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Judge Matt Gilmore administers the oath of office to sheriff-elect Doug Timmerman, who is with his wife, Jill.
CELINA - Mercer County Sheriff-elect Doug Timmerman was sworn into office on Sunday afternoon during a brief ceremony held in the probate/juvenile courtroom, signaling a new era of law enforcement.
A large crowd packed Judge Matthew Gilmore's chambers for the special occasion that marked the beginning of a new sheriff's office administration for the first time in nearly a quarter-century in Mercer County.
Gilmore, decked out in a black judicial robe, administered the oath of office to a uniformed Timmerman, whose wife, Jill, held the Bible on which his hand rested, while his daughters, Sammi and Siera, looked on.
Judge Matt Gilmore administers the oath of office to sheriff-elect Doug Timmerman, who is with his wife, Jill.
Timmerman will officially take office on Jan. 6, the day after his mentor and boss, Sheriff Jeff Grey, retires, ending his 23-year-reign as the county's top law enforcement officer.
Earlier this month, Timmerman, along with 30 other incoming sheriffs from throughout Ohio, completed 80 of the 120 hours of training required by state law.
In many ways, Timmerman had been preparing for this moment for most of his life. He joined the sheriff's office's explorers program, now known as the junior deputy program, as a Coldwater High School sophomore in 1988 and went on to serve in every division of the sheriff's office over the course of 31 years.
At different points, Timmerman held the positions of 911 dispatcher, road patrol deputy, detective, detective sergeant, enforcement captain, corrections captain and chief deputy.
Timmerman believes he's as "well-educated and prepared" as he can be for the job.
"I feel like I've got the best opportunities that any person could have possibly been given to be well-rounded in all these divisions," Timmerman told The Daily Standard. "I just feel like I've got a leg up on the opportunity, and along with … Sheriff Grey's giving me the opportunities here by letting me work in all the divisions so that I understand them all."
Seeing the writing on the wall, Grey announced his decision to retire almost two years ahead of the completion of his sixth term to allow for a smooth transition to the next administration. Grey threw his support behind Timmerman before the 2024 Republican primary election.
"Not to say that I'm not a little nervous, but I'm very excited. Even Sheriff Grey is in the background, and he's rooting for us. He's like, 'I want you to take it to the next level,'" Timmerman said. "I appreciate everything he's done for us, setting us up for this opportunity."
Timmerman's standing and capability will be bolstered by an ace team of administrators.
There is one structural change, though, as Timmerman opted to combine his current position of chief deputy of enforcement and that of chief deputy of corrections into one appointment.
Chief Deputy of Corrections Martin Emerine was promoted to the newly consolidated chief deputy role. He, too, was administered the oath of office by Gilmore on Sunday afternoon.
"He was the captain of corrections for awhile, and then when Jodi Lange retired he did get promoted to chief (deputy of corrections)," Timmerman said. "And then I put captains in charge of all the divisions."
Jon Wolfe is captain of the corrections division, Megan Baker is captain of the enforcement division and Chad Fortkamp will become captain of the civil division, taking over for Lori Knapke, who will retire on Tuesday after 26 years with the sheriff's office.
Rachel Williams is the captain/administrator of 911 dispatch, Kandi Baucher is fiscal manager, Ashley Carr is executive assistant and Kory Hoffhines is the network administrator.
"We're going to be young but these people have a lot of energy, they've got some new ideas," Timmerman said. "Kudos to Sheriff Grey for letting us have this opportunity, and he helped guide me in picking the right people, too."
Timmerman also cited detective lieutenant Chris Hamberg as having an important role at the office. Hamberg, who previously worked at the sheriff's office from 1991 to 2011, was welcomed back in October after retiring as a special agent with Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
"I feel like I've got a very, very, very good command staff set up," Timmerman said. "Chris Hamberg coming back from BCI, bringing a lot of extra knowledge back to his hometown, that has already paid dividends since he's been here."
Timmerman advocated a stance much-like that of Grey in granting autonomy to the heads of the various divisions.
"I want the supervisors to supervise their divisions, and I just need to oversee it and explain to them what my expectations are and to make sure they're following it," he said. "I feel like that's what my job is."
Expounding further on his law enforcement philosophy and priorities as the incoming sheriff, Timmerman emphasized the importance of a community-based approach to law enforcement.
He wants the public to know he's approachable and eager to hear what they have to say about policing the county.
"Sheriff Grey has been at this job for a long time, and there's a lot of people that know him. I need to make sure that I get out into the community," Timmerman said. "I need to make sure that the people understand I'm here and our office is here to work for them and not against them."
At the same time, Timmerman said he wants to engage the public in a conversation about the role and operations of the sheriff's office and why it can or can't do certain things.
"Obviously I want to hear their opinions about what they expect from their sheriff's office," he continued. "Because at the end of the day, that's who we're working for is the people, and we want to provide the service that they want."
Part of that community engagement will involve Timmerman visiting the schools to talk to students about opportunities such as the sheriff's office's junior deputy program.
"I have this desire because I see how it affected me. I want to get around to the schools a lot," he said. "We're struggling with recruiting, we're struggling with hiring, and even if we can get a couple people here and there that came along the same path that I did, I think that would help us out for future careers here, too."
Timmerman said several current sheriff's office employees got their start in the program. Teens can join at age 14 and begin riding with deputies at 16.
Asked about issues facing the county, Timmerman said drugs remain a problem.
"We still have a drug issue. There's no doubt that's something we're going to continue to face. That's something we're going to continue to fight on all ends," he said. "Whether it's arrests, whether it's treatment, whether it's education, whatever we can do to slow that down, we're obviously open for that."
Another rising concern is motorists driving under the influence of marijuana, especially in light of Ohio adults 21 and older now being able to legally consume and possess certain amounts of the drug.
"With the passing of the marijuana law, we have noticed that our drug intoxication has gone up a little bit," Timmerman said. "Some of that is our deputies need to be a little bit better trained on looking for drug intoxication."
Timmerman noted he's seen a troubling rise in the number of people driving without a valid license, presenting both safety and liability hazards for other drivers on the roadways.
"We're getting a lot of driving under suspension violations and no operator's license and people without insurance," he said. "That's something I have a desire to crack down on a little bit because we've had so many accidents where people are either uninsured and unlicensed, and I feel that's not fair to the victim of the traffic crash."
Timmerman is a member of the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association, where he currently serves on the legislative and awards committees. He is also a member of the National Sheriff's Association and a graduate of the FBI's Law Enforcement Executive Development Association.
