ASHLAND — Ashland City Police Det. Lt. Curt Dorsey will serve as the division’s new chief of police beginning Jan. 30.
The move comes after former Chief of Police David Lay announced his retirement earlier this year.
“He has the experience, humility, and integrity to serve the people of our community with excellence,” Mayor Matt Miller wrote in a Facebook post.
Dorsey officially accepted the position on Monday afternoon, after Miller offered him the job. The mayor is in charge of appointing Fire and Police chiefs, according to the city’s Charter.
Miller will officially swear in Dorsey on Jan. 30 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ashland Municipal Building, located at 206 Claremont Ave., in the City Council Chambers.
Dorsey joined the police division nearly 20 years ago as a full-time patrol officer and later became a field training officer in 2008, according to an Ashland City Mayor’s Office press release.
He is a Shelby High School and North Central State College graduate.
In 2017, he was named a detective for the agency and he was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2019.
In 2024, he was promoted to his current position of detective Lieutenant, where he manages a squad of officers and five detectives. The same year, he was chosen the Ashland City Police Division’s Supervisor of the Year.
Dorsey is also a two-time recipient of the Ashland County Prosecutor’s Award for Outstanding Dedication to Victims, according to the release.
Dorsey has served as union representative and a member of the U.S. Marshal’s Violent Fugitive Task Force. He also works on the local Sexual Assault Response Team and the Heartland Technical Education Center Law Enforcement Advisory Board, according to the release.
“He exhibits the qualities I would like to see in every police officer,” Miller said, “He is someone who can be firm when necessary, but someone who is always the first to call out someone’s strengths.”
Dorsey did not respond to Ashland Source requests for comment by the time of publication.
Miller also noted that Dorsey helped create the ROCK program, which stands for Reach Out Cops and Kids, which rolled out on March 1, 2022.
The program is designed to recognize Ashland-area youth who have done good deeds worthy of appreciation.
What the job entails
The job posting stated the chief will be responsible for managing day-to-day operations, personnel and training, overseeing the division’s $3.7 million budget, assessing equipment needs, maintaining records compliance and strengthening relationships with the community, city leadership and partner agencies, according to previous Ashland Source reporting.
The next chief should also have “excellent communication skills with direct reports, supervisor, across departments and with the public. Customer service (internal and external) is second only to safety,” reads the job posting.
Miller previously said Chief Lay made an annual salary of $102,000, but the posted position noted compensation depends on experience.
Miller said he and Dorsey have not yet discussed a definitive salary.
He also noted the job posting received 13 total applicants: nine from outside the division, and four from within the division.