Lorain civil service panel notes Ohio law codifying 'exceptional' police appointments; city to launch cadet program

On May 12, 2026, Assistant Law Director Don Zaleski told the Lorain Civil Service Commission that the Ohio Revised Code now explicitly allows so‑called "exceptional appointments" to patrol officer positions when competition is impracticable and an eligibility list is not available. "They have now codified that in the Ohio Revised Code 124.30 A(3)," Zaleski said, adding that the statute permits appointing a person who holds specialized certification or has recently completed a cadet or training program.

Zaleski said the change responds to a sustained decline in applicants and more frequent background‑check failures. Vice‑President Victor Takacs asked whether the provision was prompted by fewer people taking tests or failing background checks; Zaleski replied that whereas decades ago 40–50 people would sign up for an exam, the city now sometimes receives eight applicants and several may fail background checks. "Back in the day, we would have 40, 50 people sign up to take the test. Now we may get 8 people apply and three or four are failing the background check," he said.

Administrative Assistant Rose Maffei told the commission the city will continue to use its current eligibility list first and use exceptional appointments only when necessary: "They do utilize the eligibility first to hire from that and then we would go to appointing additional officers via the exceptional appointment process." The commission did not take formal action on policy or make appointments at the meeting.

Zaleski said the City of Lorain is in the process of implementing a Police Cadet program and that Mr. LaVeck from the Law Department will come to a future Civil Service meeting to explain what the cadet program will entail. The commission was provided the statutory citation and was notified that the law codification will guide future appointments when competition is impracticable.