Chip Welch outlines staffing, audits and new live-view cameras in Hebron police update

Chip Welch, who the council introduced to deliver department reports, gave an update on police staffing, training, recent audits and new camera technology.

Welch said he assumed his role in mid-November and praised department personnel and village administration for support. “All the staff, from Lieutenant Carson, Sergeant Oliver, all the officers have been fantastic in helping me get adjusted to the new role,” he said.

Welch reported the department is fully staffed: “We have 9 full time sworn officers … and then we have 2 part time officers as well … for a total of 11 sworn personnel,” plus a part‑time administrative professional. He said that staffing provides 24/7 patrol coverage in the village.

He summarized training and call-volume data: officers completed state‑mandated minimum training and, he said, the department handled about 4,100 calls for service in 2025, a figure that includes dispatch calls and self‑initiated activities such as traffic stops and area checks. Welch described a documentation initiative introduced at the department’s Dec. 16 staff meeting asking officers to log self‑initiated contacts; he said the logged self‑initiated calls rose from 53 in the 30 days before his start to about 120 in the first 30 days after he began, and to roughly 497 in the 30 days following the Dec. 16 initiative.

Welch also reviewed recent audits and said the department passed them. “We were in compliance with all the major security issues” on the LEADS audit, he said, and said the department was likewise in compliance on BCI/CJIS checks and the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway audit.

On technology, Welch said the village already uses automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs) and will add live‑view, motion‑recording cameras on the same poles. “This live view camera will give us a little bit better of a view,” he said, explaining that ALPRs capture still images of rear plates while live cameras can record motion and additional identifying detail useful in missing‑person or violent‑crime investigations.

He highlighted community outreach and events, including participation in the local pie festival and a “Christmas shopping with the Hebron Police” program in partnership with the Lakewood School District that provided toys and clothing to 20 children. Welch said he is also working with the Licking County Prosecutor’s Office on a child‑abuse and exploitation task force led by prosecutor Jenny Wells.

During questions, a council member asked whether the block cameras had produced useful leads. Welch said he did not have detailed statistics at the meeting but offered to provide them later and said the cameras had helped locate suspects and missing people and produced investigative leads in theft and domestic‑violence cases. On protection orders, Welch said copies of civil protection orders are kept on file and entered into law‑enforcement databases so officers receive alerts during checks.

The presenter closed by asking whether anyone had additional questions; no formal actions followed the report.

The council moved on to committee scheduling and other member items.