West Jefferson Mayor Ray Martin (right) welcomes Christopher A. Floyd as the village’s new police chief.
(Posted July 2, 2019)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
A former Franklin County Sheriff’s Office detective is West Jefferson’s new police chief.
On July 1, West Jefferson village council approved the hiring of Christopher A. Floyd. He replaces Richard Hardy who resigned in May to take a job with the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission.
Floyd’s first day on the job is Aug. 29. Detective Brandon Smith, who has been serving as interim chief, will serve as acting chief until that time.
“He’s the one to take us to the next level,” Mayor Ray Martin said of why Floyd stood out among candidates for the job.
West Jefferson’s police department has six new officers and several officers who are near retirement. Floyd has the necessary experience to train and manage personnel, Martin said. He also has the necessary experience to oversee a village’s full spectrum of needs, from nurturing relationships with the school system to addressing drug problems, Martin added.
Floyd, 61, worked for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office from March 1982 to December 2012. He started in the jail then moved to patrol on Columbus’s westside, which often took him into Madison County. He then spent 14 years in the detective bureau, retiring as a homicide and domestic violence detective.
Floyd went on to serve as director of operations for the Franklin County Coroner’s Office for two-and-a-half years before assuming his current role as dog warden with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
As for his interest in the police chief’s position, Floyd said, “This has always been a goal. The goal is to leave the department better than it was when I got there.”
He added, “West Jefferson is growing. The police department is growing. We’ll see where we can take it. It’s going to take the help of everyone.”
Martin administered the oath of office to Floyd during the July 1 council meeting. Floyd’s son, Shaun, was on hand. Shaun became a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy six days after Floyd retired from the department. Floyd passed his badge on to his son.
Floyd was one of 10 candidates for the police chief’s position. A four-person committee conducted the interview and selection process. Members included: Martin; Doug Eakins, chair of council’s police committee; Jim Mendenhall, a retired lieutenant with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the state’s most decorated trooper; and Jeffrey Pearson, retired Grove City police chief.
