Millersburg chief defends officers; addresses safety concerns raised at previous meeting

MILLERSBURG — Police Chief Matt Shaner went to bat for his department after listening to allegations of shoddy police work at last month's Village Council meeting.

Shaner told council on Monday that many of the criticism were unfounded.

The chief said he spoke with Tracy Byland, manager of Dollar Tree and the manager of Dollar General.

Byland and Andrea Kellogg, a resident, each spoke at the June 27 meeting about crime and public safety concerns. Kellogg referenced an incident at the Dollar General.

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"I felt I had a good conversation with (the store managers)," the chief said.

The Dollar General manager, who did not attend the council meetings, was unaware the department had a police chief, according to Shaner.

"She thought Capt. (Kim) Herman was the senior officer, and one of her issues was dealing with him," Shaner said. "I feel we have things squared away."

Police chief: There was no report of a threat with a knife in a Millersburg store

Shaner said Byland's comments referencing a man with a knife and a mask threatening employees at Doller Tree concerned him.

"When I asked her about the incident, she said she was told that. That was not firsthand information," Shaner said. "She wasn't sure of the date of the incident, which took place in January.

"The employee who was working that actually called in came in while I was there," he continued. "A check of the call showed there was no mention of a knife or a threat. The customer came in, grabbed a mask and made the cashier nervous, and that's when they called us."

There was no report of a threat with a knife at Dollar Tree, Shaner said.

In addressing the concern from the June meeting that a customer tried to break into the store through windows during the power outage, Shaner said, the incident did occur, however, the actual call to police said someone was pulling on the doors.

Shaner explained on most trespassing calls, unless the property owner is adamant about pressing a criminal charge, officers will ask the person to leave, and if they refuse, then the police will pursue a criminal charge.

"That wasn't the case," Shaner said. "Capt. Herman responded, shooed the guy away, he went to Pizza Hut, he shooed him away from there. The next place he went was Walmart and they told him to leave.

"Another thing she said was we took him to Wooster. We did not take him to Wooster," he continued. "A local church took him and got him a hotel room in Coshocton."

Again, incorrect information was circulating in the community, he said, and offered to play the recorded calls for council so they could hear what actually transpired.

Shaner said it's best if people don't wait to bring up safety concerns or complaints about police response.

"If there is a beef, get ahold of me and let me deal with it," he said.

Council member Kelly Hoffee said she appreciated the chief's thoroughness in following up.

Shaner also addressed the June meeting discussion about a major reduction in speeding tickets issued in the village over the past two years.

He said three of four police officers he talked to said long shifts working alone, and two COVID-19 were some issues that led to fewer tickets. One of the officers noted traffic warnings, whether verbal or written, are an effective deterrent to speeders.

"For the most part, I think all of the officers felt they could be doing better, and hopefully that will work and it will go that way," Shaner said.

Reach Kevin at klynch@the-daily-record.com

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Millersburg Police chief refutes safety concerns, defends officers