Ex-Miami Twp. officer hired by local police department
A police officer fired in May by Miami Twp. was hired last month by Perry Twp.
Perry Twp. Police Chief Tim Littleton said he hired Douglas Hesler.
Hesler was hired as a fulltime officer for a day shift position, according to Perry Twp. records.
Hesler’s 12-year tenure with Miami Twp. — where he was a union leader — was terminated this spring after records show he made what the township called “racially insensitive” comments to a female officer.
Littleton confirmed Hesler’s hiring during a brief conversation with this news organization. Messages left for him this week were not returned. Attempts to contact Hesler have been unsuccessful.
In recommending Hesler’s termination, Miami Twp. Police Chief Charlie Stiegelmeyer also noted the veteran officer’s violation of the department’s recording policy, its code of conduct and core values, according to township documents.
The termination vote on Hesler, 46, followed an arbitrator’s ruling favorable for the township. The ruling came after Hesler filed a grievance last year to his five-day, unpaid suspension.
The suspension action came after he told a fellow officer that if she wanted to file a complaint with the union against a superior, “you have a golden ticket because you’re a black female,” according to the arbitrator’s ruling.
Hesler had previously been suspended by Miami Twp. in 2016 for remarks about harm to that department’s police chief, records show.
Hesler was a department Fraternal Order of Police vice president and the longtime handler of the department’s K-9 officer before trustees voted 3-0 to fire him May 20.
Hesler was hired by Miami Twp. in 2007 after serving as a police officer in New Lebanon for about eight years.
With Miami Twp. Hesler had solid annual evaluations, meeting or exceeding standards in every category in which he was scored, records show.
He was named the handler for the department’s K-9 officer, Coron, when Miami Twp. began the program in 2011. Hesler achieved the highest score among three candidates. Citing Coron’s retirement and a need to have more officers on the street, then-Miami Twp. Police Chief Ron Hess earlier this year disbanded the K-9 program.
Throughout his tenure, Hesler consistently received letters of recognition from both the public and his superiors for his teamwork, initiative and performance, according to township documents.