“When it all came down to sorting it out Roberts came out on top,” Yordy said. “Jack is just a tremendous individual, he really is, he’s there at the department, he is encouraging cooperation from the other officers to give Burton Roberts a shot at this and it’s going to be tough all the way around.”
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Trustee Tom Willsey also had high praise for the department’s second in command saying “Jack has agreed to make this transition as seamless as possible, Jack is a good man, I don’t know where we’d be without him.”
As for the new chief, Willsey said he liked the fact Roberts is tech savvy.
“The different things that our police use now, he’s well versed in that,” Willsey said. “And we want to keep moving forward and he is well versed in how we want to see the department go.”
Prior to joining the sheriff’s office in April Roberts was the chief in the village of Cedarville in Greene County. He was there for a year but left to “work closer to home” his application indicates. He was an officer with the Marco Island Police Department in Florida, prior to that. He started his career at a Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputy in 1992, served on the SWAT team there for many years and was a sergeant for the Springfield Twp. police department for many years. He also served in the U.S. Air Force in Operation Desert Shield/Storm from 1990-1991.
On his resume he described himself as a “dedicated law enforcement professional with over 20 years of experience, both in the field and in a classroom setting” and said “I am detail-oriented and highly organized with proven problem solving and time management skills.”
Roberts will earn $63,000 per year, according to Township Administrator Bob Bass who said 51 people applied but most did not meet the township’s requirements.
Yordy said the trustees like a lot of Roberts ideas such as instituting a citizens police academy and mentoring programs for kids like the Boy Scouts.
“He offered a lot for the township in terms of different programs he wants to initiate with the township,” Yordy said.
Roberts will be sworn in Thursday. Haussler retired Aug. 30, closing a five-year stint at the head of the department.
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