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InVest in Vest

Chief Gary L. Vest
Powell Police Department
Ohio

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Chief Vest is the immediate Past-President of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police (2006-2007) and chief of police for the City of Powell, Ohio, a position he has held since May 1996.  Powell Police Department is an accredited agency by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. Previously he served as the Police Chief of Clayton Ohio for seven years and ten years with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Dayton.

Chief Vest holds an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Dayton. He is a graduate of the Police Executive Leadership College and the 205th Session of the FBI National Academy. He is an Assessor for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (2002 to Present).

Chief Vest chairs the Ohio Local Law Enforcement Information Sharing Network (OLLEISN) steering committee connecting over 730 local agency record systems statewide. He is presently in the process of organizing an Ohio statewide child abduction response team (CART) program with regional teams modeled after Florida’s successful program.

Chief Vest represented the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) on the Computer-Aided-Dispatch and Record-Management-System Function Standards Committee for the Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council and was recently appointed to the Technology Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) Blue Ribbon Committee.

Chief Vest is a volunteer Consultant for the IACP Chiefs Mentoring Program (2004 to present). “Newer chiefs are provided with access to seasoned chiefs from similar sized agencies to learn how they achieved success and resolved similar problems.” http://www.theiacp.org/research/RCDChiefMentoring.html

Chief Vest has formally announced his candidacy for IACP 4th Vice President at the IACP 115th Annual Conference to be held in San Diego in November 2008.

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Gary L. Vest                                                                               

Chief of Police
City of Powell, OH                                                                             May, 1996 to Present

LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

President of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police (April 2006 to September 30, 2007)
OACP is a 1,000 member organization of executives and command staff representing local and state law enforcement agencies across Ohio. http://www.oacp.org/

Chair and originator of the Ohio Local Law Enforcement Information Sharing Network (OLLEISN) Steering Committee http://www.oacp.org/infoshare.html A voluntary statewide information-sharing network, based on model policies and established technical and security standards, with connectivity to 75% of all Ohio law enforcement agencies.

Recipient of the Michael J. Kelly Award for Excellence and Innovation in Policing from the Ohio Association of Chief of Police (July 2005) Award presented for “visionary role” in the development of the OLLEISN project.

Presenter at the International Police Executive Symposium in Ayvalik, Turkey (May 2006) A presentation on OLLEISN was given to participants from 36 nations representing six continents at the IPES on Global Security. http://www.ipes.info/default.asp

Lead-person of a law enforcement information technology team to Ankara, Turkey (September 2004) By invitation from the Turkish National Police, the team observed a national model for information integration or exchange designed for both law enforcement and homeland security.

The Powell Police Department is an internationally accredited agency by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (2002-2005, 2005-2008) CALEA was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). http://www.calea.org/

Assessor for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (2002 to Present) CALEA assessments at Garden City, Georgia, Anoka, Minnesota, University of Northern Arizona, at Flagstaff, AZ, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC and Monroe, NC.

Representing IACP on the Computer-Aided-Dispatch and Record-Management-System Function Standards Committee for the Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council (2004-2006) National project supported by IACP, NOBLE, NSA, and PERF resulting in published standards for law enforcement dispatch and record management system design. http://www.leitsc.org/

Chair and organizer of a statewide effort for mutual aid response in the event of a child abduction. The Child Abduction Response Team (CART) concept was originated in Florida in 2004. Ohio’s initiative launched in 2006 and is endorsed by OACP, the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association, the Ohio Amber steering committee, and the Ohio Attorney General. http://www.amberalert.gov/docs/CARTFactSheet.pdf

Delegate of a Homeland Security mission from Ohio to the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia Expansion of a partnership with the Turkish National Police to provide international exchange of policing concepts, observe cultural diversities, and terrorism awareness. (December 2006)

Vice-Chair of the Ohio Private Investigation and Security Services Commission First appointed to the Commission by Governor Bob Taft in 2005, with re-appointment for 2006 through 2011, serving as the police chief representative.  PISSC provides an advisory role to the Director of Public Safety on issues relating to the security guard and private investigation industry.

