Chief eyes expansion of shared police services

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By Dan King and Krystle S. Morey
It’s been a year since the Granville and Whitehall police departments have shared a chief, and officials agree that the arrangement has worked out in both municipalities’ favor – so much so, in fact, that expanded shared services are being considered.
“I think it’s worked very well the first year,” Chief Ernie Bassett said. “It was much smoother than what I thought.”
Granville Mayor Brian LaRose agreed: “It’s been good for both municipalities and it’s been good for Ernie … made him a better chief.”
That sentiment was echoed by Whitehall Mayor Ken Bartholomew, who said, “We have been very pleased with how this arrangement has been working here in Whitehall.”
Sharing a chief has enabled the villages to save money on various aspects of police operations, including retirement and insurance costs. It has also opened doors to pursue grant funding.
Bartholomew said, “Another benefit is that both police departments have each learned from the other, especially in equipment performance and reliability. This gives both villages information to use in future purchases, resulting in more effective use of funds.
Bassett said he sees potential to “merge the two departments a little further” in the near future, which would include splitting the sergeants’ time between the two municipalities.
“Maybe there would be more cost-savings,” he said. “That’s something that I plan on working on.”
Sharing more services, Bassett said, has always been a part of the conversation between him and the village boards.
Bartholomew agreed that was vital, saying, “Chief Bassett has done a splendid job of updating our Standard Operating Procedures and making them compare as close of possible to Granville’s.”
Bassett is usually in Whitehall two days a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and he works in Granville Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Splitting his time between the two departments also saves money. In the case of a shortage, instead of paying another officer for an overtime shift, Bassett can adjust his schedule to fill in.
When he is not at one department, the other still has leadership from its in-house sergeants.
Though sharing services has been beneficial in a lot of ways, there have been challenges.
“It took me a little while to get the feel for a new place after I have worked here for years, but now I am getting to know a lot of the people and it’s working pretty well,” Bassett said.
Bassett started his career in Granville in 1989 and became the chief 15 years ago.
Before he joined the Whitehall force, the department operated one year without an acting chief. Former Chief Matt Dickinson went on medical leave and eventually retired, leaving the department without a leader. During that time, Sgt. Dick LaChapelle was overseeing the department.
Bartholomew described Bassett as a “proven chief who is very professional, in fact I would describe him as the model for a police chief.”
The Whitehall and Granville village boards voted to share a chief last September.
LaRose said the Granville board will review the contract, which agrees to share the chief for one year, in January.
“We will have to look at the financial side of things,” he said.