling339-7525, Ext. 423 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Troy PoliceDepartment will continueto participate in the coun-ty’s National Night Outthat will be held at TroyCity Park on Tuesday, Aug.6.• Captain Chuck Adams

is the police department’sAdministrative Captain.Adams responsibilitiesinclude Record Section,Parking Control, buildingsand systems maintenance,inventory, supply andtraining records. Adamsalso is the department rep-resentative for risk man-agement.• Captain Joe Long is

the police department’sPatrol Captain. Long’sresponsibilities includepatrol services and sched-uling, maintenance andaccountability for equip-ment issued to the patrolsection. In addition, Long isthe department represen-tative for the vendor for thecounty-wide computer sys-tem, and for CALEA(Commission for

Accreditation of LawEnforcement Agencies) andthe police Auxiliary.• Captain Chris

Anderson is the city policedepartment’s DetectiveCaptain. Anderson also isresponsible for theProperty Room. For moreinformation about the TroyCity Police Department,visit its website atwww.troyohio.gov/police/police.html.

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It’s ‘business as usual’ for Troy Police Department

ANTHONY WEBER/STAFF PHOTOWorkers from DanCoLettering of Beavercreek,including Michael Averywork on completingreflective graphics on sev-eral vehicles at the TroyPolice Department.

BY DAVID FONGExecutive Editor

[email protected]

TROY — Troy FireDepartment Chief ChrisBoehringer is looking for to2013 with a full staff —something that was sorelylacking in 2012.

“We have four new guysstarting this year,”Boehringer said. “We’ve beenreally shorthanded becauseof resignations and retire-ments with guys who weren’treplaced. We’re really excitedto be getting back to our nor-mal staff.”

Boehringer said thatbeing short handed was achallenge for both he and hisstaff — but that the mem-bers of the Troy FireDepartment rose to meet thechallenge in 2012.

“For me, just trying tomanage all the differentshifts with minimal man-

power was a challenge,” hesaid. “But our guys did atremendous job. Theyworked a ton of overtime. Wehad guys step up when weneeded it. They deserve abreak.”

Boehringer said the TroyFire Department worked3,249 hours in short-shiftovertime alone last year.

“We had a couple of guysout with injuries or on vaca-tion and someone wouldhave to fill in for them andwork overtime,” Boehringersaid. “Having a full staff back

again will eliminate that.”That’s not the positive

thing Boehringer sees on thehorizon for the Troy FireDepartment this year. Inaddition to adding four newmembers to the fire depart-ment, the city also will beadding another medic to theteam, raising the total num-ber from four to five.

“It’s nice being able to runfour front-line medics andbeing able to have one inreserve,” Boehringer said.“We had a high volume ofruns last year, so it’s going to

help having that extra man-power.”

Finally, Boehringer said,

the Troy Fire Departmentcan look forward a majorequipment addition.

“There’s $400,000 in thebudget for a new tanker,” hesaid.

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ANTHONY WEBER/STAFF PHOTOThe Troy Fire Department will be adding five new members to its staff this year.

New year means full staffAfter

lacking in2012,

Troy firedept.

welcomesfour new

firefighters

BY WILL E SANDERSStaff Writer

PIQUA — In the oldentimes — somewherearound 2001 — a residentwould pick up a telephoneand call the Piqua PoliceDepartment anonymouslythrough the department’sCrimeStoppers tipsline,but times, and the crimes,have changed.This is one of the rea-

sons by Piqua Police ChiefBruce Jamison supportedbringing the latest incrime-tip submittal tech-nology to the department.While the

