Dover continues to loosen restrictions for prospective city employees as officials look to recruit and hire police officers.

The latest move came this week when the mayor and safety director proposed eliminating a residency requirement that prohibited the city from hiring anyone who lived outside Tuscarawas County or neighboring counties.

Mayor Shane Gunnoe says current employees who live outside the county don’t have trouble getting to work on time. He doesn’t see a problem with expanding the field of candidates to include those who don’t live that much farther away.

If Council approves at an upcoming meeting, the legislation would apply to all employees. However, the recent challenge has been to find police officers. Officials have already loosened restrictions on age, tattoos and facial hair, and created a program where the city will pay for
police academy training.

Safety Director Bob Everett says the city has identified three candidates, two who still have to through peace officer training.

Everett has said several members of the city’s safety forces are near retirement. Monday, he announced the February 28 th retirement of Police Captain Jim Hitchcock after nearly 27 years with the Dover Police Department.

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