Police Department


Introduction from the Chief

Introduction from Chief Ryan M. Burkholder 


I would like to welcome and thank you for visiting the Bluffton Police Department website. The website allows us to keep the public informed about important events as well as provide information about our department.


Our department consist of ten full-time officers and three part-time officers. We provide 24/7 patrol throughout the community, which includes the 235 acre campus of Bluffton University. Officers routinely patrol using cruisers, bicycles, and foot patrols. In 2022, our officers responded to 5331 calls for service. 


All Bluffton police officers must complete, at a minimum, the State of Ohio Basic Peace Officer training program and any required annual training thereafter. Additionally, all officers must maintain State of Ohio First Responder certification which includes annual training to maintain proficient in these skills. The combination of these two certifications allows us to provide quality emergency services response throughout the community, whatever the emergency. All full-time, and the majority of part-time officers, have completed a Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program, which better prepares them for dealing with emotionally charged situations. Officers, by virtue of being on duty, are frequently the first to arrive at the scene of an emergency and are trained and equipped to initiate a response/ care plan.   


Our modern police facilities were completed during the 2008 remodeling of our town hall. Completely outfitted with updated electronics and technology, our station is the envy of many citizens and police officers visiting the department. 


Bluffton is unique because the village is located in two counties, Allen and Hancock. 

Our officers took a community policing approach to how we conduct ourselves long before the “Community Policing” was coined and used by the Department of Justice. In addition to the emergency response, our officers continue to check businesses daily/nightly, provide residential house checks, (as available) unlocks motor vehicles, (as available) assist with inked civilian finger printing, and help facilitate with community assistance and other social programs. 


National Night Out is an annual nationwide event. The purpose of this event is to bring police departments and the communities they serve together for an evening. In 2014 Lt. Matt Oglesbee began planning for the first National Night Out event to be held in Bluffton. The event was very well received and is now held annually on the first Tuesday in August. The Bluffton and Pandora Police Departments put this event on together and it is held a the Bluffton Community Swimming Pool. 


In 2017, I was proud to announce that the Bluffton Police Department was successful in becoming a part of the Ohio Collaborative.  The Ohio Collaborative is a twelve-person panel in Ohio that establishes statewide standards for law enforcement agencies.


The Bluffton Police Department K-9 Unit was established in early 2018 and was initially funded by generous donations from members of the community. The police department’s current K-9, Kato, is a German shepherd from Germany (born in June 2016) and he, along with his handler, Sergeant Tyler Hochstetler, are certified through the State of Ohio (OPOTA) and the National Association of Professional Canine Handlers (NAPCH) as a dual-purpose canine team trained in patrol operations and narcotics detection.


In 2019, Officer Hope Hannah became certified as a School Resource Officer (SRO).  She coordinates both the Safety Pup Program and D.A.R.E. Program in the local elementary school.  In the Spring of 2022 Officer Hannah became the first Bluffton Police Department School Resource Officer (SRO) and she works daily within the buildings of the Bluffton Schools. 

 

In closing, I’d like to extend an invitation to you to stop by the police department for a tour, conversation, or to bring a concern to my attention. It’s an honor to serve this community as we work diligently to ensure the safety of everyone.


Mission

The Mission of the Bluffton Police Department is to provide quality services to the residents and visitors of our community by maintaining peaceful, public order, while objectively enforcing the laws of the Village of Bluffton and the State of Ohio. We strive to meet and exceed the expectations of the public by providing a safe and secure community through active detection and prevention of crime.

Police Contacts

NAME


Ryan Burkholder



Matt Oglesbee

Tyler Hochstetler


Abby Michael

 

Nathan Jordan

Austin Probst

Ed Montgomery

Hope Hannah

Eric Rayle

Troy Hartzog

Elliot Tyzzer

Brianna Kill

Skyler Noble

POSITION


Chief



Lieutenant

Sergeant

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

Officer

PHONE


419.358.2961 x 109



419.358.2961 x 110

419.358.2961 x 114

419.358.2961 x 194

419.358.2961 x 192

419.358.2961 x 201

419.358.2961 x 195

419.358.2961 x 202

419.358.2961 x 188

419.358.2961 x 191

419.358.2961 x 197

419.358.2961 x 198

419.358.2961 x 189

419.358.2961 x 205

419.358.2961 x 200

Police Employment

Thank you for your interest in employment with our department. The Bluffton Police Department accepts applications on a continual basis. We keep the applications that are submitted for review on file for one year. When any vacancies occur within the department, we utilize the applications that we have on file to help us fill open positions with the most highly qualified candidates. 



