Tel: (419) 358-2066
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Introduction from the Chief
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
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
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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
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