Thursday, December 09, 1999
Warren sheriff clears new hurdle
Ariss also to file for re-election
BY SHEILA McLAUGHLIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — Warren County Sheriff Tom Ariss officially became the county's top cop on Wednesday after passing a state test to be certified as a peace officer.
More importantly, the distinction qualified him to make a bid to voters next year to keep his job.
A few hours after learning he made the grade, Sheriff Ariss already was working to fill out the necessary documents to be certified as a candidate in the March 5 primary election.
He said he plans to file with the board of elections today, just shy of a month before the Jan. 7 deadline.
Sheriff Ariss was among six sheriffs in Ohio who went back to the police academy to gain certification after realizing that a 1997 change in the law increased training requirements for sheriffs.
The sheriffs, all incumbents, need the certificate to file for the primary.
One long-standing incumbent — George Smith of Hardin County — has told The Cincinnati Enquirer he will be forced out of office in 2001 because he did not have the time to attend mandatory classes.
Sheriff Ariss passed with a
test score of 90.3, more than 20 points higher than the minimum passing grade on a 200-question test that is now required of all police officers in the state.
He joins Sheriff Neil Hassinger of Medina County and Sheriff Ralph Lucas of Carroll County, who passed the state exam last week.
Two other incumbent sheriffs — Fred Abdalla of Jefferson County and Tom Harden of Morrow County — are scheduled to test in the next 10 days, said Jennifer Detwiler, spokeswoman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
Sheriff Roy Smith of Lawrence County is trying to complete classes and said he plans to sit for the exam by Dec. 24.
Through 1996, sheriffs needed only a certificate of training in law enforcement and had to work in the field at least five years to be eligible for election.
Officials with the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association said the training requirements were too vague and urged legislators to increase the standards. That raised the ire of some sheriffs, who alleged the BSSA was merely trying to squeeze them out of office.
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