Michael E. Heldman started his career at Owens Technical College in 1971 majoring in Law Enforcement. In February 1972, he was appointed a Deputy Sheriff for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.While with the Office, he has served in various positions, beginning as a road patrol deputy, investigating complaints and accidents.Sheriff Heldman has been a certified instructor with the Ohio Peace Officer’s Training Council for Basic Police Training and Corrections Training, and has assisted with training at various Crime Prevention seminars.Over the years, Sheriff Heldman has served as a District II Representative and as Secretary of the Executive Board for the Ohio Crime Prevention Association. He is currently chairing Training and Education Committee and the Community Corrections Committee for the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association. He is a Past President of the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association serving in 2004. In 2012 Sheriff Heldman was appointed as a trustee to the Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections. He also represents the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association on the Ohio Jail Advisory Board, to which he was elected as the chair for 2012. In 2013, Sheriff Heldman was appointed to the Ohio Peace Officers Training Commission by Governor Kasich.While working with the local community, Michael has received various awards from local service clubs and various awards from the Ohio Crime Prevention Association, the most recent award being the President’s Award. In 2001 he was recognized by the National Committee for Employer Support of the National Guard and Reserve. In March of 2004, Michael received the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Certificate of Appreciation. Also in 2004, he received the Ohio Crime Prevention Association’s Michael Blankenship Award and the Ohio Chiefs of Police Recognition.In 2016 Michael was awarded the Law Enforcement Office of the Year, by District 1 of Foreign Wars Department of Ohio.