Riley said he ran for public office out of a sense of “duty and responsibility.”
“There has been so much invested in me as a person and as a professional by so many — I owed this,” he said. “The members of this office have raised me, grew up with me, given me my best friends, and they are more than family.”
As sheriff, Riley said it is his job to set the mission statement for the office, which he said he made focused and simple.
“Our new mission statement is: ‘We seek out those in need and strive to help.’ This is what our crews, no matter where they work, should be focused on.”
Riley succeeded former sheriff Larry Sims, who retired after 15 years leading the department. Riley said he has a plethora of law enforcement training and certificates and is nearing completion of a criminal justice degree at the University of Cincinnati. He and his wife are parents of a grown son and live in Morrow.
The 52-year-old said he has a list of changes residents can expect, such as a better social media presence.
Rebranding is underway and cruisers are getting sheriff’s star overlays with Riley’s name.
“Yes, I am still going to drive a marked cruiser and it feels a little odd seeing it on there,” said Riley of the overlay on his cruiser that was done earlier in the week.
Riley is in charge of 218 full-time employees, including corrections officers, clerical specialists, school resource officers, detectives, evidence custodians, those who work in fiscal and supply, and deputy sheriffs. There also are volunteers who serve as chaplains and special deputies.
“All of them are critical in function to maintain the mission of the office,” he said.
The sheriff for 2025 will earn $127,725 and will oversee a budget of $31.9 million, which includes contracts for policing services, such as to the city of South Lebanon, Deerfield Twp. and soon the village of Maineville. County general fund dollars represent just over $25 million of the budget, he said.
Riley, the longtime chief deputy, said he will not have a chief deputy on his leadership team.
“That salary is being reallocated to create additional opportunities within the office. The duties I carried as the chief will be distributed to the division commanders,” he said.
The four division commanders are: Maj. Steve Arasmith, criminal investigations, who has 33 years of law enforcement experience; Maj. Eric Johnson, support services, with 25 years in law enforcement; Maj. Brett Richardson, jail administrator, with 19 years in law enforcement; and Maj. Brian Tinch, enforcement/patrol, with 30 years of law enforcement experience.
Right now there are seven openings: two for corrections, four for deputy sheriffs and one in information technology. Of those vacancies, five are new positions for 2025. Recruiting is tough, but Riley said the department has a strong program of internal development.
“While I believe the passion for the profession will swing back, we, as a whole, are still rebuilding from the past few years,” Riley said.
This year, deputies on patrol will have body cameras. There is one drug detection K-9 at the jail, with hopefully two more in service by the end of the year. The jail, which opened in 2021, has an average daily population of 218 inmates, he said.
The sheriff’s office has three drones, but Riley said it is not enough and that expanding drone capabilities is critical.
Another change residents likely noticed already is that Riley has resumed calling snow emergencies. Last Sunday he issued the first one since 2012 in the county. Sims said he felt snow emergencies were misunderstood and could be taken advantage of. However, Riley said while there are those who don’t want to be told when they cannot drive, it is a matter of public safety.
“I feel it is my responsibility to alert motorists, and this responsibility outweighs the consequences,” he said. “Having deputy sheriffs on patrol in every corner of the county directly reporting the conditions is comforting to me and I want the public to have this as well. Not to mention we owe it to the men and women who are trying to clear our roadways.”
As a refresher, state law gives authority to county sheriffs to declare snow emergencies. There are three levels of snow emergency in Ohio:
LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads are also icy. Drive very cautiously.
LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roadways. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work.
LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be out during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. However, those traveling on the roadways may subject themselves to prosecution.
About the Author
