Council appoints interim police chief

Mayor Dana Trowbridge reassured local citizens Tuesday night that the David City Police Department will continue to provide service during a transition to a new police chief.

The City Council met in  a brief special session to appoint recently retired Police Sgt. Jim Sylvester as interim chief following the resignation of longtime Police Chief Steve Sunday on Nov. 18.

Sylvester, who has been helping the department part-time, said he was not a candidate for the police chief’s job.

“I want to help the city get through this and get a new police chief,” Sylvester said after the meeting. He said that Sunday had assured him that he would help with any cases that have not been brought to conclusion.

The Council also accepted the resignation of Officer Kevin Broman, who turned in his resignation after Sunday resigned. The council voted 4-1 to accept Broman's resignation, with Councilman Bill Scribner voting no. Councilman Bill Yindrick was not present due to a funeral service for his father-in-law.

The Council also approved an agreement with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for “supplemental” police coverage. The mayor said that the sheriff’s office had agreed to provide patrols for no charge to help the city on a temporary basis. The remaining police officers should be able to cover about 80 percent of the patrol time, Trowbridge said. Currently, the sheriff’s office
and police help each other during emergencies.

“You will have the same level of police protection you have had for the last 10 years,” Trowbridge said.

The mayor said that contrary to “rumors and mis-information” the police department was not being dissolved. During a failed recall attempt launched at the mayor last summer, recall organizers alleged that the mayor and City Council were trying to dissolve the police department and contract with the sheriff’s office. The sheriff's proposal was ultimately voted out by the Council.

Tuesday night, the mayor also reminded the meeting audience that the city is moving forward with the design of a new city hall which includes a new police office.

The new building will be necessary because the city sold the current police station to Henningsen Foods, the local egg processing plant. The company plans to turn the police station into offices. The company has agreed to share the police station with the city until the new city hall is built.

Trowbridge said that the city had already received one response to advertising for the chief position, and a candidate has interviewed for a vacant officer position.

Sunday, who was hired in January 1984, resigned Nov. 18 after the mayor told him he was “strongly considering” that Sunday would not be re-appointed in December. Sunday said that he was extremely disappointed but not angry at what he called a firing. He said he was looking to find another job and did not plan to contest how his job ended.