ROSSFORD – Trey Farabee has been named Officer of the Year by the Rossford Police Department.
Farabee was honored at the Jan. 22 city council meeting.
Police Chief Todd Kitzler said the award is only given to the person who gets the majority vote of worn officers.
“It’s usually determined by a person’s activity, dedication, how well they get along with the other officers, how they handle calls and an overall respect for another office,” he said.
Farabee has been with the department since 2022, having served with the Wood County Sheriff’s Office before that.
“We couldn’t be happier with his activity and demeanor. He’s an officer everyone in our department should emulate,” Kitzler said.
City police were praised for their training and professionalism in managing an armed man and a swatting incident.
Council Member Bob Toth read a letter received by Officer Jodi Johnson, who is the school resource officer, about a former student who she stopped from a life of crime. Her continued efforts to make a positive impact on the community demonstrate her commitment to the department’s mission.
Kitzler submitted a letter of commendation to Officer Travis Whitmore, who was alerted by the city’s video cameras of a vehicle driven by a man wanted for felony drug warrants. Whitmore determined the route the driver would likely take and arrested him without incident.
Officer Keon Domanski also was commended after a video camera alerted him to that a stolen vehicle had entered the city in the area of Buck Road. The suspected driver was known to carry a handgun. Whitmore and other officers were able to take the driver into custody. There was one stolen handgun in the vehicle, which likely was used in a shooting in Detroit.
The victim of a swatting incident also praised officers for the compassion they showed his family.
Dustin Trumbull, of Windsor Drive, said he and his wife were woken up by a Wood County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher at 3:45 a.m. on Dec. 14.
The Trumbulls have four children, two of whom are autistic “and the response that the Rossford Police Department along with the Perrysburg Township Police Department was just a tremendous effort. I can’t thank them enough,” he said.
He singled out the Rossford officers who took great care of his family.
“The call that came through was absolutely horrifying,” Trumbull said. “I could not imagine the thought that were running through these officers’ minds as they approached my house.”
Perrysburg Township Police Chief reported at the township’s meeting that it was unknown if the caller was a real person or AI generated. He reportedly told police his baby sister was crying, wouldn’t shut up and he was going to kill her. There were gunshots in the background.
Trumbull said he met officers outside his home to be searched. Two of his children woke up but the compassion and care shown by the officers prompted him to attend the meeting to share what a great job they did.
Also at the meeting, council:
Agreed to convey 0.99 acres on Bass Pro Boulevard to the Wood County Port Authority to allow access for a manufacturing company that plans to build in the area.
Gave a first reading to an ordinance setting dock and other associated fees at the Rossford marina.
Authorized Administrator Allyson Murray to enter into an agreement with DGL for the planning and preliminary engineering for the Lime City Road intersection improvements at Ohio 795.
The city received a grant in excess of $1.2 million and will have to fund approximately $410,000 of the project, Murray said.
Approved the mayor’s reappointments of Thomas Uhler to the municipal planning commission; Vickie Gallagher, Sarah Krafty, Michael Krafty and Gary Mosiniak to the street tree commission; Robert Watrol, Kevin Heban and Chris Kirk to the records commission; Nancy Rust to the civil service commission; and Gary Mosiniak, Bill Verbosky, Brenna Reynolds, Laurie Pangle, Larry Oberdorf, Alex Miller and Bob Toth to the charter review committee.
