HUBBARD TOWNSHIP — Trustees noted knowledge of policing, activity in the field and investigative skills since returning to duty as reasons to move a reinstated officer up in rank.

Trustees William Colletta and Jason Tedrow voted “yes” to Michael Orr’s promotion to sergeant at Tuesday’s regular meeting, while Trustee Richard Hernandez abstained.

Colletta told residents he has monitored Orr’s progress and activity since his return to action alongside Sgt. Ron Reed and acting Chief William Greene, acknowledging that there were some people who were still unsure about his policing skills.

Colletta praised Orr’s ability to handle investigations since his return.

“He does do a very good job on his investigation skills, just like Officer Reed is very good at his administrative skills; they make a good team, to be quite honest with you,” Colletta said. “And Officer Orr has been working on some cases that were held in the room in the past, and he was able to get those investigations completed along with new ones that are coming in.”

The department has been more actively covering cases, and while it isn’t a full-time job to complete investigations, it takes some time and they can’t let them get backed up, Colletta said.

He used a death in Stony Brook as an example of one of the many past open cases the department is working on. Colletta said the victim’s relatives continue to call to find out what exactly happened.

Orr, a Liberty resident, was hired as a patrolman in 2006 and was placed on administrative leave in October 2021, after an incident at Flying J Travel Center off North Main Street at Interstate 80 that month.

He was fired in January 2022 when trustees voted unanimously to terminate his employment.

Orr filed a grievance Jan. 19, 2022, leading to an arbitrator overturning the discharge and ordered Orr to be reinstated, according to Trumbull County Common Pleas Court documents.

However, upon his return, he was immediately put on leave and terminated again, according to Tedrow last February.

Orr would be reinstated the following March, with Colletta admitting that the decision was “wrong, or unjust, to do so at that point in time,” when he voted for his termination at the start of the case.

With this promotion, Orr moves into being one of the township’s senior officers, alongside Reed and Greene.

“The rest of our people are under five years (of experience) — five years and under, if that. So we’re relatively a young department,” Colletta said.

Colletta added Orr has taken calls after hours to assist with questions that pop up with younger officers, which has assisted in arrests.