New Bexley police chief Gary Lewis promises ‘transparency’
Gary Lewis, Bexley’s new police chief, said he is committed to ensuring that the department operates with transparency.
“I take this call very seriously,” Lewis said during his Sept. 1 swearing-in ceremony at police headquarters. “It’s an honorable, amazing profession. It’s something that it's hard to get people to want to do right now in what’s going on across the country. But if we do it with integrity, we do it with dedication, we do it with transparency, we will be able to change and impact this next generation of law enforcement.”
Lewis said he brings a diverse perspective to the Bexley Police Department as the city’s first African-American police chief.
“I think about the legacy of so many people who came before me, the first African-Americans who were part of the (Ohio State) Highway Patrol in which my career started,” he said. “To be the first African-American police chief in this community, it means something to me. I take that very seriously.”
In addition to overseeing 30 sworn officers, Lewis' duties include managing police/community relations, Mayor Ben Kessler said.
“In our community, we expect this duty to manifest itself in a way that ensures equitable treatment to all, builds up and unites our neighborhoods, ensures the safety and the security of our homes, our streets, our places of worship and our refuges,” he said.
Kessler said Bexley police chiefs tend to have relatively long tenures.
“We tried to count how many chiefs of police we've had,” he said. “We know that we've had … five since 1959.”
Lewis succeeds Larry Rinehart, who retired in January 2022 after 14 years. City Council approved Lewis’ appointment in a 6-0 vote on Aug. 9. Lewis’ employment contract began Sept. 1 and runs through Aug. 31, 2025, at an annual salary of $175,000, which does not include the cost of benefits.
Lewis most recently served as the University of Louisville’s chief of police, a position he started in Auguste 2018. He also served as Cleveland State University’s chief of police and as a lieutenant commander with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Lewis retired after 21 years with OSHP, becoming senior director of media relations for Ohio State University.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in public safety management from Franklin University and a master’s degree in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Michigan State University. He also completed Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Leadership program, with a focus on crisis leadership in higher education.
Lewis and his wife, Krysta, have five children: daughter Ivy and sons Cameron, Gary III, Nathanael and Ross.
Lewis was selected from a pool of 21 applicants.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: New Bexley police chief Gary Lewis promises ‘transparency’
