CEO - Keith Porch - Mansfield Safety Service Director

Keith Porch was recently named Mansfield's Safety Service Director at the end of February of 2024. Porch retired after 30 years in law enforcement, 25 in total with Mansfield Police, and the last 5, as Chief. Keith, also spent 5 years working for the Richland County Sheriff's Office. He shares about the transition into his new role and all of the job duties that includes. Porch is married and is a graduate of Mansfield Senior. Listen and learn all about Keith Porch on the podcast.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The CEO you should know, broughtto you by Roby Foster Miller Eric Insurance.
This week's CEO Keith Porch, MansfieldSafety Service Director. Keith, good
morning, how are you today?Good good, Aaron, fantastic, Always
pleasure to talk with you. Yeah, always great to hear your voice.

(00:20):
Let's begin. Recently you retired fromMansfield Police as the chief of Police,
so let's begin right there and talkabout just taking over as Safety Service Director
here in Mansfield, if you wantto talk about that transition from the police
department now to be in Safety Servicedirector. So I've been in the position

(00:41):
for a little over a week now, so transitioning up into the position of
Safety Service Director has been quite busyfor me. I've had to get a
lot of the things off my deskas related to the police department to start
focusing on the Safety Service director's positionand been quite busy doing that. So

(01:07):
it has been a whirlwind in preparingfor the job. Here, let's explain
to people what does a Safety Servicedirector do and kind of what do you
oversee walk us through whether it's dayto day, but just in general,
what your job duties entail. Sure, sure, so primary duties include overseeing

(01:29):
police, fire and our communications center. So as the title suggests safety service,
so there are other services departments thatI can oversee as well, but
again still very new in the position, and there could be some changes down
the road with other departments that wouldbe under me, but at this point

(01:53):
it is police Fire in the CommunicationsCenter. So a large part of my
duties is working with the chiefs ofboth divisions on the budgeting, which takes
a lot of time to prepare budgetsfor both departments to make sure as it
relates to personnel and capital related items. Along with the Communications center, I

(02:19):
also am involved in the contracts thelabor contracts for the city, so I
play a part in the fire contract, the police contract, and are ask
me contract for our service folks,so I do play a part in the
negotiation when those contracts come up.I sit on various boards at the discretion

(02:43):
of the mayor to name a few, the Planning Commission and also our Board
of Control, which is a meetingthat city employees department heads would come to
the board when making certain purchases overa threshold, so we review those purchases
and then ultimately that goes to CityCouncil for final consideration. I also sit

(03:07):
on the Healthcare Insurance Committee as partof the administration side, to work through
those issues as it relates to ourhealthcare within the City of Mansfield. A
lot of things that the Safety ServiceDirector does. Maybe you didn't know,
we were learning this morning all aboutKeith Porch again just recently named to that

(03:30):
role, Mansfield Safety Service Director.So if we could, let's talk about
the transition. You were with thepolice department. What's twenty five thirty years,
the last five at least is chief. Talk about that decision to retire
and then take this role. Iknow you love being police chief, Yes,
you know, it was an extremelyhard decision for me. I did

(03:52):
not leave the police department because Iwas ready to go do other things.
It was meetings with Mayor Perry,and once I heard her vision that she
had for the City of Mansfield,it truly became an easy decision for me

(04:13):
to accept the position when offered.I want to be a part of her
plans to make the city a betterplace. But on the other hand,
when making that decision, Aaron,I can't tell you how extremely difficult that
was for me. You know,at twenty five years with the City of
Mansfield, five previously with the RichlandCounty Sheriff's Office. My whole life has

(04:41):
at this point has been in lawenforcement and definitely an honor of my life
to be able to serve the citizensof Mansfield and Richland County throughout my career.
So you know, I clearly I'mnot going far as it relates to
the police department, so I willstill be involved with decisions with the new

(05:04):
chief to make that department even betterthan when I had it, and I
look forward to working with the newchief with their vision when that decision is
finally made. We are hearing fromKeith Port this morning, Mansfield Safety Service
Director. While we're on that topic, I believe talking with Mayor Jody Perry,

(05:26):
who I had in the studio abouta week ago, you have input,
right and all of that when youas you guys are searching for the
new chief. Correct, you guysare both involved with this. Yes,
Yes, at this point, we'vehad initial interviews. It's just we're pretty
close with the mayor making a selection, so we're pretty excited to get that

(05:46):
going and obviously finished up so wecan get things moving in the right direction,
you know, Keith, is Ihave one more question on that you
taking over as Safety Service Director.You being the police chief, as you
mentioned, or five years but twentyfive with the Mansfield Police Department. So
I'm assuming you being police chief nowinto this role has to be a really
good transition because you'll still be ableto work with the police department. Absolutely

(06:12):
clearly, I'm familiar with the withstaff members from both the sworn and non
sworn side. I have always workedwell with the fire department. So as
you're aware, Aaron, we havea new fire chief, Chief Crow.
My conversations and meetings with him havebeen fantastic and I really need to be

(06:33):
caught up to speed on the firesideof the house. That's obviously has not
been in my wheelhouse in my career. So I'm interested and exciting to learn
a to z on every aspects ofoperations for the fire department. You know,
I know both departments and working sideby side, you know, are

(06:57):
extremely professional and I'm excited to learneverything I can in regards to that operation.
All right, terrific to hear thismorning. For a few more minutes,
we'll keep him. It's Keith Porchwho is Mansfield's new Safety Service Director,
just named to that Rollies this week'sCEO. You should know Keith.

