City of Salem Ohio Police Department

09/04/2026

The Salem Police Department’s newest full-time officer Robert Focht, left, was administered his oath of office by Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey Wednesday. Focht is a 2019 alumni of Marlington High School and graduated from the Youngstown State University Police Academy in July of 2024. Focht is also a veteran of the United States Army.

Trent Fink officially joined the Salem Police Department as a part-time officer Wednesday, and was
administered his oath of office by Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey. Fink is a Salem High School alumni of the
class of 2024, and graduated from the Kent State University Police Academy in 2026.

09/03/2026

We are aware that multiple railroad crossings in the city are closed. We spoke with Norfolk Southern, and they are attempting to power the train so it can be moved. South Lincoln is currently open, but there is no estimated time frame for when the train can be removed from the tracks.

08/27/2026

- SUBSTITUTE SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD -
We are currently looking for crossing guards to fill in as needed. Approximately 1.5 hours in the mornings and 1.5 hours in the afternoons. Please stop in the Police Department and fill out an application.

08/17/2026

There will be no parking on East Fourth Street from Lincoln to Ellsworth today through Thursday due to grinding and paving.

08/13/2026

Beginning tomorrow, Friday, August 14, 2026, there will be no parking on East Perry between Broadway and South Lincoln for grinding and paving.

08/10/2026

Salem police officers receive promotions

SALEM — Two members of the police department received promotions Wednesday.
A ceremony Wednesday saw Sgt. Karl Toy promoted to administrative sergeant and Patrolman Robert Keister promoted to sergeant. With Lt. Dave Casto set to retire after 35 years with the department on Sept. 1, Toy will be taking over his administrative duties, which he will be assuming sooner rather than later as Casto takes vacation for the remainder of August.

Toy has been a member of the Salem Police Department for nearly 26 years and has been serving in a supervisory role since 2009. He explained that his new position would see him shift from a more direct command role overseeing an individual shift to a greater focus on administrative duties for both the day and night shifts including overseeing the evidence room, trainings, staffing concerns such as dispatch and crossing guard scheduling, and assisting Police Chief J.T. Panezott as needed.

Toy said that he felt the role of administrative sergeant was a natural progression of his career with the department and that he was excited and privileged to continue advancing within the department and be able to help more.

“When you start to get toward the end of your career you want to try to contribute and make things better than you found them. I think when you leave if you don’t make that contribution and improve things you can kind of be forgotten, and the higher up you move in the department the more impact you can have,” said Toy.

Keister is also a veteran of the department, joining as an auxiliary officer in 2005, before becoming a full-time officer in 2007, and will be taking up Toy’s former duties as day-shift command. Keister said that he was excited to step into his new role, which he said will come with new administrative responsibilities as a command position. However, he also said that he doesn’t expect very much to change on a day-to-day basis.

“I’ll still be working with the same guys, so it should be the same for the most part,” joked Keister.

Salem police officers receive promotions https://mynewsonthego.com/salem/Reader/Story.aspx?id=c3219446-6716-4a5d-9aa1-daba8c43272d

08/04/2026

HOME

Salem, OH

We need your eyes.

This little pug escaped from the Southeast Blvd. near Franklin area and was last seen Sunday near the middle school. She is wearing a harness and dragging her leash.

Our biggest concern is that she may have become tangled in bushes, fencing, vines, or trapped under a porch. She was being seen consistently, and then the sightings suddenly stopped.

PLEASE DO NOT CHASE HER. Chasing will only cause her to run farther and makes a safe recovery much more difficult.

If you see her:
Note the exact location and direction she is traveling.
Message the Compassionate Paws Foundation page or call/text asap!

330-333-2516


If you live in the area, please take a few moments to check under your porch, around sheds, bushes, fences, wooded areas, and anywhere a leash could become snagged. If you hear a dog barking or crying that seems unusual, please don't ignore it—it could make all the difference.

We've searched with our drone and have had no luck locating her, so we're asking our community to help us bring her home safely.

Please share this post so we can reach as many people as possible. Every share increases the chance that someone will spot her.

❤️ Thank you for helping us help her get home.

07/18/2026

***Currently, our non-emergency lines ring into the police department. We might not be able to call you back, but we can answer your call!***

If you need police or fire, please dial 911. We will update this post when the non-emergency lines are back up

07/16/2026