The police chief at Owens Community College has resigned, but will be paid almost $7,000 for the remaining 21 days on his contract while looking for another job.  

Scott Steinke submitted his resignation on May 22, stating he was resigning to find other employment. His last day of work is June 30 — the ending date of his current contract — with a final payout of $6,837.92 for the remaining 21 working days along with $17,522 for roughly 53.75 days of unused vacation time. 

Mr. Steinke could not be reached for comment.

On Thursday, Mr. Steinke and Lisa Nagel, general counsel and vice president of administration, signed a separation agreement that states Mr. Steinke is being kept on as a consultant for the college’s police department, meaning he will be available by phone and email to answer questions about the day-to-day operations and assist in the transition for a new chief, said Jared Meade, manager of public and media relations for Owens.

An interim chief, Lt. Douglas Hoffman, has been chosen and is already serving as the acting chief, Mr. Meade said. He is paid $62,205 a year and will not receive a pay increase for serving as interim chief.

Mr. Hoffman said he has been working for Owens’ police department for 11 months. Before that, he worked for 10 years as a law enforcement officer for the University of Toledo Police Department.

For high-level positions, such as police chief, this kind of transition arrangement is not uncommon, Mr. Meade said.

Administrators didn’t believe it would make sense to have Mr. Steinke continue working as the police chief with Mr. Hoffman assuming the interim post because there would be too many police chiefs on campus, Ms. Nagel said. To avoid that, administrators are starting the transition now instead of later.

“All we’re doing is working with [Mr. Steinke] and accommodating [his employment transition],” she said.

Ms. Nagel said administrators are still in the preliminary stages of finding a new police chief and haven’t made a decision about advertising the position. 

Mr. Steinke has been the chief since July 1, 2016, according to personnel records. From Feb. 1, 2016, through June 30, 2016, he served as the interim chief. Before that, he worked as an officer for the department beginning in 2010.

The police force at Owens has 13 members, Mr. Meade said. Officers’ jurisdiction includes the Toledo-area campus, Findlay-area campus, and the Downtown Learning Center.

Contact Kate Snyder at ksnyder@theblade.com, 419-724-6282, or on Twitter @KL_Snyder

First Published June 3, 2018, 1:39 p.m.