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HOWLAND -- The police department welcomed Adam Rios as a full-time patrolman Wednesday.
Rios, who previously worked three part-time jobs at the Warren Township, Fowler and Cortland police departments, as well as full-time at the post office, was selected from a pool of of applicants, said police Chief Nick Roberts. He said five candidates were rigorously interviewed for the job, and Rios emerged at the top.
"We talked to the other departments you worked at," Roberts said to Rios at Wednesday's trustees meeting. "All of the chiefs didn't have a bad thing to say about you."
Rios will receive 85 percent of the hourly rate laid out in the police contract. After he completes field training, he will receive 90 percent of the hourly rate, and after a year he will receive 100 percent. He will receive all the benefits as per township policy and the police contract, according to a resolution passed at the meeting.
"We're excited to welcome Adam to our police family and our Howland Township family," Roberts said.
Rios was sworn in by Trustee James Lapolla during the meeting. Rios' mother officially pinned the badge on her son.
In addition to a new officer, the police department also will be getting 17 new Tasers, 20 bulletproof vests and five police cruisers.
Roberts said the Tasers now used by the department are 12 years old and the manufacturer no longer makes replacement parts. The Tasers will cost $18,998.44.
The bulletproof vests are 75 percent funded through the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Ohio Law Enforcement Body Armor Reimbursement Grant, so $19,691.55 of the $26,255 cost will be reimbursed to the department. The other 25 percent -- $6,563.85 -- will come out of the police department's budget, Roberts said.
The department also will purchase five 2020 Ford Explorer police vehicles at a cost of $33,206 each for a total of $166,030. Roberts said the new vehicles will replace four Chevy Impalas and one Ford SUV. He said the cost of repairs and maintenance to the five vehicles had been draining the budget.
One of the four 2010 Chevy Impalas will be placed on the site gov-deals.com to be auctioned in the near future.
Roberts said so far this year, there have been nine drug overdoses in the township. In 2018, there were 43.
avugrincic@tribtoday.com
By the numbers
Howland police activity so far this year:
Calls taken -- 2,192
Traffic stops -- 245
Criminal traffic citations -- 89
Incident reports -- 364
Non-injury crashes -- 110
Injury crashes -- 40
Arrests -- 68
Overdoses -- 9
Source: Howland police Chief Nick Roberts