After 13 years, Dayton seeks replacement for police chief who led during many crises

The 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes tore through portions of the city, and residents needed immediate help from their emergency services.

Then six Dayton police officers responded within 30 seconds to a mass shooter in the Oregon District, killing the shooter after he had slain nine people and injured 27.

In November 2019 a longtime member of the department, Det. Jorge Del Rio, was slain during a raid on a group of suspected drug dealers, the first on-duty death of a Dayton police officer in nearly 20 years.

And in summer 2020 marches took place here and nationwide. Protesters called for a re-examination of how their police forces interact with racial minorities in the wake of the death in Minnesota of a Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer.

Through it, residents and city leaders interviewed this week said Biehl provided good leadership while championing community policing tactics, encouraging citizens to engage with the police so that together they work to prevent crime before it starts.

“There is a chasm in some cases between what police do and what the community expects, and there needs to be a way to bridge that to bring the community and police together to work in partnership because safety will never be achieved without that relationship,” Biehl told a podcast interviewer in 2020.

As Biehl departs, the Dayton Daily News asked residents, leaders and others to assess Biehl’s tenure, and what they are looking for the next chief to accomplish. The answers illustrate how many competing forces are still involved. Residents told the Dayton Daily News they appreciated Biehl’s leadership; some said they hope the next police chief is committed to accountability and community relations, others hope the next chief has a tough-on-crime philosophy.

A second career

Biehl grew up in Cincinnati’s Bridgetown neighborhood on Biehl Avenue, named for his developer grandfather. Biehl’s father was a construction foreman and home builder. He earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics from the University of Cincinnati.

Biehl came to Dayton in 2008 after serving almost 25 years in the Cincinnati Police Department. He began there as an officer in 1980 and served as sergeant, lieutenant, captain and assistant police chief. He was the first executive director of the Community Police Partnering Center, a private group formed in Cincinnati to help the city in the wake of riots in 2001.

After several years helping lead Cincinnati’s community policing center, he sought out the Dayton chief’s position and in January 2008 arrived just as the city was dealing with the economic downturn.

City council at the time had recently declared Dayton an immigrant-friendly city, to some criticism as a national debate flared over secure borders.

Biehl embraced the idea and said the legitimate need for control at U.S. borders should not be directed as being anti-immigrants.

“We’re a nation of immigrants,” he said in 2009. “That we would ever lose sight of that would truly be a sad commentary on the history of this country. My great-grandfather came over from Germany in 1900. I’m a third-generation American myself. So, when I hear hostility directed to individuals from other countries, I’m stunned. When did we forget who we are?”

City Manager Shelley Dickstein said Biehl has succeeded at a complex job leading the 400-person Dayton police department.

“The job of police chief is one of the most important roles for both the city organization and the community,” Dickstein said when Biehl announced his retirement. “Nationally, policing is at a crossroads, and I want to thank Chief Biehl for helping to lead the department through some very difficult conversations and situations in recent years.”

He was 54 when he took the job and said he thought he would stay at least five years. He stayed 13.

“I was not looking for a place to just pass through; I was looking for a place to call home and a place where I can make a difference,” he said. “I was really amazed when I came here what I found in terms of the capacity of the police department. What was missing was a true sense of direction and a methodology, a clear approach to policing that would solidify the talent that was already in the house.”

Of the many challenges the department faced during his tenure, the Oregon District stood out for him.

“There is no event in my career for which I have grieved more than the Oregon District mass shooting,” he said in the 2020 interview. “I didn’t know anyone personally, and I didn’t need to know anyone personally to feel the deep loss and grieve. For literally weeks I was almost in tears over this tragedy.”

Mayor Nan Whaley praised him for his commitment to Dayton’s police reform process where 142 recommendations were proposed to increase accountability between the police and the community.

“He has shepherded the department through our current police reform process, making sure his officers were committed to listening carefully to residents as they worked together to create recommendations for how police can be more transparent and responsive to residents,” she said

Biehl’s department did come under scrutiny during his tenure as leader and in 2020 his department’s handling of protesters in downtown Dayton was criticized by some.

The department said Biehl plans to work until the end of the month. The city will host a community event Tuesday at Levitt Pavilion, 134 S. Main St., starting at 4:30 p.m. to say farewell.

