Ottawa County Sheriff's deputies go out of their way to help people in need
PORT CLINTON - Ottawa County Sheriff Stephen Levorchick said his deputies, who work with a fluctuating population that ebbs and flows with the seasons, often go above and beyond in the line of duty, taking public service to a personal level.
You could call them Cruiser Crusaders.
Sgt. Brandon Amory, for example, always has an eye out for motorists waylaid by flat tires as he travels the city streets and backroads of Ottawa County.
“Sgt. Amory keeps a hydraulic jack and a cordless wrench in his cruiser to help people with flat tires,” Levorchick said. “That’s not a request or a requirement. He just does it to help people, and it’s just one of the many things our deputies do to help.”
Under Ohio law, a child who is less than 4 years of age and weighs less than 40 pounds must be secured in a car seat. A parent who transports a child within those parameters without a car seat is subject to a fine of $25 to $75.
In Ottawa County, they sometimes get a free car seat instead, thanks to a project started by Sgt. Mark Skinner.
Deputies purchase car seats from own money
“Our deputies went together and purchased car seats,” Levorchick said. “If a deputy stops someone with a child who is supposed to be in a car seat but isn’t, they’ll install a car seat and send them on their way. The deputies purchased the car seats with money out of their own pockets.”
The deputies also purchased, with their own money, a stock of gas cards to give to people who have run out gas, and the deputies have been known to pay it forward by purchasing breakfast for the car behind them in the drive-through at local fast-food restaurants.
“That happens quite often, if not daily,” Levorchick said. “I get calls from people who are excited to tell me that one of my deputies bought them breakfast.”
In addition to individual acts of kindness, the department works collectively to make life a little gentler for the county’s youngest residents and visitors.
Stuffed animals on hand for children facing trauma
“We provide stuffed animals that the deputies keep in their cruisers for kids experiencing a traumatic situation. That is funded by us and by donors,” Levorchick said.
One of the most impressive benevolent projects offered by the sheriff’s office is the House Watch Program that provides free home checks when local residents are on vacation. The program is open to any resident living within the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, which does not include the entire county.
“Our goal is to check the house at least once a day, but we really want to check it every shift, which is twice a day,” Levorchick said. “I don’t mean we drive past the house. We pull in and check every window and every door and make sure everything is secure.”
Sheriff's Office follows up on house check program
About a month after the homeowner returns, the sheriff’s office contacts them.
“They get a letter thanking them for utilizing the House Watch Program, and they receive a printout listing every time their house was checked,” Levorchick said. “We have a lot of snowbirds that are gone three or four months, and we check their homes every day.”
The House Watch Program is free.
“There is no charge. It’s just what we’re supposed to do. It’s public service,” Levorchick said.
Levorchick said a concern over the ability to maintain his staff was addressed by the Ottawa County Commissioners recently, who recognized that Ottawa County is protected by some of the most caring deputies in Ohio.
“A partnership between the deputies and the Ottawa County Commissioners affected a substantial pay increase that helps us to recruit and retain our deputies,” Levorchick said.
Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Clinton News Herald: Ottawa County Sheriff Levorchick lauds deputies for helping others
