After 14 years of service with the City as our Chief of Police and 27 years of service in law enforcement, Chief Rinehart announced last week that he will be retiring in early January.
Chief Rinehart started out as a community policing officer in Gahanna, rising through the ranks to become Gahanna’s Deputy Chief before joining Bexley in 2007. During his time with Bexley, he established a community bike patrol corps; oversaw the relocation and construction of the new police department headquarters; modernized the technology utilized by the agency, including advocating for and deploying body cameras in 2019; expanded and diversified officer training opportunities and requirements, including joining and obtaining certification through the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board; oversaw the creation of the Bexley Citizens Police Academy program and a variety of new community outreach initiatives including drug take back days, school supplies drives, Cops and Kids field games, Cross with a Cop events, and Thanksgiving meal deliveries; modernized the agency’s policies; and opened up the recruitment process to a broader pool of officer candidates, resulting in an officer corps that is more diverse today than ever before. His work and eventual chairmanship of the nonprofit organization Choices, and their work to support victims of domestic violence, speaks volumes about his care and compassion for others.
I’ve worked with Chief Rinehart since I joined City Council in 2008. Throughout the years, I’ve always known him to be earnestly interested in enhancing professional police practice and working through solutions for a safer Bexley community. He has been fair and even-keeled, open to exploring new ideas and concepts, and has consistently demonstrated a care and concern for our agency and for everyone they interact with. I’m going to miss working with him, and I wish him an adventurous retirement.
Mayor Ben Kessler
