“His performance has been excellent,” said Robert Matthews, Miami Twp. Board of Trustees vice president.
Hess, officials said, has focused on setting a professional tone and manner of conduct for a department that responded to more than 32,000 calls in 2014 in the state’s seventh largest township, which has a strong business presence.
At the same time, he has sought to stabilize the department’s finances by helping get a levy passed, has restructured its leadership, beefed up staffing levels and worked to improve a public image tarnished by scandal.
More than 95 percent in Miami Twp. requesting police service have been satisfied or very satisfied, according to results of a recent survey commissioned by the township. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed rate the department as good or excellent, results of Wright State University’s survey show.
That’s a significant change from recent years, said Trustee President Doug Barry, and one of the reasons the board voted to change Hess’ position, which pays $95,762 annually.
“You look at three or four years ago if you googled Miami Twp. police there was a lot of bad stuff that came up,” he said. “We had a tough time recruiting officers.
“And you look at what Ron has been able to do as far as the hiring goes, we’ve been able to not only hire some top-notch captains, but patrol officers here in the last year, and that’s all attributed to the way Ron is running the department,” Barry added. “It’s a lot of positive stuff that he’s done with that department.”
Hess, a former police captain in Miamisburg, joined the township in June 2013 after the retirement of John "Chris" Krug. Krug's departure followed the firing of Deputy Police Chief John DiPietro after DiPietro was accused of misconduct. A termination agreement was later reached with DiPietro.
Hess said he wanted a different structure with two captains rather than an deputy chief because of the burden those responsibilities can place on one person.
In the past year, he brought in two longtime veterans in Russell Johnson, a former major with the Ohio Highway Patrol, and John Magill, a former Middletown police lieutenant. Hess also solidified a staff of three sergeants and has set the right tone, said township Administrator Greg Rogers.
“I think he’s done an outstanding job. He’s given the employees of the police department a clear vision of the future of the department,” he said.
“He’s a very fair man. He treats people with respect and provides a professional presence that people tend to respond to,” Rogers added. “His job knowledge is through the stratosphere.”
Hess describes his leadership philosophy this way: “We will be professional. The two things that I’ve always believed in — and both of my two captains believe — … you do not dishonor your name bar and your (police) patch. But in the same token, we want to have a fun place to work.”
The police department is now staffed at 38 with an additional position expected by the end of the summer, Rogers said. While that would be two officers short of the township-authorized staffing level, Hess said it would be the most fully staffed department in his tenure.
The staffing level will allow the department to work toward its accreditation — something Hess said the department has not had in nearly 20 years — while furthering its community outreach program.
Miami Twp.’s National Night Out event is eighth in the country for communities of its size and the department has a significant presence at the annual Runway Fest at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport, he said. The department is working on other efforts, such as restarting a citizens police academy and a possible program to assist special needs residents, Hess said.
“This is an exciting time for us,” he said.
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