After more than four decades in local law enforcement, Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin will take off his badge for good on April 17.

Martin began serving the community in 1981 when he joined the City of Delaware Police Department as a patrol officer. He rose through the ranks at the police department, eventually becoming the chief of police in 2004, a position he held until he was appointed Delaware County sheriff in 2012. He was elected by voters in 2016 and again in 2020.

He announced last month that he would be retiring to spend more time with family and pursue other work in the community.

“It was obviously a very difficult decision to arrive at,” he said in his office on March 30. “And I’ve wrestled with it for awhile because I love this profession, and I admire and respect so much the men and women who do this job every day … that made it difficult. But I think the time is right, and I owe it to my family. I also have a number of other interests that I want to focus on without being dedicated to the sheriff’s office.”

Martin said he has “a lot of irons in the fire,” including teaching and presenting about ethics in law enforcement, doing nonprofit work with Grace Clinic and his local church, as well as being part of the board of trustees of his alma mater, Bowling Green State University.

“I want to stay involved,” he said. “I’m not planning to go to pasture or going to the golf course every day. … I want to balance those and spend more time with my wife and family.”

Since he became sheriff, Martin said his mission has been to make the sheriff’s office the best in the state. It’s a goal he believes he’s accomplished.

“I think, without a doubt, if this isn’t the best sheriff’s office in the state of Ohio, it certainly is one of the best,” Martin said. “It’s been a collective effort, and the men and women that I’ve worked with and hired have embraced that. We’ve all worked very hard together to, I believe, attain that status.”

To that end, Martin restructured the office throughout his tenure, adding many leadership roles.

“I’m grateful that the commissioners have always supported our initiatives and our budget,” Martin said, “It’s incumbent on good leadership to continue to review the organization and the operation, and determine where there are gaps in oversight and leadership and work hard to fill those gaps, while clearly determining what the mission and vision is for the agency and office. There’s still work that needs to be done, and there always will be. The last thing I think a good leader wants to do is be complacent.”

The sheriff’s office was mired in a string of controversies before Martin was appointed to lead it in 2012, and he said he hopes his work at the agency has restored the office’s image in the county.

“(I’m proud of) restoring integrity and trust of this office in the community and just raising the professionalism throughout the entire office,” Martin said, adding he’s also proud the Delaware County Jail recently scored 100% on a state standards evaluation. “I think we’ve really done a good job of organizing the corrections environment to the highest standard.”

Looking back, Martin said he has many favorite moments as sheriff, including conducting the Central Ohio Symphony on the Fourth of July in 2015, which he said will always stick with him.

“To me, it was such a great holiday. The community was all out, and on some level, it represented bringing everything together and working off the same sheet music,” Martin said. “It represented what I’ve tried to do in this community and in law enforcement. … It will always be a special memory.”

Martin said he’ll miss the staff and the community when his time as sheriff comes to an end.

“(What I’ll miss is) easily the men and women I work with and how much respect I have for them,” he said. “And I’ll miss the community stakeholders, (but) I’m hopeful I’ll still be active in the community.”

He added that he won’t miss “the hundreds of emails and the late nights.”

“The late night calls of another tragedy in the community … I’ve had my share of those,” Martin said.

Martin has high hopes for the sheriff’s office after his departure, including the department’s new office on state Route 521, which is set to open in September.

As for Martin’s replacement, the Delaware County Board of Commissioners will appoint an acting sheriff, and after Martin’s retirement, the Delaware County Central Committee will have 45 days to select his successor. The successor will serve as sheriff through Martin’s vacated term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2024.

When Martin announced his retirement last month, he tapped Chief Deputy Jeff Balzer as his choice to succeed him, adding Balzer is “a person of integrity.”

“I’ve known him for over three decades,” Martin said. “He shares the same vision that I have for this profession and this office. He’s worked side by side with me for several years on our strategic planning, our budgets and initiatives. He’s experienced, respected, and ready to step into the gap.”

Martin said he hopes his legacy is two-fold: “That I’ve honored God in everything that I’ve done … and that I tried to treat people with dignity and respect,” he said. “A big thank you to the community for allowing me to be both a police office and the sheriff here. It’s been a great run. “

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.