Althouse has served as acting chief since the death of Chief Douglas Knight, and Althouse will be sworn in at 8:30 a.m. Friday in the Council Chambers at the Vandalia Municipal Building.
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“We are fortunate to have Kurt’s leadership to carry the Vandalia Police Division forward and maintain our department’s standard of excellence,” Crusey said.
A native of Tipp City, Althouse spent 22 years at the sheriff’s office before joining Vandalia as a lieutenant in October, 2014.
His work history included stints as a dispatcher, road officer, detective and supervisor.
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Althouse earned his associate’s degree in police science from Sinclair Community College, and he began his public safety career as an emergency dispatcher at the Englewood Police Department. He became a dispatcher position at Montgomery County in 1992 and transferred to road patrol in 1994.
Later, he was assigned as an Inspectional Services Unit detective from 1999 to 2000 before being promoted to a supervisory post. From 2000 to 2014, Kurt served as sergeant in the Jail Division, Court Services, Regional Communication Center, Forensic Services Unit, Administration and Road Patrol, working simultaneously to earn his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Columbia Southern University.
He has been a state-certified instructor and commander with the Ohio Peace Officers’ Training Academy since 2003.
Since coming to the city of Vandalia, Althouse graduated from the FBI National Academy Session 268 and the Police Executive Leadership College. He is a member of the International and Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police as well holding several other professional law enforcement affiliations and serving as a board member and secretary of the Vandalia-Butler Optimist Club and member of the Butler High School Advisory Committee.
Althouse has three sons, Justin, Jeremy and Jaden, as well as his fiancée, Andrea Blair.
Chief Knight died April 13, shortly after he had announced plans to retire in June.
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