Village of Payne Names Brandon Shuherk as New Chief of Police
PAYNE – With the changing of the seasons comes a changing of the guard for the Village of Payne. Village officials have announced that Brandon Shuherk has been named the community’s new Chief of Police.
Shuherk, a longtime resident of the Payne area, brings more than a decade of law enforcement and public service experience to the position. The son of Con and Ann Shuherk, he moved to the Payne area from Oak Harbor, Ohio as a preschooler and has spent most of his life in the community he now serves.
Shuherk attended Saint John’s Catholic School, now known as Divine Mercy, before continuing his education at Wayne Trace. During his senior year he open enrolled at Paulding High School and ultimately graduated through Vantage Career Center.
In 2013, Shuherk graduated from the Vantage Police Academy and began his career in public safety as a part-time dispatcher and assistant dog warden with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office. He was soon offered a full-time position in dispatch and also served as a Reserve Deputy with the Sheriff’s Office until 2014.
As his career progressed, Shuherk worked part-time with the Paulding Police Department and joined the Payne Police Department as a part-time officer in 2016. In 2017, he accepted a full-time position with the Hicksville Police Department, where he served until 2022.
While working at the Dog Warden’s Office, Shuherk met his wife, Kathryn. The couple married in 2017 and moved into their home in the Village of Payne that same year. Together they have a 13-year-old stepson, Olivander, and a three-year-old daughter, Kimberly-Ann.
In 2022, Shuherk returned to the Paulding Police Department in a full-time role before accepting his most recent position in 2023 as the nighttime officer with the Payne Police Department.
Continuing to expand his public safety skills, Shuherk also entered the EMS field in 2024. After successfully passing the National Registry examination, he became an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), allowing him to better assist Payne EMS and Fire when needed.
Shuherk takes over the position following the retirement of longtime Chief Rodney Miller, who served the Village of Payne for 40 years. Miller became chief in September of 1986 and led the department for nearly four decades.
Shuherk said he is honored to step into the role of police chief in the community he has long called home.
“I am truly honored and excited to begin my new role as Chief,” Shuherk said. “I look forward to continuing to serve and protect the residents of my beloved hometown while continuing to learn and improve wherever I can.”
As Chief of Police, Shuherk will lead the department in its mission to serve and protect the residents of Payne while continuing to build strong relationships within the community.