CrimeStoppers hotline at615-TIPS will remainactive, the new service,called TipSoft, is better tai-lored for today’s world andallows residents to reportinformation to the policeanonymously through theInternet, a text message orfrom any Android oriPhone mobile device withthe TipSubmit mobileapplication.Since instituting tip

software recently and hav-ing the system go live hisweek, Jamison said TipSoftis a much-needed updatefrom the CrimeStoppers tipline, which went active in2001.He said TipSoft is a part

of his department’s “pro-active efforts to prevent,reduce and solve” citycrimes and that TipSoftallows the department to“utilize current technologyto communicate” with resi-dents through the city’swebsite and the police’sFacebook page.“We were noticing less

and less use of theCrimeStoppers hotline andall of the tips needed to

come in through tele-phone,” Jamison said. “Butthat was old school for thepeople who have the bestinformation.”Jamison started moving

in the direction of TipSoftafter he noticed the policedepartment’s Facebookpage slowly became a por-tal for some in the commu-nity to submit tips, but itwas hardly anonymous.The department

acquired a grant from thePiqua CommunityFoundation to purchase theservice, which wasannounced this week withthe cooperation of thedepartment, PiqueCrimeStoppers and thePiqua Area Chamber ofCommerce.The police chief encour-

aged citizens to takeadvantage of the new soft-ware and said he waned toremind the public how tipsfrom the public can proveespecially critical withmaking local arrests andsuccessful prosecutions.“Where the really good

stuff comes in is wheneversomeone who knows first-hand knowledge of a crime,but doesn’t want to getinvolved so we can verify itin some way,” Jamison said.Since the system went

live this week Jamison saidthe department hasalready received one tipthat has allowed a policeinvestigation to begin afterit turned out the informa-tion was credible.According to Jamison,

TipSoft is successfulbecause it uses technologythat is familiar to residentsbecause it allows them tocarry on an anonymous,two-way conversation withthe agency without requir-

ing them to speak directlywith an officer.To date, the TipSoft sys-

tem has received 2 milliontips that have resultedwith 145,000 arrests,55,000 fugitives appre-hended and more than $5.3billion recovered in drugsand property, which alsoincludes 11,000 vehiclesand 22,000 weapons, saidWilliam Kilmer, CEO ofPublicEngines, the compa-ny that owns TipSoft.“We welcome the Piqua

Police Department to thelist of over 900 law enforce-ment organizations thatare effectively usingTipSoft and applaud theircommitment to public safe-ty,” Kilmer stated in apress release. “WithTipSoft, agencies can invitethe public to take an activerole in making their com-munities safer.”Another interesting fea-

ture of the software thatdiffers from theCrimeStoppers hotline isthe ability to send thepolice photographs orvideos using the Internet,mobile applications or textmessages.Citizens are encouraged

to use the service to reportinformation about any non-urgent illegal activity, suchas an unsolved crimes, van-dalism, theft, the sale anddistribution of drugs orinformation about crimesthat are being planned inthe community or inschools.Tips can be submitted

by visiting www.piquaoh-pd.org or by texting thewords “CRIMES” (274637)with the keyword“PiquaPD.”

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Reporting crimes goes high tech with TipSoftPiqua police use new methods for anonymous leads

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTOPiqua police take two individuals into custody in the 700 block of South Main Streetin connection with an alleged shoplifting at the Troy Meijer store. A third suspectwas apprehended after a foot chase.


[email protected]

PIQUA — The PiquaFire Department hasreceived a more than $1million federal grant thatwill provide additionalstaffing of six new firefight-ers for the future after thedepartment has beenunder-manned for severalyears.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown(D-OH) announced the$1,034,028 grant last week.He said the grant willassist the Piqua FireDepartment with staffing.The grant was awarded bythe U.S. Department ofHomeland Security’sFederal EmergencyManagement AgencySAFER grant program.

“Firefighters put theirlives on the line each day tokeep our communitiessafe,” Brown said. “Thesenew federal resources willhelp ensure that Piqua hasthe skilled respondersneeded. With so many com-munities already facingbudget shortfalls, criticalfederal efforts like SAFERare pivotal in keeping ourOhio cities, towns and vil-

lages safe.”The SAFER program

supports the hiring of fire-fighters and the recruit-ment and retention of vol-unteer firefighters. Thegrants are awarded direct-ly to volunteer, combina-tion and career fire depart-ments to help such depart-ments with increasing thenumber of front-line fire-fighters.

