Police Chief Welsh cites jump in proactive patrols, outlines camera upgrades in Hebron

Police Chief Welsh told the Hebron Village Council committee on Jan. 20 that the police department is fully staffed and is documenting a notable rise in proactive, self-initiated patrol activity.

"We are fully staffed right now. We have nine full-time sworn officers — that includes myself — and two part-time sworn officers," Welsh said, adding that the department also employs a part-time administrative professional, Kathy Curtis. He said officers completed the state-required minimum training and took additional courses; an annual training report will be published.

The chief gave figures to illustrate a change in patrol behavior. He said the village recorded roughly 4,100 calls for service in 2025 and described a new emphasis on documenting self-initiated contacts such as business checks and area checks. "In the 30 days prior to my start there were 53 self-initiated calls for service; in the first month here it was 120, and in the 30 days after our December staff meeting it rose to 497," Welsh said.

Why it matters: the documentation initiative is meant to show officers’ proactive presence in neighborhoods and businesses rather than relying solely on dispatched calls, a change Welsh said helps demonstrate community engagement and can inform resourcing decisions.

Welsh also reported the department passed three recent audits. "The auditors said our operation was great; we were in compliance with LEADS, BCI/CJIS and the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway requirements," he said, crediting Sergeant Oliver and Officer Collins for records management.

On technology, Welsh described plans to add live-view, recorded cameras alongside existing automated license-plate readers (ALPRs). He said ALPRs capture still images while live-view cameras will provide motion video "so if there's a violent event or a missing person we can pick up additional identifying features," helping investigators identify vehicles or persons of interest.

The chief said the existing ALPRs have already assisted with locating missing people and suspects in shoplifting and domestic-violence cases; he offered to supply statistical details on request.

Welsh also said he had joined a child-abuse and sexual-exploitation task force being organized by the Lincoln County Prosecutor's Office, led by Prosecutor Jenny Wells, to gain access to additional investigative resources for those case types.

Next steps: Welsh said the department will continue to rotate speed-radar devices to gather data in different locations, finalize deployment details for live-view cameras in the coming weeks and provide requested statistics on camera outcomes to council members. The meeting moved on to committee scheduling before adjourning at 6:30 p.m.