(07:17):
If people don't know about you,let's learn a little bit more. Let's
go back to the very beginning.Tell people where was Keith Porch born?
Born in Mansfield, Ohio. Attendedthe Mansfield Senior High Schools to have graduated
in nineteen ninety three. Has beena tiger in my heart ever since I

(07:39):
was born. My roots have beenlong in the soil within the city of
Mansfield. Now, after high school, did you always know, I know
you went on to work with theSheriff's Department, that onto the Mansfield Police
Department for many many years. Didyou know you know out of high school
that you wanted to go on lawenforcement? To be honest, Aaron,

(08:00):
I can remember it has been adream of mine to be a police officer
at Mansfield. Growing up. Ihad several officers that lived on my street,
so I was always had a chanceto see them come home and their
cruisers and got to talk with themthroughout my youth. The reason I went

(08:22):
to the Sheriff's office at the timeto be a municipal, a city police
officer and or a state trooper.You have to be twenty one years of
age to be a sheriff's deputy.A sheriff can appoint a deputy at eighteen
years of age, so I knewI had some time to do before I
could apply to the City of Mansfield. So I was lucky enough to be

(08:46):
hired from Sheriff Steerhoff, who selectedme as a deputy at eighteen years of
age, which when I think ofthat now, it's how extremely fortunate and
lucky I will to be able tobe giving that position and that responsibility at
that age. So stayed there withthe Sheriff's office, as I said,

(09:09):
for five years. Truly loved workingat the sheriff's office, and when there
came an opportunity for me to apply, I then went over to the City
of Mansfield and started as a policeofficer in nineteen ninety nine, all right,
and it worked his way up towhat assistant chief and then chief for
five years and just retiring here recently, and now Keith Porch is Mansfield's Safety

(09:35):
Service director. Before I let yougo, a couple more things. I
believe you're married, if you wouldtell us about Keith and the family,
yes, married for about fifteen yearsnow to my beautiful wife Julie, who
is a surgical nurse. So currentlyshe's a traveling surgical nurse and works down

(09:56):
at a hospital in the city ofDayton. So I always am interested to
hear about her day, her tryingday and surgery. And she keeps me,
keeps me running. So and ofcourse we have three fur babies.
I have two bulldogs and a shepherd, so we definitely love our animals.

(10:16):
All right, terrific. Now,Keith, when you are not working,
what do you do in your sparetime? What are the hobbies for Keith
Ports? Well, that's funny thatyou mentioned that. So recently, within
the last year, I have beenworking on getting my private pilot's license,
so I've been taking courses out hereat Mansfield Long So I would estimate,

(10:41):
depending on weather, probably within severalmonths i'll have my pilot's license. So
you'll see me flying by the radiostation, wave at you from the sky.
All right, love it? Howgood stuff Keith Ports? Again,
Well keep him for a couple morequick questions. This week's CEO. You
should know Mansfield's new Safety Service Director. I got to ask the question I

(11:03):
feel like, and you can youknow, correct me if I'm wrong.
You know, I'm a big sportsguy. And you know, once a
coach, always a coach. Evenif you know you retired, they still
call you coach. You being theformer police chief, is it's always chief?
Right, It's always Chief Porch eventhough you're retired. Correct, yes,
yeah, so you know it's forthe last week or so. You

(11:24):
know, I still have many peoplethat I pass in the hallways and talk
on the phone that's still calling mechief. So of course I tell him
now it's just Keith, and it'sprobably an old habit to break. But
I'm sure when we get the newchief named, I'll be one of the

(11:46):
bricks in the police department and we'llconcentrate to the future. All right,
I know I'm falling into that.I want to call you chief every time
I talk to you. Right now, before I let you go, I
want to bring this up. Howdoes it work in terms of you in
terms of like, like is theirstaff under you? How does it work
for the Safety Service Director in termsof your office? So really my staff,

(12:09):
I just have a secretary and sothat consists of the Safety Service Director's
budget. Is my position and asecretary who ultimately works between the public Works
director and my office. So Igot half of a staff, to be
honest with you, that consists ofmy personnel, Keith. Last thing,

(12:31):
been a great chat with you thismorning. If somebody wants more information,
you know, they have a question, maybe maybe they have a concern,
can they go to the city websitefind a phone number or something like that
to be able to get in touchwith your office. Yeah. Absolutely,
it is posted on the website forthe City of Mansfield. We will in
the future here we'll be doing coffeewith the director's so well, we want

(12:56):
to start doing this maybe on aquarterly basis, so we can pick different
locations throughout the city and for anhour or so, and it's no specific
agenda. If you're curious about thewhat's happening in the city or what the
public Works director or the safety directordoes, you know, you're more than

(13:20):
welcome to stop buy those events anddrink coffee and shoot the breeze. And
you know that's in my opinion.I know, I've talked with the Public
Works director. It's you know,it's about building relationships and an education and
awareness, which is our priority allright, so you can go to the

(13:41):
City of Mansfield website CI dot Mansfielddot oh dot us. There's three lines
in the upper right hand corner.Click on that go to where it says
government. You'll go down and youwill find the Public Safety Department and right
there phone number, emails, allof that for you be able to reach
out. Great conversation this morning,great to learn about Keith Porch, Mansfield's

(14:03):
new Safety Service Director. Keith.We appreciate your time, thank you for
joining us, and we wish youcontinued success. Thank you er again,
Always a pleasure, Sir, KeithPorch, Mansfield Safety Service Director. The
CEO you should know riad a bio, see a photo, and here the
extended interview at WMA n FM dotcom. Leading means having a vision and

(14:28):
sharing it with others. I'm JohnRoby of RFME Insurance. We're excited to
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