EAST PALESTINE — As the village looks to fill more police officer positions legislation is being considered by council to reduce the minimum age requirement to 18 years old.

Council passed a first reading of the legislation recently.

Three readings are required before a final vote.

Currently, the minimum age requirement for officers is 21. The department has 11 full-time officers, one part-time officer, and eight dispatch personnel.

The police department advertised on Facebook earlier this month that positions are available.

According to the online post, officers can make a starting wage of between $51,000 to $61,000 a year, can work four 10 hour shifts, with three days off, have no cap on sick time or paid holidays, and be eligible for a take home car program.

The police department is also working to continue efforts to be more involved in the community, which was a goal that was included in the 2025 annual report.

The report, presented by Village Manager Antonio Diaz-Guy last year, stated that one of the goals for the department in 2026 was to increase the level of community policing, as well as focus on

connections with business owners and local community organizations.

Some of the community policing initiatives introduced already include reintroducing the downtown foot patrol, continuation of the D.A.R.E. Program for sixth grades students, and providing traffic control and security for several events.

Meanwhile, council is moving forward with legislation to place a police levy renewal on the November election ballot.

Council is expected to vote on the matter once more before it can officially move to the ballot.

The village currently collects $133,684 annually on the existing 2-mill police levy.

According to the 2025 annual report, that is a decrease of $1,998 from 2024 figures.