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Pictured is the first group
of men sworn into duty as Hubbard Township Police Officers L to R: Judge Luardi, John
Karlovic, Fred Prassic, Clarence Brewer, Rick Wells, |
The Hubbard Township Police Department became a reality on October 1, 1978. The township Board of Trustees, Mr. Jack Choppa (Chairman), Mr. Ralph Salerno, and Mr. Ray Kulow, along with the township clerk, Mrs. Helen Dubyak were instrumental in the formation of the police department.
Mr. John B. Karlovic, a former Hubbard City Police Officer and Trumbull County Sheriff Deputy, was named the first Chief of Police on October 1, 1978. Since this time our Township Police Department has had Mike Begeot assume the position of Acting Chief in 1989 until Howard Bradley was appointed Chief of Police and he served until December 31, 1990. The department was without a Chief until June 6, 1991 when Officer Calvin (Rick) Wells took over and served until January 5, 1995. At this time, current Chief, Todd Coonce took over command.
The department police cruisers have gone from Dodge, Chevrolet, and to the current Ford models. Since 1978 the cruiser fleet has grown from four (4) units to eight (8), not including the now used unmarked units.
In or about 1981 police dispatching was added to the department. Mr. John Kuty was appointed as Head Dispatcher at the time, and a short time later Ms. Peg Constantine assumed the position and held the position until the department progressed to the 9-1-1 system in 1994.
There has only been one police officer unit number retired to date, this being unit #103,
this was done in honor of
Through the years the police department has received a "new face" with the improvement to the exterior of the township building and has upgraded from the revolver weapon to the semi-automatic pistol for all full time officers. Upgrades have been made from the Breathalyzer to the Datamaster Alcohol testing device and the purchasing of a Ford unmarked cruiser for the use of the department. The department also obtains unmarked units on a needed basis, this information remains in a confidential knowledge status.
The department has had its share of milestones in its first 20 years. The first female appointed to an officer position was Ms. Joyce A. Polovischak. Officer Kenneth D. Miller was assigned as the first juvenile officer, while Officer Mike Begeot was appointed as the first weaponscraft instructor in department history, handling all weapons qualifications for department members. Mr. Begeot was later named as the departments first ever investigator/detective and assumed the responsibility of heading all major investigations. Officer Todd Coonce was appointed as the departments’ first representative to the Trumbull County Drug Task Force and was later named as Task Force Director. Officer Randy Williams served Hubbard Township for a brief period as a member of the FBI’s Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force and was the departments first ever K-9 unit handler.
Throughout the history of our department, the Hubbard Township Police Department has had many members of its family. Including the original nine (9) officers, the department has had fifty (50) road officers, sixteen (16) dispatchers, one (1) sergeant, five (5) police chiefs and one (1) K-9, Officer Radar. Of the nine (9) original officers, two (2) are currently of status with the department and we have recently added a new member to our family K-9 Officer Trooper.