Biehl had a reputation for studying law enforcement research, crime patterns and trends, and he was a strong advocate for community policing.

“Chief Biehl has been a valuable partner over the years. I have appreciated his cooperation with my office, especially his willingness to discuss cases in a professional manner when sometimes difficult decisions had to be made,” Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. told the Dayton Daily News. “Rick was hardworking and dedicated to improving policing by embracing suggestions from the community. He was innovative in addressing the problems facing the community, especially in the areas of domestic violence and gun crimes.” ”

Biehl declined to be interviewed for this story. He has said that working for Dayton Police was the greatest honor in his professional career and thanked the Dayton community, elected officials and police for their support.

“I salute you all for your overwhelming support, dedication and contributing efforts to making our community a safe place to work and live,” he said. “And now it is time for someone else to lead. And I leave them in good hands.”

Biehl’s impact on policing was felt beyond Dayton, according to Montgomery County Police Chief Association President Matt Hamlin and Vice President Joseph Andzik. The association is comprised of local law enforcement leaders who meet to discuss industry changes including new legislation.

“I think his leadership and experience are going to be greatly missed by all residents of Montgomery County,” Hamlin said. “He had great leadership and brought a lot to the table.”

Andzik said Biehl, even though he was the leader of the biggest police department in the area, was always approachable. He recalled a time he asked Biehl for words that demonstrated leadership.

“He offered the words initiative, perseverance and compassion because nothing gets accomplished without initiative and perseverance but it must always be grounded in compassion,” Andzik said. “To get an answer like that, especially compassion because it fits in very well with what police work should be.”

“He was thoughtful on whatever issues would come up, I think a lot of the chiefs in our association valued his input on a variety of issues, and I have nothing but respect for him.”

The next chief

People who responded to a Dayton Daily News solicitation for thoughts on Biehl’s tenure credited him with using data to help solve crime and addressing heroin and addiction issues in the community. Others said Biehl could have done better at engaging the community and handling complaints.

Several people said they wanted a tough-on-crime philosophy and a commitment to community relations as the most important quality they want in the next police chief.

The city has begun its search for a chief and has hired an executive search firm to find candidates. The city hopes to find the new chief by October.

The city also plans to hire a different firm to conduct assessments that puts candidates through a series of scenarios and evaluate how they perform to help judge communication skills, leadership and decision-making.

One of the police reform recommendations was to involve community members in developing the police chief job description, and include reform committee participants in the interview and hiring process.

The city manager appointed a selection oversight committee that will include several representatives from the police reform working groups. City officials said the selection process will include input from city staff, reform group members, community stakeholders and neighborhood leaders.

Dayton Unit NAACP President Derrick Foward, one of those stakeholders, said the next police chief needs to be committed to holding officers accountable for their actions when they breach policy and not rely on excuses like “mutual accountability.”

“I think they need to be honest with the public and the media when communicating with them and have a willingness to listen at all times to all parties and act accordingly and not just side with your direct reports,” Foward said. “Also, we need somebody who is open to looking at the alternative policing models so we can continue the progress we have started.”

He also said he hopes the next police chief makes it a priority to connect with the community and engage in community events.

The decision of who will be the next police chief is critical, Ralph Wilcoxson, a local attorney and board member of the organization Neighborhoods over Politics, said. He said the next chief needs to evolve and adjust to community needs, be resourceful and have compassion. He said the community needs to be unified.

“For so long it seems to have been the police against the community. It does not seem they are working together and we need to change that perception,” Wilcoxson said. “We need to be able to sit at the table and talk, the next chief needs to have the ability to have empathy and see others’ points of view.”

The next police chief also needs to be a visionary, Salem Avenue Peace Corridor President Jule Rastikis said. He said safety and peace are primary goals of the organization and important for everyone.

“I don’t think you can be a leader if you’re not a visionary,” Rastikis said, adding that the person needs to be able to see how policing is evolving and have the ability to stay on the cutting edge of tactics and reforms.

“(The next chief) has to be social justice sensitive and understand what it is,” Rastikis said. “(The next chief) has got to be in tune with the current environment and try to figure what the environment is going to be.”