A Logan County municipality is moving forward with plans to establish its own local police department and is contracting with a chief of police from another local jurisdiction to get up and running.
“The Village of West Mansfield is pleased to announce that the Village Council has voted to
reestablish the Village of West Mansfield Police Department,” reads a press release issued by the village of West Mansfield in conjunction with Michael Thompson, chief of police in Washington Township.
The former village of West Mansfield police department disbanded in the late 1980s, but in recent months John Newland, mayor of West Mansfield, along with the village of council have voted to bring back a police force.
The village of West Mansfield has brought in Chief Thompson as a liaison and interim police chief in order to get the effort off the ground.
“I am not leaving Washington Township. I plan to never work a day on the road for the village,” Chief Thompson clarified in an email. “I am a liaison to establish (the department) and listed as Chief of Police because the state requires they have one to establish. We will be working to hire a Chief of Police in the coming months.”
Thompson was hired by council to determine the feasibility for the Village and once passed by council, to serve as a liaison/interim chief to establish the police department.
“He comes to the village with many years of experience and is actively pursuing and securing avenues to make the establishment of the police department as streamlined as possible,” according to a press release announcing the move.
In recent years, the village has contracted with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office to provide
police coverage.
“The village can’t thank Sheriff Dodds and the Logan County Sheriff’s Office enough for their willingness to provide police coverage to the Village and for their continued support of our Village and police department,” village officials said.
The mission of the police department is to engage with our citizens, ensure safety and security of our residents and businesses and to be proactive regarding issues and concerns in the village.
The village expects the police department to be fully operational in early 2025. Over the next several months, council, Mayor Newland and Chief Thompson will be available to answer any questions residents may have.