Piqua Fire Chief MikeRindler said his depart-ment has lost a number ofpositions through attritionover the years and that hasimpacted the service his

department provides.“People may not have

seen it much, but we haveresponded to fires withfewer people,” Rindler said.“This grant is huge. It willallow us to bring ourstaffing to where it needsto be.”

Rindler said the rest ofthe department was happyto get the grant and saidthe department as a wholewas lucky.

“A lot of hard work wentinto writing this grant,”Rindler said. In terms ofstaffing, it will mean 10firefighters/paramedics

will be on a shift instead ofonly eight.

In addition, two keydonations to the depart-ment also assisted thedepartment with their mis-sion of saving lives.

In January theAmerican Legion Post 184donated a high-tech snowblade to allow the depart-ment to clear snow fromthe downtown CareFlightlanding zone, among othernecessary chores duringwinter weather events.

Also in January, RichDonnelly of the DonnellyFoundation and Sammye

Harrison of Barclay’sdonated funds to theAmerican Legion Post 184’sAmbulance EquipmentFund for a new Jaws of Life

for fire department.Both donations replaced

old and updated equipmentthe department had beenusing.

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Water vapor forms a rainbow as firefighters pour water on a Staunton Street house fire in Piqua on Feb. 22, 2012. One person wastransported from the scene by Piqua medics for evaluation. The female was reportedly smoking in bed, while on oxygen. An employ-ee of a nearby business entered the burning home and pulled the woman to safety.

Piqua receives helpful grantFundsfromstate

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BY TOM MILLHOUSEStaff Writer

[email protected]

COVINGTON — Whileslow economic growth pre-vents major projects, theCovington PoliceDepartment, CovingtonFire Department andCovington Rescue Squad allreport plans to makestrides this year in improv-ing services to local resi-dents.“Mainly, we’re taking

steps to improve our tech-nology,” said Police ChiefLee Harmon. He said thedepartment will be replac-ing computers and radios.Harmon said the depart-

ment also is working withCovington ExemptedVillage Schools to improvesafety for local students.Following the Sandy HookSchool shootings inConnecticut, the OhioAttorney General’s Office isoffering training for policeofficers and school officialsto help prevent such anincident at local schools.“We plan to take advan-

tage of the initiatives whilethey are offered,” Harmonsaid. “We want to make ourschools as safe as we can.”The village also is work-

ing with the school districton the Safe Routes to Schoolprogram designed to makeit safer for children travel-ing to and from school. Thevillage has applied for twogrants, one to provide fundsfor installing sidewalks andthe other to pay for step-ping up police patrolsaround school areas in themorning and afternoon.Another safety initiative

will be a summer bike safe-ty program, according toHarmon.During 2012, the depart-

ment received a drug abuse

and awareness grant tokeep officers in the localschools. Officers also spenta day before the Christmasholiday playing kickballand having lunch with mid-dle school students. Thedepartment also hosted itsannual Halloween event forlocal children at the villagepark.Harmon said his depart-

ment has four full-time offi-cers and nine auxiliary offi-cers.A 40-year member of the

Covington FireDepartment, Chief BillWestfall said the depart-ment will continue its suc-cessful fire prevention pro-gram this coming fall.“It has worked out

exceptionally well the lastseveral years,” saidWestfall, who has been chiefsince 1992.“We were very fortunate

last year,” Westfall saidwhen asked if the depart-ment had any major fires

last year. He praised localresidents for their efforts toprevent fires.Westfall said the depart-

ment has 31 active fire-fighters. The departmentlost two longtime firefight-ers — Tony Alexander andLeon Hollopeter — during2012.“We’ve added some

