MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Middletown City Council at their meeting Wednesday approved significant pay and benefit increases for patrol officers and command staff with unanimous approval of new contracts with Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #36.
In the wake of the vote, the town's recently hired police chief, Earl Nelson, told WCPO 9 News it would allow him to be more competitive with area departments when recruiting or retaining officers on his staff.
"We're super excited," Nelsons said. "They're super excited. Again, the officers are well worth it."
Nelson told WCPO just after he was hired in August that achieving a full staff and keeping them in Middletown was a key goal of his.
The new contracts bring patrol officer base pay to $70,600.00 with sergeants beginning at $100,440.43 and lieutenants getting a hike to $111,885.11.
WATCH: How new pay and benefits could impact Middletown's police force
Nelson said the wages could help him hire eight new officers to reach a full staff of 88.
With that, he said there are plans to add two new patrol sectors to the department for a more visible police presence in town.
Vice-Mayor Steve West said the additional resources for the police department would be absorbed by the city's general fund and would be necessary to avoid a violent summer like the city experienced in 2024.
"The biggest deterrent to crime is having a police presence, and that's what we wanted to empower them with," West said.
Scott Blanton runs Dempster Tire Sales a block from the police department and said he welcomed any move to retain officers trained by Middletown police.
"Same as any business, you hire someone, you bring them in, you don't want them to take off," he said.
Safety was key to consistent sales, he said.
"We have customers from West Chester, Mason, they leave town and go to higher-end areas and they still come back, so their safety is paramount to us," Blanton said.
Nelson said they would be aggressive in hiring up to full staff and would only say the new patrols would begin in the "near future."
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