Public Safety

Mifflin Township disbands police division after voters reject levy

Mifflin Township, Ohio • November 11, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

An Ohio sheriff's patrol SUV with its emergency lights on

Photo: Scioto Valley Guardian

Mifflin Township's board of trustees voted Tuesday to abolish the township's police division effective immediately, after voters rejected the tax levy that paid for it — leaving the Franklin County Sheriff's Office to answer emergency calls, with no regular patrols in the township.

The township announced the decision in a news release on Wednesday, November 11, saying the police division "is abolished effective immediately" and that it is seeking partnerships or contracts with local law enforcement agencies to cover the township going forward.

The vote came a week after township voters rejected a continuing 6.96-mill property tax levy on the November 3 ballot. About 56% of voters rejected the levy and 44% voted in favor, according to unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections. The levy would have cost property owners $244 for each $100,000 of assessed value and was estimated to raise about $500,322 a year for police operations. A similar levy measure in November 2025 also failed by similar margins.

The division was small: two full-time officers and three part-time officers, according to records from the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. It had struggled with staffing since two of its officers were shot by a suspect who fled a traffic stop in May 2025.

For now, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office will respond to emergency runs and other calls in the township, said Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9. But deputies will not perform regular patrols, and the sheriff's office will not take nonpriority calls, Steel said.

The trustees thanked the police department for its service in their statement. "The Trustees' priority is to ensure the continued delivery of effective and reliable public safety services while maintaining responsible stewardship of public funds," the township said. "Additional information regarding future police protection services will be shared as it becomes available."

The township did not respond to a request for further information, and its administrative offices were closed Wednesday for Veterans Day.

Sources: The Columbus Dispatch, "Mifflin Township disbands police division, seeks agency partners" (Nov. 11, 2026, full text verified); The Columbus Dispatch, "Mifflin Township trustees vote to disband police department after levy failure" (Nov. 10, 2026, full text verified); Franklin County Board of Elections, notice of election on the Mifflin Township police levy (6.96 mills, $244 per $100,000 of assessed value, $500,322 estimated annual collections). Event date verified: November 10-11, 2026 (trustees' vote Nov. 10; township news release Nov. 11).