young firefighters andthat’s always good,” he said.The main 2013 project

for the Covington RescueSquad will be the replace-ment of two pieces of costlyequipment which providemedics with critical infor-mation. Mike Marion,squad chief, said the devicesmonitor blood pressure,give oxygen and carbondioxide readings, keep pace-makers working properlyfor patients who have pace-makers and have defibrilla-tors in the event of a heartstoppage.“We’re trying to replace

them both at the same

time,” Marion said of themachines, which cost$34,000 each. He said itwould be confusing forsquad members if therewere two different types ofdevices on the ambulances.Marion, who has been on

the squad for 14 years,including six years as chief,said there are currently 18members serving Covingtonand surrounding areas.While noting that “2012

was a status quo type ofyear,” Marion said thesquad did take a major stepforward early in the yearwith the implementation ofa new computer run reportprogram. Instead of com-pleting reports by hand andmailing them to the state,the new system does thetask electronically.He said the project cost

about $15,000, but it willsave money on envelopesand postage. “That was ahuge cost-cutting measure,”he said.

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On the path to improvementVillage also working

on Safe Routes toSchool program

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTOCovington Police Department, Covington Fire Department and Covington RescueSquad all report plans to make strides this year in improving services to local resi-dents.

BY MIKE ULLERYChief Photographer

MIAMI COUNTY —They say that looks can bedeceiving. In the case of thelatest generation of policepursuit vehicles, looks aredeceiving — on several lev-els.

Local police departmentsand the Miami CountySheriff ’s office are takingthe first deliveries of 2013Ford Police Pursuit SUVs.The vehicles are, “The firstpursuit-rated utility on themarket,” said Sgt. MarcBasye, an accredited certi-fied driving instructor fromthe Tipp City PoliceDepartment who also servesas a guest advanced drivinginstructor at the Ohio PeaceOfficer Training Academy.

Basye said of the newgeneration of police vehicles,“The days of V8 rear-wheeldrive (in police cruisers) arecoming to an end,” and thenew Ford is, “an absolutelyamazing car.”

The Tipp City PoliceDepartment recentlyreceived its first unit andthe Miami County Sheriff’sOffice received five of thenew vehicles. Both depart-ments are in the process ofoutfitting the SUVs for theroad. The Troy PoliceDepartment is seriouslyconsidering the Ford SUV toreplace three of their highermileage cruisers during thisyear’s replacement cycle.

The question that willcome to mind most quicklyfor taxpayers is the cost ofthe SUV cruisers. The FordSUV police package vehiclecosts around $25,000 perunit. That is just $2,000more than its sedan coun-terpart. With options, theprice difference can drop to

a mere $400.Taxpayers should also be

aware that much thoughtand research goes into thedecision of which vehicles topurchase for one of the mostdemanding tasks that avehicle can be asked to do.Government officials arevery aware that they arespending our hard-earneddollars. Several advisoryboards exist to develop infor-mation of vehicles and assistagencies inmaking the rightchoices. Cost, reliability andsafety to both the officersdriving the vehicle and thecivilian public around thevehicles are all given seriousscrutiny.

The SUV choice seemswell-worth the extra money.Miami County Sheriff’s Lt.Jamie McGlinch pointed outthat, to a sheriff’s deputy,his or her cruiser is twothings, it is a first, a tool,just as a pair of handcuffs

are tool. The cruiser also is arolling office. Both jobsrequire adequate work-space. The new Ford SUVshave abundant storagespace for the many tools lawenforcement officers need todo their job. Capt. Joe Longof the Troy

Police Departmentemphasized the need forworkspace, saying that withnew technology, officersspend more time than everin their patrol vehicles.Officers can access recordsand work on reports withoutreturning to the station … aperk that keeps officers inneighborhoods and on thestreets for more of theirshift.

Both McGlinch andBasye pointed to the fleetkey as an important consid-eration. The Fords offervehicle keys for the entirefleet to be keyed alike. Noneof the Ford keys contain

micro-chips common to mostnew vehicles.