Information on pay and benefits can be obtained by calling Chief Burkholder, Lt Oglesbee, or Sgt Hochstetler.


Applications can be picked up in person at the police department. Completed applications can be mailed to the department or dropped off in person.


MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT ARE AS FOLLOWS:


-Must be a US Citizen
-Must have a High School Diploma or GED
-Must have or be able to obtain a valid Ohio Driver's License
-Must have a current and up to date OPOTA certification
-Must obtain/maintain a minimum certification from the Ohio Division of EMS as a First Responder. If you are not currently certified, you will be required to gain certification when a class is offered after your hire date
-Must have a good driving record
-NO recent convictions of OVI or DUI
-NO felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions of Domestic Violence


History of the Bluffton Police Department

Bluffton police department started out as many small town police departments do, with a town marshal and deputy marshals. Somewhere along the line of progression, the official titles transitioned to Chief of Police and Patrolman. Today, titles included in the ranks of the Bluffton Police Department are, Chief of Police, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Corporal and Patrol Officers.


Communications have advanced tremendously as well. Local residents will recall a slower paced Bluffton when the marshal patrolled on foot and was summoned by an air whistle near the town hall. When the whistle sounded, the marshal or deputy would come to the station to meet the person and then go take care of the problem. "Locals" also recall a time when an additional light hung at the bottom of the traffic signal. When someone needed help, the phone line would activate the light, and the officer would come to the station to get the message or call information. In the mid 1970's a local dispatch system was erected with dispatchers sitting in the fire station office handling police, fire, and rescue calls. That system migrated to a partnership with the Bluffton Hospital in the mid 1980's, where dispatching duties were handled by their communications department.


Today, our officers are dispatched through a centralized dispatch center in the Allen County Sheriff's Office. Officers communicate on an inter operable radio system that allows them to talk with all area police, fire, and EMS agencies. Police cruisers have mobile data terminals (computers) that allow instant access to records that would have taken hours or days to access just a few short years ago.


Facilities have improved over the years as well. The original town hall housed the firefighting equipment, marshal's office, and government affairs offices. The police station was a two room area, with a dirt floor in some areas. There was a holding room, complete with jail bars, with access from the outside of the building.


Today, the police department is equipped with modern technology and all of the necessities for efficient police work. We've grown from a two room area to an entire floor dedicated to law enforcement activities. Those old jail bars and door were preserved during the renovation and are displayed along the Elm Street side of the town hall.


Bluffton was incorporated in 1861. the below individuals have served as Marshal, or Chief of Police with approximate time frames for their tenure:

Marshall

Chief of Police

TERM OF SERVICE

1861-1862
1862-1863
1863-1864 
1865-1865 
1865-1866 
1865-1866 
1866-1869 
1869-1870 
1870-1871 
1871-1872 
1872-1873 
1873-1873 
1873-1876
1876-1876 
1876-1881
1881-1881 
1881-1882     
1882-1885   
1885-1886    
1886-1888     
1888-1888     
1888-1892 
1892-1896  
1896-1903   
1903-1905    
1905-1910    
1910-1911     
1912-1915 
1915-1917 
1918-1921 
1922-1923   
1924-1927
1928-1935  
1936-1950 
NAME

George Burget 
Teese Randolph
John Franks 
David Franks
C. Gardner
John Franks
J.B. Hall 
J.R. Dray
Henry Reider
Cyrus Mann
Edwin Foster 
David Frank    
C.B. Mann    
Joseph Mummah    
C.B. Mann    
Joseph Harris    
C.B. Mann    
R.R. Zoll    
Frank Hermann    
M.F. Beals    
Charles Yeager    
Frank Clark    
M.M. Murray    
A.R.Conrad    
Ed Burns    
T.L. Dunlap    
D.W. Fox    
Lloyd Murray    
D.W. Fox    
Henson Good    
Owen Grandstraff    
Allen Beeshy    
Gid Luginbuhl    
E. Lee Coon
TERM OF SERVICE

1950-1956
1956-1973 
1974-1974
1974-1974
1975-1977
1977-1987
1987-1989
1989-1990
1990-2005
2005-2016
2016- Present
NAME

Lee Coon
William Gaiffe
James Hicks 
Jack Young
Harry Osborn
James Hicks
Tim Thwaits
David A. Bloomfield
Howard "Reid" Foust
Richard A. Skilliter
Ryan M. Burkholder
Share by: