Residents tell Millersburg council they don't feel safe, village needs better policing

MILLERSBURG  — While Millersburg Village Council commended the outstanding job the streets department, first responders and utility crews did clearing debris after the recent storm, not all at the Monday meeting were there to offer praise.

Andrea Kellogg and Tracy Byland expressed concerns about safety in the village, which sparked conversation.

"I'm here because I got kind of caught up in the emotions of the dog stabbing that happened last week," Kellogg said. "And as I watched what was happening on social media sites about people's concerns about the village and the policing and other things people have seen, I wanted to address council."

Kellogg had previously voiced her concerns to Millersburg Police Chief Matt Shaner a few weeks ago and thanked him for hearing her out.

"He ended our conversation by saying people need to call, call, call the police," she said. "But I found out that isn't solving the problem."

The police chief said he had heard rumblings through social media and he is not happy if people feel unsafe in Millersburg.

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"If anyone has concerns, they should be calling and talking to me," Shaner said. "If there are concerns about an officer not doing their job or safety concerns, they should get a hold of me and let me start working on things. I do have a problem if people don't feel safe in town. I'm kind of at a loss for words because I'm not sure how to answer this."

Attempted break in at Dollar Tree

Byland is manager of the Dollar Tree in Millersburg. She spoke of recent issues with the police department.

"When the storm came through and the electric went out, I had a homeless guy trying to break the window in (at the Dollar Tree)," Byland said.

After she called the police, the officer told the guy to move on. He moved over to the parking lot of Pizza Hut (just south of the Dollar Tree) and was told to leave there, too.

"He goes over to the bank, lays in the yard and takes his clothes off," she said. "Nothing was done. Later that night I was in the store taking food out, and the police said they arrested him. But they just took him up to Wooster (where he was from) and dropped him off. But he's back.

"He comes into our store with a knife, wears a mask and acts like he's going to rob us," Byland said. "I don't feel safe. I carry a taser."

Council member: 'You should not feel unsafe'

Council member Kelly Hoffee said "that is unacceptable in my opinion. You should not feel unsafe in the village of Millersburg. It's sad that it has to come to that."

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Hoffee added that before she came to the meeting Monday her dog was yelping in her backyard. She told her husband to get the gun because she didn't know who or what was in the yard.

"How sad is that," she said. "That's terrible."

Hoffee said she has been contacted by residents who want to form a neighborhood watch.

"Millersburg is not that big. It doesn't take that long to get from one end of town to the other," the council member said. "We have a police force. I had a discussion this week with (Shaner) about sending the officers into residential areas, patrolling more spots so every person in the village doesn't know exactly where they sit."

Hoffee said there is no police presence in residential areas, which is why kids think it is OK to stab a dog.

"There needs to be daily patrols," she added. "We need more (police) presence."

Councilman Brad Conn said if people see things they aren't comfortable with, or if they witness an illegal activity, he hopes they will call the police department.

"If you have to call them 30 minutes later for something else, that's what they are there for," he said. "I'm a firm believer in community policing. Instead of sitting in a vehicle, they ought to get out of the vehicle and walk around, police the area on foot.

"If they go down to the park and see some kids shooting baskets, and if they aren't working an investigation or anything, why not get out and shoot a couple hoops with the kids, or something like that. I think that is really important."

Why a drastic drop in speeding tickets?

Kellogg pointed out in 2018 there were 246 speeding tickets issued in the village, but there were only two issued last year. And based on her observations from her home on South Clay Street, "there is not less speeding going on in the village."

"This is about safety," she said. "I understand we're trying to hire and get people to move here. But all around town, you can't get people to work. This is our town. This is our village. The economy is getting worse. The crime rate is going to go up. This is only going to get worse."

Conn said he had not paid much attention to the difference in the number of speeding tickets issued, and he is concerned by the difference. The numbers plummeted from 246 to 109, then to 10 in 2020, and then only two speeding tickets issued in 2021.

"I don't understand that," Conn said. "Something started happening between 2018 and 2019, and I understand numbers are going to fluctuate. But the sudden drop is pretty amazing to me."

"Especially when you sit on your porch and see it," added Hoffee.

COVID pandemic changed things

Mayor Jeff Huebner pointed out there was a pandemic going on during that time.

Shaner said two of the police officers during that time were not certified to run radar/laser, and classes were cancelled (due to the pandemic). They also have both left the force since then.

Hoffee asked if all current police officers are certified to operate the radar, and Shaner said they are.

The chief also noted there was no procedural change between 2019 and currently regarding speeding stops in the village, aside from safety concerns over COVID-19.

Hoffee said she doesn't want to see someone get killed because of speeding through the village.

"Way more than two people sped through this village in 2021," Hoffee said.

Conn and Hoffee said they would like the police chief to talk with his staff and get answers as to what is going on regarding the speeding.

People should feel safe

"We need to do things in the village to make people feel safe," Hoffee said. "That is our role as council members, to make sure the people of the village of Millersburg feel safe."

"The three things people are going to be concerned about when they go to vote this year are inflation, gas prices and crime,"  Kellogg said. "We've got to figure it out. I'm begging you. When we've got juveniles walking around this town thinking it's OK to have knives and stab a dog. ... I'm afraid to walk my dog at night. There are a lot of people out and about. I do not feel safe here. For this community, you're going to have to figure out how to make us safer."

Kevin Lynch can be reached at klynch@the-daily-record.com.