LORDSTOWN Mayor appoints new chief of police

The chief will serve a six-month probationary period.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- Police Capt. Brent Milhoan has a new title: chief.
"I'll still be in uniform, but the color of my uniform will change," Milhoan said of his new assignment. "That's about the only difference."
Mayor Arno Hill appointed Milhoan to the position at Monday's council meeting. Milhoan's has served as interim chief of the village department since March 2, after the retirement of William Catlin.
Milhoan was one of four candidates interviewed in recent weeks by Hill and councilmen Richard Biggs and D. James London. The candidates were suggested from a pool of seven applicants by members of the Columbus-based Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. The group served as a clearinghouse of sorts, screening r & eacute;sum & eacute;s based on Lordstown's requirements for the job.
Milhoan said he's still not convinced that the process was necessary but said he believes it was fair.
While council was divided on the issue of using the OACP in the screening process, Hill said he was pleased with the group's participation. He noted it was peers of the candidates who made the recommendations to the village.
"There were some very fine, qualified candidates," Hill said.
A popular choice among residents, Milhoan has served on the department for 15 years. During his tenure, he's worked as a patrolman, dispatcher, sergeant and captain.
Milhoan is required to serve a six-month probationary period before becoming the village's permanent chief. Council will need to approve a motion making the appointment permanent at that time.
Milhoan said he plans to continue running the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in the village's schools, as well as working traffic details. "I plan to be out there, writing tickets, patrolling the village," he said.
He will supervise a department of eight full-time officers, including himself, as well as 10 part-time officers and four full-time and six part-time dispatchers.
His salary as chief has yet to be finalized, but as interim chief he earned about $4,173 a month, or roughly $50,000 a year.
slshaulis@vindy.com