J.B.League
Life is all about relationships and the people you meet here or there. You meet people when you are young, older, in passing and some you know for the rest of your life. Sometimes a relationship is with a person, a city or a department. Even the smallest relationships can have the biggest impact.
Meet Justin Páez, the newest Chief of Police for the City of Dublin Police Department. Páez joined the department in 2003, was promoted to corporal in 2005, sergeant in 2011, lieutenant in 2015, deputy chief in January 2019 and chief of police in June after Chief Heinz von Eckartsberg retired this past March.
How Páez got to Dublin and how he will now lead one of the finest police departments in central Ohio is the real story to tell.
Páez grew up in Willard, Ohio, where his dad, Dan Páez, was a police officer and sergeant for the Willard Police Department.
“I grew up in a small town and there were 12 officers. My dad was one of those 12, so I grew up close to this profession,” says Páez. “To this day, I continue to try and live up to the reputation my dad earned as a police officer and public servant.”
Also serving in the Willard Police Department in 1988 was an 18-year-old reserve officer named Tom Hirschy. Hirschy became close friends with Dan and his family and formed a relationship with them throughout the years. Dan Páez would later become police chief of the Perrysburg Police Department and Hirschy a lieutenant of the Dublin Police Department.
“In keeping in touch with the family, Dan let me know when Justin had been hired by the Oregon Police Department near Toledo,” says Hirschy. “I told him, ‘Dan…if Justin is half the person you are, he would be a great hire for us.’ So I reached out to Justin and told him that Dublin was testing and why doesn’t he come on down to see what he can do.”
“I knew he was destined to be a leader in this organization and probably be chief someday.” - Tom Hirschy
Páez came to Dublin, took the test and passed. After a panel interview and an interview with then Dublin Police Chief Mike Epperson, Páez became the newest member of the Dublin Police Department.
“I appreciated Tom calling me and telling me about the test, but I was still uncertain if this was the right move,” says Páez. “It was early in my career and Tom deserves a lot of the credit for convincing me that everything was going to be fine and Dublin was the place that I needed to be.”
“He was someone that I felt a 110 percent sure that if he got to the point which he was hirable, he was going to be a home run for Dublin,” adds Hirschy.
Fifteen years later, Páez; his wife, Abby, and their five children, Charisma, Felicity, Justice, Sirius and Kyrie, are grateful they have found a community they are proud to call home. They are especially appreciative of the relationships they have developed through St. Brigid of Kildare Parish and their children’s enrollment in Dublin City Schools.
“Moving to Dublin and finding a community where I could continue my service as a police officer, that was also so welcoming and supportive of me and my family, was important,” says Páez. “To us, that was what really solidified that Dublin is where we wanted to be. This is where we wanted to live and raise our family. This department and community became our family.”
“Justin loves Dublin and embraces Dublin,” says Hirschy. “He likes being around people that make this city better. I don’t know anybody that has a bad word to say about him.”
Hirschy is right. Páez does care a lot about the City of Dublin. He attends homeowners association meetings, recruitment workshops and has coffee with the cops. He takes time to speak with residents about concerns and welcomes Community Service Officers. But Páez is the first one to tell you that he didn’t get to be the leader he is today without help from others.
“Chief von Eckartsberg built a remarkable legacy of service and leadership,” says Páez. “I am honored to follow someone I admire so greatly and grateful for the time we spent together preparing for this transition.”
Páez says he will work diligently in his new role to set and accomplish goals as he continues to work from the great foundation the City of Dublin has already built. He believes the department will continue to grow a culture of leadership and service through the active engagement of all members of the agency. Most importantly, he hopes to continue to make a difference and fulfill the mission of serving and protecting the community.
“I see this as a new opportunity for me to continue to serve the City of Dublin,” says Páez. “I believe police work and public service are what I was meant to do. I have been blessed to spend my career working with remarkable people and serving a wonderful community.”
“I knew he was destined to be a leader in this organization and probably be chief someday,” says Hirschy.
That day is today. But you can also argue that it all started at a young age when Páez met an 18-year-old reserve officer who was training under his dad.
One simple relationship.
Melanie Amato is a public information officer with the City of Dublin.