Taylor retires as Loudonville police chief
Kevin Taylor retired as the police chief of the Loudonville Police Department on Aug. 31. He is now working as a probation officer for Ashland Municipal Court.
Kevin Taylor recently retired as the police chief of the Loudonville Police Department after serving in the department for 32 years.
Taylor retired Aug. 31, handing the reins of chief to longtime trusted colleague and friend Brian McCauley, who took the oath of office at the Sept. 5 Loudonville Village Council meeting. He trusts McCauley to oversee the town they both grew up in.
“We grew up together in Loudonville as kids,” Taylor said. “I have known him my whole life. He has been my second in command for about seven years, so it was an easy transition, a no-brainer that Brian should be the next chief, and the department is going to be in good hands with him at the helm.”
Through the retirement system at the Loudonville PD, he was eligible to retire after 25 years. Taylor had 32 years there, and he thought it was time for his second in command to take the reins and bring some new perspectives and ideas to the department.
Taylor grew up in Loudonville and was committed to making it a safe community.
Per a proclamation, Loudonville Mayor Jason Van Sickle said of Taylor at the Sept. 5 meeting, “(Taylor is someone with) exemplary work ethic, excellent moral character and (an) ability to get along well with all those he came in contact with on a daily basis, both residents and co-workers alike, (and who) steadfastly served the citizens of our village with distinction.”
As he grew up watching his father put on a uniform as the Ashland County game protector, Taylor knew law enforcement was something he also wanted to pursue.
“I would always see him go to work in his uniform, and I always thought, ‘Boy, I would like to do something like that someday,’” Taylor said, adding his father also joined the Loudonville Police Department as a part-time officer.
Taylor got his chance when he graduated high school in 1990. After joining the Ohio National Guard out of high school and becoming a dispatcher for the Loudonville Police Department in 1991, he attended the Police Academy in 1993.
According to Van Sickle’s proclamation, Taylor became an auxiliary police officer in 1992, a full-time officer in 1995, a sergeant in 1999, a police captain in 2002, acting chief in 2008 and appointed chief of police in 2008.
Taylor said the job was what he hoped it would be.
“There’s nothing I would do differently,” he said. “I grew up in Loudonville, graduated high school from Loudonville, and I just always felt committed to the community, and it was just a privilege to work where I lived at. I loved it.”
Throughout his tenure, his favorite aspects of the job included the times he was part of a K-9 Unit. He had two different K-9s over the years, one for eight years and another for five.
He called having a K-9 a comfort. As an officer in a smaller department, there was not always enough coverage for a call that required multiple officers. But with a K-9, you had instant backup, he said.
Additionally, he said it was nice having the dogs at home with his family, saying they loved on his children.
“It was nice,” Taylor said. “If I didn’t happen to be there and the dog was, it was a good comfort for the family.”
Being a police officer is not without its challenges, especially being in a smaller department. Because Loudonville is a hub for a lot of summer travelers and campers, the summer months could be challenging.
“We are a small department, and we have a lot of activity down there, especially in the summer,” Taylor said. “A lot of times we were shorthanded, so going on calls where you should have two or more officers, a lot of times we would have to respond to calls just with one police officer.
“When you go on a fight call or a domestic (call), things like that, you really want two or three officers there. There were times where we had to respond by ourselves. We didn’t have anybody else. We can call for assistance from the state park or the sheriff’s office, but a lot of times they can be a ways out or not in the area, so we kind of had to rely on ourselves.”
Among his favorite aspects of his job was seeing those he had previously arrested and in a bad place who ended up turning their lives around. Taylor has been approached by those who remember being arrested by him, and they tell him how they have since stopped using drugs or alcohol and ended up getting married and having kids.
“That’s pretty rewarding,” he said.
Taylor still uses his skills as a probation officer for Ashland Municipal Court, where he started working following his retirement. He said he started considering being a probation officer after talking with former co-workers who made similar moves and enjoyed it. He also spends his time as a part-time officer in Loudonville.
“I always wondered what I would do when I retired,” said Taylor, who moved to Ashland this year with his wife and two adult children. “Law enforcement is the only thing I know how to do.”