Elyria police to hire 12 new officers with $2.7 million state grant

ELYRIA — The Elyria Police Department will receive more than $2.7 million to hire 12 new police officers for violent crime prevention, the city and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's office announced Friday. The $2,765,513 also will help pay for retention bonuses, hiring a recruiting specialist and purchasing new equipment for the department's digital forensics and crime scene units. The grant money was part of $8.2 million that went to 13 Ohio police departments for violent crime prevention on Friday, DeWine's office said in a news release — American Rescue Plan Act dollars "to counter various pressing issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including violent crime," the governor's office said. "We are actively recruiting police candidates now, and this grant will be a huge help," Elyria Police Chief William Pelko said in a news release. "These officers will strengthen our manpower on the road to combat violent crime in our city." "This is a huge win for the city of Elyria in our pursuit to combat and prevent violent crime," Mayor Frank Whitfield said in the news release. "These resources help us retain and increase our capacity both in terms of manpower but also technology. This grant will go a long way in doing just that, and it couldn't have come at a better time." Whitfield and Pelko said Lt. Eric Palmer and Shannon Strachan from McCaulley and Company worked to get the grant from the state. Lateral and entry-level testing will begin in early January as the Elyria Police Department continues its hiring efforts. Interested candidates should visit www.cityofelyria.org/department/police for the latest on available positions, the city said in the news release. The department now has 83 sworn officers, but has been authorized to have 100 to 102 sworn officers on staff for years. Elyria police have been trying for 30 years to reach a staffing level of 100 officers. Pelko said it happened only twice in that time frame: Once, for two months, in 1995 and once, for three months, in 1998, according to the chief and Chronicle-Telegram archives. Pelko, who has been with the department since 1994, was one of about a dozen officers hired after voters passed a levy for the department in 1992. "It's a big win for us," he said. In November 2010, Elyria voters rejected Issue 21, which would have raised the income tax rate by 0.25 percent to 2 percent. The $2.8 million it would have raised to would have been enough to bring the department from 82 up to 100 officers within three to five years, buy new cruisers and provided more money for training, according to Chronicle-Telegram archives. A month prior to the vote, the city received an $812,000 federal COPS grant to hire and train four new police officers, paying their salary and benefits for three years. Friday's grants are the result of the eighth round of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program, according to DeWine's office. So far, $45.9 million has been awarded to 132 Ohio law enforcement agencies, with a total of about $100 million to be disbursed. "By investing in our law enforcement agencies and our peace officers, we're also investing in the safety of our citizens," DeWine said in a news release. "The goal of this grant program is to support the around-the-clock work of local law enforcement authorities so that they can enhance their efforts to keep citizens safe." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @DaveOBrienCT.