Hamilton assistant chief named interim police chief
Trent Chenoweth was named the interim Hamilton police chief this month after Craig Bucheit left the job to be the city manager.
Chenoweth was the choice based on the command structure of the Hamilton Police Department. Until last spring, the department had two police captains who served as assistant police chiefs, but when Capt. Marc McManus retired last year, Chenoweth became the lone assistant chief under Bucheit.
The native Hamiltonian has been with the Hamilton Police Department for 32 years, but he wanted to be a cop since he was 12 years old, when he was involved in Safety Patrol in elemen- tary school.
“It all started with that,” he said. “I was captain of the Safety Patrol and then from there, I was done. It was all I ever wanted to do.”
Though the decision to name Chenoweth, who grew up in Lindenwald, was the natural decision given that he was the highest-ranking officer under Buchiet, it’s not a guarantee he’ll be named the chief. He and five Hamil- ton police lieutenants will fol- low the same process taken when Bucheit became chief, a test Chenoweth is familiar with, as he also took the chief of police civil service test. Bucheit slightly edged out the now-acting chief a decade ago.
“It’s ironic,” Chenoweth said. “He beat me by three points, or three questions. So, it’s kind of come full circle.”
Typically, the two cap- tains, or assistant chiefs, would sit for the exam, but since there’s only one cap- tain and it must be a com- petitive test, the lieutenants were invited to sit for the exam. The permanent chief isn’t expected to be named until July.
The written portion of the exam is set to take place June 1, and the assessment cen- ter portion of the process is scheduled for June 29.
There’s a lot going on with the Hamilton Police Depart- ment, most notably the tran- sition of moving into the new Justice Center across from the Butler County Sheriff ’s Office, likely this November.
“This is very much an agency in transition,” Che- noweth said. “We’re mov- ing buildings, we had this last-minute change that no one saw happening. There’s a whole lot coming at the department in a very short period of time.”
Though Chenoweth said the department is “very well-versed in dealing with change” and is prepared for it, change is always constant, and if he’s the next chief or someone else, he’s embracing the opportunity.
“I’ve enjoyed the position of assistant chief for the last 10 years,” he said. “I appreciate having this opportunity, and I look forward to the challenge and just seeing where we can go.”