CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Circleville’s Safety Service Director, Doug DeBord, has resigned from his position, effective immediately, in a surprise move. DeBord submitted his resignation letter to Mayor Don McIlroy earlier this week, but did not provide a specific reason for his sudden departure in writing.
DeBord, who had served as Safety Director for less than 18 months, expressed his gratitude and farewell in his resignation letter, stating, “Please accept this as my formal resignation from the Safety Director position with the City of Circleville. My last day will be October 12, 2023. Thank you for waiving the two-week notice expectation. I am grateful for the opportunity given to me and very appreciative of the valuable experiences I have gained. It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Circleville and as a member of your Administration. Please let me know if you need anything. If you have any questions about any issues pending, please feel free to call me. I wish you all the best as you finish your final term as Mayor.”
DeBord’s background includes a history in law enforcement, having started as a police officer in Columbus in 1993 and later moving to the Ohio State Highway Patrol in 2001, where he retired in 2019. More recently, he served as an investigator in the charitable law section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. DeBord is originally from Chillicothe and is a 1989 graduate of Zane Trace High School. He has also pursued higher education at Ohio University and Ohio State University.
This marks the latest change in leadership for the position of Safety Director in Circleville, with DeBord becoming at least the fourth individual to take on and subsequently leave the role during Mayor McIlroy’s tenure without notice. The Circleville Police Department has been under increased scrutiny for its operations and internal conflicts among administrators, with officers citing a hostile workplace environment.
DeBord’s resignation comes just days before the city’s annual Pumpkin Show, which is the city’s most complex security and safety operation with the festival drawing more than a half-a-million people a year.
Notably, the Ohio Attorney General and the United States Department of Justice have launched investigations into the police department, particularly following a July 4 incident this year in which former officer Ryan Speakman released a K-9 on an unarmed Black man. Subsequent events revealed an apparent effort by administrators within the police department to cover up the incident, reopen a closed investigation, and even involved the Chief of Police ordering officers to provide false information to the public.
In the interim, Mayor Don McIlroy will assume the responsibilities of the Safety Director for the city of Circleville.
Efforts to reach DeBord for comment were not successful. McIlroy did not return a request for comment.