Only on 4: New Delaware County sheriff appointed, talks goals for the county

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC4 Digital Anchor Rachel Ramsey talked Friday to Jeffrey Balzer, who was officially appointed as Delaware County sheriff.

Balzer takes over as the county's 42nd sheriff after the Delaware County Republican Central Committee's majority vote on Thursday. Balzer was named acting sheriff by county commissioners in April after former Sheriff Russ Martin retired.

Balzer has over 38 years of experience in law enforcement, ranging from his career with the U.S. Marshals Service and serving as the chief deputy with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.

"I started off as a Deputy Sheriff in Champaign County over in Urbana, Ohio, a long time ago. I was a city police officer in Delaware before I joined the U.S. Marshals," Balzer said. "I had a career with the U.S. Marshals, and as a deputy of the United States Marshal, then I left that to come back and work with Sheriff Russ Martin at the Delaware County Sheriff's Office."

As Balzer transitions into the role, he highlighted some goals he has, including safety in the county. Balzer said he plans to work with other local law enforcement agencies to keep crime down in the area.

"The very nature of being near a big urban area is that sometimes crime from the city spreads up into our area as well," said Balzer. "We want to work with our local partners, that includes Columbus Police Department, all of our surrounding jurisdictions to make sure that we keep it safe for people in Delaware County."

Another topic Balzer is targeting is safety in schools. Balzer said he recently had a meeting with the district's superintendents about what they can do to ensure students, teachers and faculty are safe.

"We're all on the same page about the importance of having trained school resource officers in our schools to help protect the students," said Balzer. "They really are our most important asset."

Balzer will finish Martin's vacated term and intends to run for election next year as well.

"If the voters will have me, I'll be there four more years after that," said Balzer.