Member of the School Readiness Solutions Group of the State Board of Education (2005-2006) The School Readiness Solutions Group consists of 49 Ohioans from all regions of the state who represent a variety of professions, disciplines and points of view to develop “recommendations for policy changes and action — in both the public and private sectors — that will lead to the development of a coherent, effective system of early learning that improves school readiness and promotes children's long-term academic success.” Upon project completion, the final report was released August 25, 2006.  http://www.schoolreadiness.ohio.gov/index.htm

Originator and chair of the Powell Golden Days Festival Committee (1996 -1997) Powell Golden Days was a three-day community festival celebration to recognize Powell’s fiftieth year (1997) of incorporation. The festival continues as annual event known as the Powell Festival.
Citizen of the Year, award by the Powell Area Chamber of Commerce on Memorial Day, May 25, 1998 Recognized for leadership role with the Powell Golden Days Festival.

Original organizer of the Powell Community Bonfire (October 1997) An annual community event continues to draw 800 to 1,000 residents together for an evening social event and local entertainment, with the police chief and fire chief cooking on the grill.

Chair of a Partnership for a Healthy Delaware Committee Member (1997-2003) Recipient of a Resolution of Appreciation by the Delaware General Health District Board of Health for leadership and achievements for service to the community and work toward improvement of public health. (2003)

President of the Delaware County Criminal Justice Association (1997 to 2006) Founder of an informal group that includes county police agencies, sheriff, prosecutors,  judges, court clerks, and other law enforcement related agencies to improve inter-agency communication. The Presidency has passed on to the Delaware City police chief in 2006.

Chair of the Community Service Committee of the Olentangy Rotary Club (11/2003 to present)                http://www.olentangyrotary.org/home.htm

Chair of the Powell 2006 Safety Conference: Predator Awareness (March 11, 2006) The community event featured Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth Smart, and the family’s story of her abduction and recovery. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force gave a presentation on Internet Safety.  The planning committee included civic groups, school officials, and citizen volunteers. Approximately 250 people attended the event.

Volunteer Consultant for the IACP Chiefs Mentoring Program (2004 to present)“Newer chiefs are provided with access to seasoned chiefs from similar sized agencies to learn how they achieved success and resolved similar problems.” http://www.theiacp.org/research/RCDChiefMentoring.html

Recipient of the 2007 Olentangy Rotary Vocational Service Award for “exemplary service” to the community as Chief of Police for the City of Powell, Ohio.

EXPERIENCE

Chief of Police, City of Powell, OH (5/96 to Present)
Powell, Ohio is ranked by Money Magazine & CNN/Money as "the 18th best place to live in the United States." Powell, a Columbus, Ohio suburb, is an upscale high service demand community with an estimated population of slightly over 10,000. The chief of police is an at-will position reporting to the city manager. The agency engages in collective bargaining and the officers are represented by the Teamsters. The department is guided by a community policing philosophy and actively develops programs to support community needs. Through grants and collaborative relationships, the department sustains a strong technological leadership role. Training is a high priority and a typical Powell police officer receives between 40 and 80 hours of in-service training annually.

Chief of Police, Village of Clayton, OH (3/89 – 5/96)

Administrator, Professional Law Enforcement, Inc. (3/86 – 2/89) PLE Group, Dayton, Ohio

Deputy Sheriff/Corporal, MontgomeryCounty Sheriff’s Office (9/76 – 2/86) Dayton, Ohio

Police Officer, Wright-Patterson A.F.B., Ohio (6/76 – 9/76) Dept of Defense civilian police officer

MILITARY

 U.S.A.F., Security Police, Law Enforcement Specialist, Sgt. (4/72 – 4/76), with Honorable Discharge
Duty assignments were Lackland A.F.B. Texas, Lockbourne A.F.B. Ohio, Zaragoza A.B. Spain and K. I. Sawyer A.F.B. Michigan.

EDUCATION

Master of Public Administration, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, Graduated April 1984
Bachelor of Science, Major in Criminal Justice, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, Graduated April 1980
FBINationalAcademy, 205th Session, Quantico, Virginia, Graduated June 2001
PoliceExecutiveLeadershipCollege, Columbus, Ohio, Graduated March 1997

PUBLISHED

“Closing the Recruitment Gap, A Symposium’s Findings” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Nov. 2001
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2001/nov01leb.pdf

“Ohio Local Law Enforcement Information Sharing: Policy Issues in Data Exchange,” ­The Police Chief, a publication of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, June 2005
http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=612&issue_id=62005

“What is the Information-Sharing Plan for Ohio and How Did We Get Here?” Ohio Police Chief, a publication of the Ohio Association of Chief of Police, Fall 2004

CIVIC AND PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEES