Pleasantville forms new police department with Nick Garver as chief
PLEASANTVILLE − The village of Pleasantville now has a new police department with Nick Garver as its chief.
The Baltimore Police Department has been running patrols through the village on a contract basis and responding if called, Garver said.
"So the police presence was limited," he said. "I guess they shut the police department down in maybe the '80s just mainly due to money at that time. A town not having a police department, even a small town like Pleasantville that has about 1,000 people, the criminals take note and they take root."
Garver said the village council quickly jumped on the idea after Mayor Jason Henderson presented it to them and passed an ordinance to form the police department. Garver and his assistant, Mike Shankle, got to work on the force then. They are currently donating their salaries back into the department.
For now, Garver is running the department from his Garver Asset Protection office. But the department will eventually move to the former Grange building at 207 W. Columbus St. It has Monday through Friday day shift coverage and random coverage at other hours.
Garver has also hired two officers who will be starting soon. The village also hired a code enforcement officer who Garver will supervise.
Garver bought a police vehicle himself and is leasing it to the village for four years. The vehicle is adorned with the town crest is also sports the Fairfield Union school district colors. The Ohio Highway Patrol donated a 2019 Dodge Charger and Garver also wants to start a K9 unit.
Garver said the village has a noticeable drug problem when citing the need for a police department.
"And the traffic violations are pretty much out of control," he said. "Everybody's complaining about it. No one stops at any of the stop signs. They blow through the school zone. All that stuff. And the residents were not happy with it."
Garver is the Madison Township fire chief in Licking County and is a former Thornville police chief. He was instrumental in the state erecting a sign near the Fairfield County portion of Interstate 70 honoring his friend, Marine Cpl. Dustin Derga, was killed in action in Iraq in 2005.
Starting a police department takes money. But Garver said a lot of people will donate to help, along with getting state grants. However, Garver said he was willing to form the department for free since his office is in the village anyway. He told Henderson he's willing to work for free for at least a year while the village buys equipment and the like.
"I can come in here and do my work and do patrols when I have time," he said. "Even if I'm not planning on doing police work, I can monitor the radio and have the car there. And I have capable people that I've worked with for the last 20 years or whatever that were willing to come with me who live close by and who have been police officers since the '90s or whatever."
jbarron@gannett.com
740-681-4340
Twitter: @JeffDBarron
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Chief Nick Garver leads the new Pleasantville Police Department
