Union Police Seek to Restore Second Clerk Position

The chief has asked aldermen to bring back a second police clerk eliminated in 2022 to handle growing warrant and court workloads.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Law Enforcement

Union Police Seek to Restore Second Clerk Position

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The Union Police Department currently operates with one clerk, down from two before a 2022 retirement led to that position being eliminated. Police Chief proposed restoring a second clerk at a Nov. 2 Personnel, Finance and Public Works Committee meeting.

Why it matters

The city will have to resume handling its own warrants now that the Franklin County Sheriff's Office warrant clerk is no longer entering and clearing them, and the single clerk's duties have grown as more work moves electronically. Roughly 50 warrants a month are issued for the City of Union.

The city must resume entering its own warrants, with roughly 50 issued monthly and a 72-hour window to enter each once received. The committee's decision on restoring the second clerk position was not reported.

The players

Union Police Department

The municipal police agency serving the City of Union, which currently operates with a single clerk.

Franklin County Sheriff's Office

The county law enforcement agency whose warrant clerk has been entering and clearing warrants for the City of Union.

The details

The Chief presented the proposal at a Nov. 2 committee meeting, asking that one clerk work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and a second clerk work 2 to 10 p.m. He also estimated a raise of around $3,000 for the current clerk and proposed adding an additional clerk for the 2027-28 fiscal year.

2022: One clerk position eliminated following a retirement, allowing a new patrol officer position to be created.
Nov. 2: Chief presents clerk proposal at Personnel, Finance and Public Works Committee meeting.
2027-28 fiscal year: Proposed addition of an additional clerk.

Legal Context

The 2022 cut of one clerk position created a patrol officer slot, but growing municipal court cases moving to Franklin County and more electronic work have since overwhelmed the remaining clerk. The Chief's push to restore the role reverses that trade-off.

Residents with outstanding city warrants may face delays in processing if the single clerk cannot keep pace with the roughly 50 monthly warrants. Restoring a second clerk would split the workload into two shifts covering early and late hours.

The takeaway

Staffing decisions in small police departments can quietly shape how quickly routine records like warrants get processed. Watching how aldermen respond to the Chief's request will show whether the city treats clerical capacity as a public safety priority.