Police chief to embark on a new career

The chief says he has no political aspirations.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- During Jeffrey Patterson's tenure as police chief, the department earned national accreditation, established a north end substation and developed a heightened presence in the schools.
"My time as Boardman chief has been the most rewarding part of my career," said Patterson, whose last day is Friday.
The township hired him in December 2000 to replace longtime chief Glenn Bowers who retired. A Niles native, Patterson had worked 17 years in the Clearwater, Fla., police department, having risen to the rank of captain.
Upon accepting the township job, Patterson expected to stay for 10 years.
Next job
He has instead accepted a job as a criminal prosecutor in the Summit County Prosecutor's office. He recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of Akron School of Law and earned a 96 percent on the Ohio Bar Exam.
Despite rumors and speculation that have circulated in the township, he says he has no political aspirations.
Patterson initially thought about law school while working as a Columbiana police officer when a sergeant there quit to go to law school. Patterson was accepted in the early 1990s to a law school in Florida, but that school didn't offer an evening program and he would have had to quit his job.
"I was always interested in some aspect of law enforcement or the legal profession," he said.
The chief initially was undecided between a career in law enforcement or journalism. He applied for jobs as a Columbiana police officer and as a reporter for the former Niles Daily Times. The paper wasn't hiring, but the police department was.
Patterson points to the department's certification through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies as one of his high points as chief.
"It was a long process and a lot of hard work," Patterson said.
Praise for department
The December 2005 public hearing as part of the process where representatives from other law enforcement agencies, the public and public officials praised the department.
"It probably is not ever going to get better than that," the chief said.
He also cited establishment of the North end substation and referred to a better relationship with the school district as some significant accomplishments.
"When I got here, there was no officer in the schools and the dogs weren't allowed in," Patterson said.
A school resource officer is now assigned to the schools, the D.A.R.E. program is active and the K-9s regularly go into school buildings.
The low during his time came earlier this year when he says that, having found a screen saver of his family and a couple of pages of law school notes on the computer in his office that he had e-mailed and printed, Trustee Kathy Miller tried to get him to resign. He says Miller told him that if he resigned, the information wouldn't be placed in his personnel file and affect his searches for other jobs.
Miller has declined to comment.
Ultimately, trustees issued Patterson a reprimand for personal use of township equipment.
Despite some friction since the beginning of this year when Miller started her second term and Robyn Gallitto began her first after defeating Tom Costello, Patterson isn't certain he would have sought another contract with the township.
A new chapter
His contract was to expire at year's end. It would have been the end of his second contract and a time for him to determine the direction he wanted his career to take.
"The change in the situation here expedited it, but I can't say it was the definitive thing," Patterson said.
He has nothing but good things to say about the department and the men and women in blue.
"It's a good department with top-notch [people] with integrity and dedication," Patterson said.
But he also speaks highly of law enforcement throughout the Valley and the departments' abilities to work together. From the various chiefs to detectives and officers on the street, there's a spirit of cooperation, he said.
As he prepares to begin a new chapter in his professional life, Patterson refers to words of other top cops who move on: He hopes he left the department better than he found it.
"This is a good police department with good people that do a good job and have a good relationship with the community," he said. "It will be up to the next chief to keep that going and to take it to the next level."