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Council holds first reading on ordinance to allow sergeant position in police ranks
Summary
Pepper Pike council held a first reading of an ordinance to amend Section 23801 of the city code to permit a sergeant supervisory position where an administrative lieutenant previously could be required. City police leadership said the change would improve shift supervision given current staffing patterns.
Pepper Pike City Council heard a first reading of an ordinance that would amend Section 23801 of the city code to adjust the department’s authorized supervisory ranks.
The police chief told council the change “makes you choose between having a police lieutenant or a sergeant,” and said the department’s current shift and supervisory mix — 18 officers on 12-hour shifts and only three of four shifts with sergeant supervision — has required assigning a senior officer to supervise a shift some years.
Council was presented with a redlined draft that removes a parenthetical provision and strikes a subsection limiting the number of sergeants when an administrative lieutenant position is filled. Councilmembers asked staff to clarify the deleted language before the ordinance returns for second reading.
The measure was taken up for first reading only; no final vote was taken. Councilmembers said they will review the edited text and expect the item back on the agenda next week for a second reading and further action.
If adopted, the ordinance would allow the city to use a sergeant post as a supervisory position in lieu of maintaining an administrative lieutenant slot, an operational shift staff said would increase consistent supervisory coverage across shifts.
