The Athens Police Department chief said he will retire by Feb. 22, 2011, concluding 22 years as police chief.
Richard Mayer, who became police chief in 1988, has to retire on or before Feb. 22, 2011, to receive retirement benefits through the deferred retirement option plan, Mayer said.
The deferred retirement option plan allows police and firefighters to get a lump sum of money upon retirement, according to the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund Web site.
I think he's a very dedicated
serious police chief and he takes his job very seriously said City of Athens Personnel Director Beverly Henderson of Mayer's career.
Candidates for Mayer's replacement will have to take the civil service exam to get the chief position, Mayer said. He added that he hopes the department has a replacement by October 2010 so he can bring them up to speed on things.
The city also has scheduled a captain's test for May 2009 to replace an Athens Fire Department captain who left last year, Henderson said. She added that the city had to wait to fill the position until the next convenient captain's exam.
Along with searching for a new police chief, the city of Athens is also working on hiring a patrol officer for the Athens Police Department to replace Roger Deardorff, who retired last year after 30 years of service, Henderson said. She has already scheduled interviews for the position.
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Gail Burkhardt
