Tim Barfield retiring as Wellington police chief; Jim McPike chosen as successor

WELLINGTON — Police Chief Tim Barfield is resigning effective Feb. 3. Village Council voted Monday to hire his successor. In a letter to Mayor Hans Schneider late Monday afternoon, Barfield said he will retire from his long career in law enforcement. Following 31 years at the Maple Heights Police Department, he was hired as Wellington's chief in 2014. "It has been an incredible honor and privilege to have served as the chief of the Wellington police," Barfield wrote. "Over the last eight years, I have fallen in love with this town and its people. I have worked hard to create a new culture and build a modern police department. With the current team in place and the changes implemented, I feel comfortable passing the torch to the next chief." Council President Gene Hartman said the decision came as a surprise. When a special meeting was set, he didn't expect to be accepting a resignation and making a new hire in the same evening. During his tenure in Wellington, Barfield has won over residents, helped forge a deal to put security officers in schools and established the Local Initiative to Network Compassion program to help opioid users safely find help, Hartman said. "We owe him a debt of gratitude for increasing the professionalism of the department," he said. The resignation comes about a month after a tense meeting in which an angry Barfield sparred with Hartman and other Council members over staffing. The chief said he's struggled to recruit and retain officers, with other departments offering more pay. The Wellington Police Department had at that point racked up $80,000 in overtime for the year, and Village Council demanded that spending be reined in. Barfield also was unhappy with the results of a study by an independent consultant hired to look into low morale and turnover. LeBrun Management Solutions found employees were unhappy with scheduling. Asked how he planned to address the problem, Barfield heatedly told Hartman to try making the schedule. Hartman said he hopes the argument wasn't a major factor in Barfield's decision to hang up his hat. He said he would have asked the same hard questions of any department head to ensure taxpayer money is being spent responsibly. Councilman Guy Wells, who chairs the Police Committee, said Barfield was "expressing his frustrations with the demands of the situation" in that meeting. Afterward, it was clear that Barfield's resignation "was a good eventuality" and so Schneider began preparing, Wells said. "It wasn't pretty. There were probably some hard feelings about it," Schneider said. Last Wednesday, the mayor said in a phone interview that Barfield had not brought up retirement or other forms of resignation as a possibility. "I wouldn't say he's talked about resigning," he said. But public documents show that's not true. The village began accepting resumes for the chief's position earlier in the month — an application from Sgt. Jim McPike was received Nov. 15 — and Schneider admitted Tuesday that he had not been honest about Barfield's plans to depart. In a closed-door meeting Monday, Council members interviewed McPike and Lt. Josh Poling. Wells said McPike stood out because he served 27 years "in a more diverse and complex policing situation" at the Cleveland Police Department, where he retired as a captain before being hired in Wellington in March. His resume shows he is a graduate of Cleveland State University, the Police Executive Leadership College and the FBI National Academy. McPike also has a background in investigating domestic violence, sex crimes and child abuse, and has been involved with special investigations and as a crisis coordinator. "I think he will be able to educate the people working here in a way that's in line with what Barfield was able to do, too," he said. McPike was hired the same evening. Schneider said he wants McPike to continue what Barfield started — modernizing the Police Department and developing highly trained officers who desire to stay in Wellington. He also said McPike will continue working to foster trust between police, residents and businesses, with the goal of increasing foot patrols. In his application letter, McPike said he's grown to love Wellington since being hired earlier this year. "The special events, the stores and restaurants, the proud supportive community all add up to a quaint village that anyone would be excited to be a part of," he wrote. "… Wellington is growing and poised for continued greatness," he wrote. "There is a real possibility that it will become a city in the near future. It would be my honor to continue the transformation of the Police Department and guide it to becoming one of the best and well-respected in the area." Schneider praised McPike as thoughtful, measured and open-minded. "He's a big believer in what Chief Barfield has built there. We were looking to continue that progression, but also find someone who was going to put their own stamp on it," he said. Only internal candidates were considered for the chief position, Schneider said. Administrators looked to promote from within to "calm the seas a little bit," he said. Barfield did not return a call for comment about his retirement and McPike's impending promotion. Jason Hawk can be reached at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.