The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement Foundation has recognized the Bluffton Police Department as the October 2023 Agency of the Month. Outstanding community policing efforts are highlighted by the agency's “Sharing Ohio’s Best” program, an opportunity to promote positive policing.
The agency’s Community Relations and Engagement committee states, “Chief Burkholder and his team have certainly used creativity and relationships to build upon their community policing strategy. They have successfully incorporated a variety of programs for all age groups in their community…. We applaud Chief Burkholder and his agency for their hard work, but we also commend the entire community for accepting quality police programming as a part of the fabric of where they live, work and play.”
About the Bluffton Police Department Community Relations Program
The Bluffton Police Department is a community-based policing organization that proudly serves the Village of Bluffton. Some of their programs are:
No parking on Main St between Bentley Rd and Jefferson St.
Wednesday, October 11-Friday, October 13
From the Office of The Village Administrator
There will be no parking on Main Street from Bentley Rd to Jefferson St beginning Wednesday October 11th through Friday October 13th. This restriction is in place to allow the paving of Main St to be completed. Please use side streets and the lots in the rear of the business district for parking during these times. If you have questions, please contact Administrator Blackburn. Instructions:
Move vehicles to private residences, side streets, or municipal lots behind business district.
The September 2023 report of calls for service to the Bluffton Police Department was presented to the Bluffton mayor and council at the Octoberr 9 regular council meeting by Chief Ryan Burkholder.
New distracted driving law became enforceable on Oct. 5
FINDLAY__Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Findlay District will focus efforts on curbing distracted driving this weekend, as Ohio’s new distracted driving law became enforceable on October 5. The northwest Ohio initiative started at 12 a.m. on October 6, and will end at 11:59 p.m. on October 8.
On April 4, Ohio’s distracted driving law became stricter and is now a primary offense. The new law gave law enforcement officers probable cause to pull over motorists if they witness them illegally using a cell phone or other electronic device. Since then, there have been 446 distracted driving-related crashes in the Findlay District, a 10 percent decrease over the same time frame in 2022. While these numbers are encouraging, distracted driving still occurs on a daily basis on our roadways. In an effort to reduce the number of distracted driving-related crashes, northwest Ohio troopers will be out this weekend looking for drivers violating the new law.
On October 2 The Findlay Courier reported that a Bluffton man has been sentenced in Hancock County Common Pleas Court to 16-18 years in prison for rape and sexual assaults of a child.
The man, Jeffery A. Ludwig, 66, of 451 County Road 33, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to the offenses, which occurred between 2010 and 2015, involving a victim less than ten years old.
The offenses occurred between August 2010 and November 2015. Ludwig is now classified as a Tier III sex offender.
