Mellen disbands police department; City will contract with AC Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement

The Mellen Police Department is in its final days after the city’s leadership approved its dissolution.

This comes as Police Chief Larry Koivisto has reduced his role to part-time, working 16 hours a week, because he has taken a new job, Mayor Terry Van Buren said.

Finding a full-time replacement and officers has proven difficult, Van Buren said. Larger cities can pay their officers more than Mellen can pay.

As a result, Van Buren said the city doesn’t have or won’t for the foreseeable future possess adequate resources to operate, maintain, staff and fund a police department.

With that in mind, city council voted Tuesday to have Mellen contract with the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement and keep residents safe.

Ashland County Sheriff Brian Zupke said he would need to hire an extra deputy to serve Mellen and its 700 residents at a cost of roughly $110,000 per year. That’s cheaper than the $170,000 Mellen budgets for its department.

What law enforcement from the sheriff’s office would look like in Mellen needs to be discussed and ironed out in the contract, Zupke said.

“It depends on what they want. It could be tailored to their own needs,” he said.

Council member James Warren said he’s open to pursuing a contract with Ashland County, though he grieves the change.

“I like having a police department in Mellen. It’s what I grew up with. It’s what I’m used to,” he said.