If a new key is needed, itis the “old-fashioned” vari-ety, not one of the high-techkeys that can cost $100, ormore, to replace. McGlinchsaid that the sheriff’s officedecision to go with the SUVswas, in part, “small things,fleet key for us, was huge.”

The Ford SUVs are pow-ered by 3.7 liter V6 enginesthat develop 300 horsepow-er while getting an estimat-ed 17 miles per gallon. Thecomputer-aided “Stabili-Track” system, whichincludes gyroscopic stabilityassist, makes the vehiclepossibly the most stablepolice vehicle ever produced.The SUVs are full-time all-wheel drive.

Vehicle safety is perhapsthe most important singlefactor when it comes to pur-chasing new cruisers. Sgt.Bayse pointed out that in

motor vehicle crashesinvolving law enforcement,officers die in two places,intersections and turns. Thestabilization system assistsin both handling curves andin keeping the SUV stableduring braking, keeping offi-cers, and civiliansmore safe.

The vehicles are provingso promising that both TippCity Police Chief TomDavidson and the Tipp CityCouncil have indicated thatcurrent plans will be to

transition to a fleet made uplargely of the SUV models.The five SUVs for the sher-iff’s office were purchasedwith county funds allocatedin 2011, McGlinch said.Plans are to continue pur-chasing the SUVs as part ofthe yearly vehicle purchas-es.

The new Fords also are100 percent American buildproducts. Both the sedanand SUV are being built atthe Chicagoland Ford plant.

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TROY SHOWROOM LOCATION:1990 West Stanfield Road, Troy, OH 45373

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They’re not your father’s police cruiserCounty takes delivery of new generation of police pursuit SUVs

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Celebrating 49 Years!Choose the Original

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ANTHONY WEBER/STAFF PHOTOIn this 2011 file photo, Spencer Davis applies paint to his door, which was on dis-play at “Opening Doors to Troy,” the Sculptures on the Square 2011 outdoor artexhibit in downtown Troy. The sculptures will be returning to downtown Troy thissummer.

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTOAnOctober 2012morning blaze tore throughMiamiValley Polishing, 220 FoxDrive, after thefire started in the furnace area of the factory and aluminum andmagnesium dust acted likea powder keg, fire officials said.


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PIQUA — With department staffing levels at an all-time low and 20 percent lower than five years ago, PiquaPolice Chief Bruce Jamison said he has adopted a newphilosophy at the police station.

Jamison said the department has adopted a new phi-losophy that’s called “intelligence led and victim driven.”

The first part, he explained, deals with using policeofficers and police resources wisely amid low staffinglevels in order to make the department more efficientwith less personnel.

“We can whine about it or figure out how to makethings work and we have already made some adjust-ments to make it work,” the chief said.

Such adjustments, he added, are not the kind citizenswill physically observe, rather it is aimed at not stress-ing the department’s resources and manpower while set-ting priorities with intelligence led crime preventiontechniques.

The second part of the mantra, “victim driven,” dealswith “trying to keep people from becoming victims ofcrimes and helping those that have been.”

“It always has been important to this department andit will always be,” Jamison said.

Jamison said the department also is instituting a pri-ority response plan.

“Right now people call an officer and the next avail-able officer responds and people rarely have to wait morethan 15, certainly not longer than 30, minutes,” Jamisonsaid. “In some cases we will now be delaying certain callsuntil the next day.”

He said certain calls, like civil-related, petty vandal-ism and the like, will become low priority.

“We will be able to make better use of our maximumamount of resources and will allow us to be smarter,” hesaid. “I wish we didn’t have to do it.”

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTOChief Bruce Jamison ofthe Piqua PoliceDepartment discusses theoutcome of the trial forTravis Gauldin, with mem-bers of the media, outsidethe courtroom of JudgeChristopher Gee.Gaulding was found guiltyof murdering 4-year-oldMalisa DeLaSancha at herCaldwell Street home inApril 2012.

Newphilosophy

drivesPiqua PD

miami county progress 3 of 4 2013

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