Chief Ron Meyers has worked his final day leading the Chillicothe Police Department, closing out 31 years with the department, the last six of them as its top officer, the Scioto Valley Guardian reported on November 8. The department honored Meyers with a retirement ceremony, presenting him with a plaque recognizing his career, according to the Guardian’s reporting by Connor DeWine.
Meyers’ path to the chief’s office ran through both military and street service. After serving his country through the U.S. Marine Corps, Meyers joined the Chillicothe Police Department as a road patrol officer, the Chillicothe Gazette reported in its October profile of his retirement.
He was appointed to the chief position in 2020, the Gazette reported. Meyers previously helped train the man who succeeds him when that officer started on the department, and served as his superior for many years.
Once Meyers officially retires, Captain Michael Short will be promoted to chief, the Gazette reported — a transition the department prepared for in advance rather than springing on the new chief. Meyers entered a state retirement program that carried a strict retirement deadline, the Gazette reported, so the timing of this week was known inside the department well before his final day.
For Chillicothe, the change ends a three-decade run of continuity in its police leadership. Meyers served the city from patrol through the chief’s office, and the department marked the handoff with a ceremony recognizing the full span of that service, according to the Scioto Valley Guardian.
What happens next is Short’s promotion to chief and the start of his tenure leading the department Meyers ran for six years. Residents will see the new chief’s first decisions — and any changes in the department’s direction — in the weeks ahead.