Palmer named Girard chief

By John w. Goodwin jr.

The new chief has been with the department for 20 years.

GIRARD — The police department will have new leadership today.

Capt. Jeff Palmer is set to be sworn in as the department’s new chief of police at a brief ceremony at 2 p.m. in municipal court. Palmer and Capt. John Villecco both took comprehensive tests in February in hopes of becoming the department’s new chief.

The Girard Civil Service Commission confirmed the selection late Wednesday afternoon.

The department has been without a permanent chief since June when Frank Bigowsky, now a captain in the department, stepped down after an agreement with the city administration. Villecco has been running the department on a temporary basis.

Palmer has been with the department for the duration of his 20 years in law enforcement. He has spent nine of those 20 years as a captain.

Palmer is a 1984 graduate of Girard High School and attended Youngstown State University for more than three years before attending the police academy at Hiram College. He has since had training in various aspects of police and supervisory work.

Palmer said the department needs to see some substantial changes in areas such as policy, procedure, rules and regulations — something, he said, Bigowsky started, but did not have the time to complete before stepping down as chief.

“The need for change has been in our department. I just want to see the move forward and explore a lot of ideas that it had not done in the past,” Palmer added.

The community, Palmer said, also will see some more noticeable changes — particularly in the way officers relate to the public.

“One of the biggest things I am looking forward to is a better relationship with the community. The police department should be a part of the community and not apart from it,” he said.

The new chief was selected under a new assessment process the city had not used in the past. Under the assessment process, a three-person panel made up of Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police members took both candidates for the position through an in-depth interview. The police chief’s salary is set at $47,350 under current city ordinance.

The panel was responsible for picking the next chief. Safety Service Director Jerry Lambert said the city’s administration was determined to move forward with whomever the assessment process selected.

Mayor James Melfi said he is pleased with the installation of Palmer as the city’s next police chief.

“We certainly look forward to working with Chief Palmer and have met with him several times to see what his plans and ideas are,” the mayor said. “He understands the times we are in and the importance of budgetary responsibility.”

jgoodwin@vindy.com