Sheriff looks back, looks ahead

Four sheriffs, unopposed Top cops stand alone on the ballot • Today: Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Levorchick• Week of Oct. 19: Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin• Week of Oct. 26: Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth• Week of Nov. 2: Sandusky County Sheriff Chris Hilton PORT CLINTON — Steve Levorchick fulfilled his lifelong dream on Sept. 23, 2011. "That's when I became the sheriff," said Levorchick, originally appointed to the position after a vacancy occurred. "Coming up through the ranks, I had always seen the impacts that sheriffs can make in their communities, and I felt that I could help this community be a safe place." Levorchick Fast-forward more than nine years later, and Levorchick believes he's done just that. Many apparently agree with him at the helm: Since 2012, when counting primary and general elections, Levorchick, a Democrat-turned-independent, has never faced a single opponent in any race. "I'm fortunate for the opportunity," said Levorchick, who's married to his wife, Lori, and has two children: Collin and Noah. Levorchick, who's worked in law enforcement for 37 years, credits his dad for instilling in him many beliefs and philosophies he not only preaches but also acts upon today. Steve Sr. worked as a chief for the Troy Township Police Department and as a deputy for the Wood County Sheriff's Office. During a recent interview, Levorchick — who oversees the entire sheriff's department, which includes road patrols, dispatch and jail services — talked about some notable accomplishments during his tenure and objectives he'd still like to achieve. Major achievements Among the initiatives Levorchick is most proud of during his time in office: • Cutting wasteful spending In his first year, Levorchick found a way to trim $150,000 from a budget now totaling about $6.3 million without laying off employees or sacrificing necessary services. • Increasing the quality of food served at the Ottawa County Jail Before his term, not only did Levorchick choose a less expensive option and local vendor, in Chefsbest Catering, but he also upped each inmate's daily calorie level to 2,000. "This is not a prison. Our jail houses local citizens — people we shop with, who we live near, who we worship with together — and, on any given day, someone in our community can make a mistake and end up in our county jail. These people, who aren't hardened criminals, deserve to eat nutritious meals while they are in there." • Prohibiting sheriff's office employees from eating food intended for jail inmates "Every other person in our community is not fed at work: They have to go out and get something or have food brought into them or brown bag it. We didn't feel it was right that deputies were being fed with taxpayer money. That helped save about $10,000 a year." • Discontinuing the practice of jail guards distributing medicine to inmates "Since when I started here, in 1987, our deputies passed out all the medications. It was a huge liability to the taxpayers. One wrong med being passed could harm someone in the jail and could cost this county millions of dollars. In November 2019, we began utilizing the Ottawa County Health Department to pass all the meds in our jail. That takes all the liability off this office and puts it on the board, who are medical professionals." In recent months, the sheriff's office signed a contract with the Erie County Health Department to continue this service. • Partnering for mental health services "Our county jails have become the mental health treatment facilities for the state of Ohio. Each county jail probably houses 80 percent of its population who deal with mental health and/or addiction issues. We don't have personnel trained in the medical field or mental health treatment. So we partner with the local mental health and recovery board to treat those inside of our jail because, eventually, they are going to be back out in society." • Bringing on courthouse screeners "That ensures better security in our courthouse. We hire retired police officers and deputies for those positions." • Increasing the number of detectives "Because of that, more people have been brought to justice. One detective is funded through a federal grant, and another is a partner with the FBI, who supplements her salary." • Adopting community policing techniques "We have asked our deputies, when they are out patrolling, to take off the sunglasses and wave to people. If they're driving down the road and see a kid shooting hoops, you better be pulling that car over and throw some basketballs up with them. If you are driving down the road and see a farmer on the combine, get out of your car, go over to them, shake their hand and see how we can better serve them." Next term's goals Among the three initiatives Levorchick wants to accomplish during his next four years in office: 1. Maintaining fiscal responsibility "You always have to look at your budget. We have to make sure we are good stewards of taxpayer money. As law enforcement executives, that is what we are put in this position to do: We have to protect and serve the people and keep communities safe but do it as close to, if not under, the budget as much as possible." 2. Provide deputies with the needed tools to succeed "I want to enhance and increase the training so deputies have the abilities and receive the tools they need to provide better service. A better-trained deputy equates to better service and someone who is much more capable of protecting their community. It's also a huge decrease in liability." 3. Continue to build on key community relationships "What's lacking in a lot of cities that are having problems right now is a gap between local law enforcement and the community. We want to grow our officers as better community members and not make it a faction of them against the community. I want to see our agency build on our great relationships in our community. Any relationship can always be enhanced."