Chief Angel Cortes of the Lima Police Department recognized by Lima City Council as he nears retirement

LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Lima City Council recognizes Police Chief Angel Cortes as he gets ready to enter retirement.

In a resolution passed Monday night, Lima City Council shared their appreciation for Chief Cortes' leadership and service to the Lima Police Department and his contributions to making Lima a safe community for all. Since taking the Police Chief's oath back in June of 2022, Chief Cortes has focused on various projects, including the recruitment of new officers from area high schools and colleges, the increase of salaries, and making sure the community stays fed through the "Filling the Gap" program. After council, Your Hometown Stations talked with Chief Cortes about the meaning of Monday night's recognition.

"It's been a great honor to serve this community as chief, but a lot of the credit... you know, I lead the department, and I give it the direction that I think it needs to go, but a lot of the credit goes to the men and women who work at the street level and our detectives and our majors and our sergeants—they do the work; I just point the fingers, so I give a lot of the credit for them, and if not for them, we couldn't accomplish as much as we did in the last 2 years," says Chief Angel Cortes, Lima Police Department.

Major Jim Baker will be the city's next police chief and will assume responsibilities this Saturday, July 27th.