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LISBON -- Columbiana County Sheriff Brian McLaughlin said he's running for re-election, but he'll have some competition in the Republican primary for sheriff after former Chief Deputy Robert "Kip" Dowling said he's running, too.
Both longtime lawmen announced their intentions last week and both have officially filed petitions with the county Board of Elections as candidates for sheriff for the Republican nomination.
McLaughlin, who will be seeking a second four-year term, is close to completing his first term. He said there's still work to be done and asked for the support of the citizens to keep him as sheriff.
Dowling, who's a member of the Southern Local school board, currently serves as a captain with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office where he's the jail administrator.
McLaughlin's career in law enforcement began in 1990 with the sheriff's office after he graduated from the police academy. He started as a dispatcher and shortly after was promoted to deputy sheriff in the corrections division of the sheriff's office. He switched to the road division in 1992, working afternoon shifts until he was promoted to detective sergeant in 2001 to run the Columbiana County Drug Task Force. While with the DTF, he was sworn in as a task force agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshal's Office.
He then became sergeant over the road division and in 2008 he was promoted to lieutenant. In 2012 he was assigned again to the DTF as director, leading two federal wiretap cases and a 2017 state wiretap case that resulted in 756 charges filed on 100 defendants.
A 1987 graduate of Southern Local High School who has lived in Columbiana County his entire life, Dowling attended Jefferson Community College where he studied criminal justice for two years.
Dowling's career began with the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office in 1989 as a correction officer. He graduated from the Salem Police Academy in 1990, and worked in the jail as a deputy sheriff, later promoted to sergeant within the jail. In 1998, he transferred from the jail to the patrol division where he handled and investigated complaints.
Dowling returned to the jail as a liaison between the sheriff's office and the now privately-operated jail and the court system. He did all court scheduling, scheduled all transports to and from jail for court hearings, prison, and all other movement from the jail. He was then promoted to the rank of sergeant. In 2013, he was transferred to the road patrol as the day shift supervisor and late was promoted to lieutenant responsible for the entire road patrol division.
Sheriff Ray Stone promoted him in April 2017 to the rank of chief deputy, overseeing the road patrol, detective bureau, the 911 dispatch center, and the courthouse civil division. In the absence of the sheriff, the chief deputy assumes all duties of the sheriff, and acts on his behalf. He remained in that position until December 2020.
In August 2021, Dowling was hired by the late Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams as a sergeant, and then was promoted to captain in 2022, currently serving as the Carroll County jail administrator. In 2022, he attended the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy where he was trained and certified asa jail administrator in the state of Ohio.
McLaughlin was elected sheriff in the fall of 2020 and began his duties in January 2021. Since then, he said he's obtained more than $300,000 in grant funds. Prior to that, he obtained over $1.5 million in grant funds while directing the DTF and while running the sheriff's road division.
In reviewing the grants, he said a grant in 2021 paid for body cameras for all deputies. In 2023, a crime scene unit was developed, with training and equipment obtained through grant money. Detectives completed training for evidence collection, scene processing and crime scene photography.
"We have further obtained two crime scene scanners, which are 720-degree cameras that record the entire scene. These cameras allow the detectives to walk through the crime scene repeatedly from their desks after the crime scene has been released," he wrote.
In other accomplishments, McLaughlin wrote, "I have made it my personal goal to work on the cold homicide cases that Columbiana County has been plagued with over the years. First and foremost, I have ensured that there is an appropriate response when major criminal incidents occur to avoid other cases becoming unsolved. I have brought my staff and Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino's staff to a close working relationship as this is instrumental in solving cases. Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino and his staff and my staff work very well together. I have resubmitted all our cold homicide cases to the state laboratory for reexamination of the evidence. This is of great value due to the advancement of DNA science. We have obtained a conviction of a cold case and have indicted another one recently. I am hopeful that we will be able to use this technology along with investigative measures to solve more cold case homicides."
According to McLaughlin, there's been an increase in violence across the United States and Columbiana County has not been exempt from the trend. He worked with county commissioners to obtain more funding to increase the staff of the sheriff's office.
"I have added to our investigative staff to assist with not only the cold cases but for the everyday growing number of felony cases we are receiving. I have also made an increase to the patrol division, which has been understaffed for years. I currently have four School Resource Officers in three school districts," he wrote.
"My leadership experience includes commanding the Columbiana County Drug Task Force for 14 years, graduating from the DEA Drug Unit Commander Academy, and commanding the patrol fivision of the sheriff's office for six years. I was an operator on the Special Response Team for 29 years and commanded the team for 13 of those years," he wrote.
A certified law enforcement instructor, McLaughlin was awarded the Prosecutor's Office Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award in 2014 and again in 2019. In 2021, he obtained a Certified Law Enforcement Management award.
McLaughin and his wife have been married for 33 years and have four children and two grandchildren. He serves as an elder at their church in East Palestine and he's also a member of the Masonic Lodge.
Dowling noted that 32 of his 35 years in law enforcement were with the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office in many different supervisory roles. If elected, he said he'll concentrate his efforts in many different areas.
"First, there is a real issue with the number of drugs on the streets of this county. Per Harm Reduction Ohio, Columbiana County has experienced noteworthy increases in overdose deaths compared to 2022, and ranks in the top eight of 88 counties. There also needs to be more urgency in unsolved crimes and homicides. I will search for different avenues to help with solving crime in the mentioned areas. There are many resources that can be very beneficial in assisting law enforcement, and they must be utilized," he wrote.
"With the current difficulty finding law enforcement officers, I will find ways to retain current staffing levels through grants, and funding to purchase the best equipment for deputies, and look to put more officers on the street to better serve the citizens of Columbiana County. In addition, I plan to grow professionalism, and work together with local police departments in the county so we can all accomplish the same goal, and that is the safety of county citizens," he wrote.
During his almost 35 years of law enforcement, Dowling said he has worked for five different county sheriff's in two different counties.
"The experience that I have gained from all of them will make me a great sheriff, administrator, and leader for the citizens of Columbiana County. I look forward to serving each and every one of you with professionalism, and integrity, and uphold the Constitution of the United States," Dowling said.
No one has filed for the Democrat side of the sheriff's race for the March primary. The filing deadline is Wednesday.
mgreier@mojonews.com