FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio — Mifflin Township trustees voted to immediately disband the township’s police department after voters rejected a police levy for the third time, 10TV reported.
The decision leaves township officials working to determine how to provide coverage for residents in the unincorporated area, where the department receives nearly 6,000 calls for service annually. The department patrolled approximately 3.9 square miles with a population of less than 3,000, according to the township’s website.
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“The citizens have made their thoughts known, and it was not to keep the police department,” Township Trustee Kevin Cavener said.
The department typically employs six full-time officers and two part-time officers. Staffing dropped to just two full-time officers after two Mifflin Township officers were shot and seriously injured in May 2025, according to 10TV.
“The criminals, they watch TV, they know what’s going on, and they’re going to know that they kind of have free reign. It’s sad to say,” Cavener told 10TV.
Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge 9, called the decision “deeply disappointing” and pledged to help affected officers find new positions.
“You can disband a police department, but you cannot erase 65 years of sacrifice and service,” Steel said in a news release. “The FOP will stand firmly with our members, support those being laid off, and help them find their next opportunity in law enforcement.”
Cavener expressed concern about the closure’s effect on public safety and residents who supported the levy.
“I feel sorry for the residents, especially the ones that voted for it, and they always are very supportive of us. I am really sick over it, but elections have consequences,” he told 10TV.
Trustees are expected to meet to discuss next steps. A replacement coverage plan had not been determined, according to 10TV.
“We want to do what’s best for the citizens of the unincorporated area of Mifflin Township,” Cavener said.
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