By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
The Madison Township trustees ended 2020 with agreements and changes to leadership positions in the township’s police department.
Via a conference call, the three trustees amended a pair of 2018 resolutions for descriptions for the administrative commander and patrol commander and reclassified the positions with no changes in salary.
“The reclassification of the status will provide the police chief with the ability to provide better coverage for patrol, by placing both commanders on the schedule, adding officers to the overall patrol of the township,” said Madison Township Police Chief Gary York.
The administrative commander supervises administrative office staff, the detective bureau, makes suggestions and recommendations to the police chief as to hiring, firing, promotions. The commander acts as the department information technology specialist, troubleshooting technical issues with department computers, in-car and body-worn cameras, and other duties as assigned by the chief.
In addition to the patrol commander, the administrative commander can also serve as the public information officer for the police department and, in the absence of the chief, may serve as acting police chief.
The patrol commander supervises the patrol bureau, including sergeants and patrol officers. They also make suggestions and recommendations to the police chief as to hiring, firing, promotions and ensure that staffing is maintained for coverage on each shift and other duties as assigned by the chief.
Thomas Schleppi, who previously served as a sergeant, is the department’s administrative commander and former patrol officer Darrell Breneman is the patrol commander.
The trustees also agreed to set base pay rates for non-bargaining employees effective Dec. 12, set salaries and benefits for elected officials and non-bargaining employees and legislation splitting the salaries between the general, police and fire department funds.
