New Butler Twp. police chief John Porter’s experience managing a budget and working for a township helped him earn the new position, a Butler Twp. trustee said Sunday.
Porter was named the new chief on Friday, and he will start the position Sept. 9.
Porter is currently deputy police chief for the Trotwood Police Department, following his promotion announced in April. His 30-year career in law enforcement began in Madison Twp., which merged with Trotwood police in 1996.
“He knows how to operate a township police department,” Butler Twp. Trustee Nick Brusky said. “His long experience in Trotwood really stood out.”
Currently, the department has a 16-person staff, and there are some vacancies. Brusky said each candidate was qualified and capable of doing the job, but it is up to Porter to continue boosting the morale of the department.
“Anytime there’s a budget issue, and our budget is dwindling, there’s bound to be a morale problem,” Brusky said. “It’s already improving.”
Porter replaces John Cresie, who resigned in January from the department. Cresie wrote in his resignation letter that two of three trustees have “lost sight of basic leadership,” according to a Dayton Daily News investigation.
In his resignation letter, Cresie wrote: "With the exception of Trustee (Mike) Lang, the newly elected political leadership within the township has lost sight of the basic leadership philosophy of making decisions based upon the needs of the residents and the township. This newly elected Board of Trustees is making decisions that negatively affect the entire township based upon their personal agendas and political expediency."
In early August, the Butler Twp. Board of Trustees approved a resolution requesting certification from the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office to place a proposed police levy on the November ballot. The 3.5-mill levy would fund police in the township.
Previously, trustees had pushed to disband the police department and contract services through the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. That plan was terminated in June.
Porter was unavailable for comment Sunday. Other candidates interviewed included:
• Robert Chabali, retired assistant police chief at the Dayton Police Department
• Christopher Guthrie, lieutenant at Butler Township Police Department
• Thomas Thompson, assistant police chief at Miamisburg Police Department
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