LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A young honorary Lima police officer who passed away 5 years ago, was remembered and honored Wednesday. Friends and family c…
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Many people were also on hand to say goodbye and good luck to retiring Chief Kevin Martin who says it is bittersweet ending his 30 years plus career with the Lima Police Department. He is confident the department will be in good hands as Cortes is an excellent leader and an outstanding police officer.
Martin has been serving as chief of the Lima Police Department for the last 11 years and attended his final meeting after being a staple at them during his tenure and council members thanked him for his service to the city and he thanked them for the support.
A small group of students from all the buildings in the Lima City School district came together to say thank you to all of the law enforcement with a pep rally. The students made signs and cheered on the Lima Police, Allen County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Park Rangers, and the hospital's campus' officers. The Heritage show choir also performed during the pep rally.
Lima’s police chief making a surprise announcement Wednesday that leaves the city looking for a new leader. Chief Kevin Martin announced his retirement at the weekly mayor’s briefing surrounded by his family. He says events of the past year have brought him to a different place and ready to start the next chapter of his life. Martin started with the Lima Police Department in 1986 working up the ranks becoming Chief in 2011. He says he enjoyed every day he served the people of Lima.
Lima residents connected with the Lima Police Department during the Coffee with a Cop program. Held at the Vibe Coffeehouse on Market Street, officers were able to sit down and have casual conversations with the people they protect and serve.
The Lima Police Department along with LACNIP were able to hold the National Night Out with some great weather Tuesday evening. The event offered live music and brought together local businesses and organizations to let the community know what services they offer.
When both Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin and Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia were looking into purchasing vehicles for each of their SWAT teams, they realized just how expensive that would be. This sparked the idea of combining the two. The agencies have already proved success of this in the past, by merging multiple safety forces. They include the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force, Regional Bomb Squad, and Dive Team.
The Lima Police Department with the assistance of Shawnee Township Police will be increasing daily and nightly patrols around the TB Hospital. Officers will even be patrolling on foot. Through monitoring, almost 600 people have visited the abandoned hospital in the last 30 days. 102 were there over the weekend.
On Tuesday, citizens of Lima's 6th ward gathered to discuss recent issues within their communities.