Kevin Moore named interim Hartville police chief

The Repository
·2 min read

Hartville Village Council

Monday meeting

KEY ACTION: Mayor Cynthia Billings named Hartville Police Lt. Kevin Moore interim police chief effective Oct. 8, upon the retirement of Chief Larry Dordea on Oct. 7.

DISCUSSION: Billings said she was not ready to name a permanent replacement due to ongoing issues related to the position, including the possibility of changing the police chief position from salary to hourly.

“I’m not ready to permanently have anybody in here at this time,” she said. “I have brought these issues up [to Council] and have basically been ignored. [Moore] will do a very good job and he would be a very good [permanent] chief, but there is a lot we have to work out.”

Council later approved three motions introduced by Councilman and Safety Committee Chairman Jim Sullivan related to compiling cost estimates for expanding the current police department at Township Hall; leasing a commercial building located in the 600 block of South Prospect Avenue; and renovating a 6,500 square foot commercial building at 526 S. Prospect Ave. that was purchased and approved by Council for a new police facility in 2020.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Tim Hayden asked Councilman Steve Reisch if he had sought cost estimates for policing service from outside agencies without the knowledge of the rest of council. Reisch said “all options” related to policing in the village are being considered and village officials are “gathering information.”

Hayden then produced an email, obtained through a public records request, from Lake Township officials and addressed to recipients, including Reisch and Hartville Councilwoman Bev Green, proposing a $600,000 annual contract to provide police service for Hartville from the Uniontown Police Department. Hayden called the actions a “nail in the heart” for morale at the Hartville Police Department.

OTHER ACTION:

  • Billings presented a proclamation honoring Dordea for his 44 years in law enforcement, including the past 14 years as police chief. October 7 will be Chief Larry Dordea Day in Hartville.

  • Had a first reading of an ordinance opting out of a state law permitting fireworks sale and discharge on specific days of the year. If passed, the proposed ordinance would prohibit use of any and all fireworks in the village.

UP NEXT: Meets for its next regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at Village Hall, 202 W. Maple St. and online at www.facebook.com/VillageofHartville.

— Brian Lisik

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kevin Moore named interim Hartville police chief