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Police Chief Welsh outlines staffing, training, audits and camera expansion as self‑initiated patrols rise
Summary
At the Jan. 20 Hebron combined committee meeting, Police Chief Welsh reported the department is fully staffed (11 sworn officers), met state training requirements, passed three recent audits and plans to add live‑view cameras to supplement license‑plate readers; he also said a documentation push raised self‑initiated activity logging from 53 to 497 in successive 30‑day periods.
Police Chief Welsh told the Hebron combined council committee on Jan. 20 that the village police department is fully staffed and expanding community‑focused activity tracking as part of a push to increase visibility and improve investigative capacity.
"We are fully staffed right now. We have nine full‑time sworn officers... and two part‑time officers," Welsh said, adding the department also employs a part‑time administrative professional. He said officers met the state’s minimum training hours and that the department completed a range of additional courses.
The chief said the department handled about 4,100 calls for service in 2025, a figure that includes both dispatched incidents and self‑initiated activity such as traffic stops and area checks. Welsh described a documentation initiative introduced at a Dec. 16 staff meeting intended to capture routine community contacts; he said recorded self‑initiated activity rose from 53 in the 30 days before his arrival to 120 in his first 30 days and to 497 in the 30 days after the initiative.
Welsh emphasized traffic safety as a continuing concern and outlined recent deployment of portable speed radar signs on Main Street, North High Street and Canal Street (near Dollar General and Fifth Street) to highlight changes between 25‑mph and 35‑mph zones. He said the signs are being used to draw attention to speed changes rather than as permanent installations and that the village plans rotating placements tied to construction areas.
The chief reported the department passed three recent compliance audits — the LEADS (Law Enforcement Automated Data System) audit, BCI CJIS fingerprinting/data compliance, and the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway review — and credited specific records staff for maintaining training and testing records.
Welsh also announced the village will add live‑view video cameras to poles that currently host automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs). "Unlike the ALPR stills, the live view camera will give us a little bit better of a view because we'll be able to see it coming," he said, explaining the video could provide additional identifying features useful in missing‑person and violent‑event investigations.
On community outreach, Welsh highlighted department participation in late‑2025 events — the village pie festival, a 5K and parade, the Special Olympics torch relay through Licking County, and a "Shop with the Hebron Police" program that helped about 20 children — as part of efforts to strengthen ties with residents and businesses.
During questions, a council member asked whether the existing ALPR/'flock' cameras have produced useful results; Welsh said they have aided in locating suspects and missing people (including shoplifting and domestic‑violence related incidents) and offered to provide specific statistics on request. On protection orders (CPOs), Welsh said served CPO paperwork is entered into the LEADS/system so alerts tied to license plates and driver records can flag parties during stops.
Next steps noted at the meeting included providing monthly camera and traffic reports and proceeding with the planned live‑view camera installations in the coming weeks.
