BELLAIRE - When Bellaire Police Chief Mike Kovalyk started his career in 1979, there were 21 police officers with the department.

Today there are nine full-time Bellaire police officers working under Kovalyk, as well as six part-time officers. And he notes that crime levels have remained steady over the past 30 years.

The village of Bellaire faces a projected deficit of well over $100,000 next year. And to fill that void, voters will see a 5-mill levy before them to benefit police protection when they go to the polls on Nov. 3.

Money generated would provide for maintaining motor vehicles, equipment and facilities needed for the operation of the police department, as well as police salaries.

"This is not a levy to increase wages or the number of officers," Kovalyk said. "It's to maintain the number of officers and equipment we have now.

"Staffing already is at a minimum."

Presently, Bellaire police officers man the front desk at the station, take calls and dispatch other officers to incidents when reported.

Village officials, though, have been considering the idea of doing away with desk officers, and instead having county 911 employees handle Bellaire calls in the evenings and overnight.

Under this plan, the doors to the Bellaire Police Station would be closed after 3 p.m. each day, Kovalyk said.

Other villages such as Shadyside, Bridgeport and Barnesville do run their departments in a similar way, he acknowledged. The larger city of Martins Ferry has civilian dispatchers working at all hours in its police department.

"It's nothing against the other towns, but they don't have the level or intensity of activity that we have here," Kovalyk said. "And it's not that 911 doesn't do a good job. But when something happens in Bellaire, people here want to talk to someone in Bellaire not in St. Clairsville."

Often, Bellaire's police officers can handle a reported incident over the phone because they are familiar with the parties involved, he continued.

"Our officers know the people here, and they can relate to their concerns," he said. "We need to have this office open 24 hours a day. If the funding is not available, we don't see that continuing."

Police Officer William Shallcross, president of the Bellaire Fraternal Order of Police, concurred that it is likely police operations in the village will suffer if the levy is not passed.

"It's not just the police department ... the water department and all the departments will be affected," he said. "Without it, I'm sure there will be cuts."

Shallcross said it is beneficial to the safety of both the police officers and the community when a seasoned officer is manning the phones and police radio. This is because they are more familiar with the community, and can direct agencies from outside Bellaire to an incident when outside help is needed.

In addition, there are many people who come to the police station for assistance in the evenings, and sometimes they have emergencies, he continued.

Other police stations using county 911 dispatch have placed a phone outside the station door for residents to use if they need an officer when the station is closed. It rings into the central dispatch in St. Clairsville, and a local officer is notified of the need.

"We have a lot of traffic that comes in to the station," Shallcross said. "If the doors are locked at 3 p.m., a lot of people will be perturbed.

"We still have people who may be getting chased or followed on Ohio 7. If they come to the police department, they could be met by a locked door. That's a safety factor for us, and the public."