CONNEAUT – Michael Bertolasio grew up wanting to serve his community as a member of law enforcement. He, however, never considered the possibility he’d one day serve as the chief of his hometown’s police department.
What Bertolasio never believed to be possible became a reality as he was sworn in as the 18th police chief since the City of Conneaut established the position in 1902.
“(Serving the community I grew up in) means a lot,” Bertolasio said. “As a kid, I remember seeing the Conneaut police officers. They had the cool cars. They were the green-and-white patrol cars. I just always envisioned that one day I could become a police officer. It’s truly an honor to be given this position, the chance to serve in this capacity.”
On Thursday, Dec. 18, Bertolasio was sworn in as chief and formally began his tenure on Dec. 27.
“Twenty-two years, it never crossed my radar of becoming a chief of police anywhere,” Bertolasio said. “I always wanted to be a police officer. I wanted to serve the community in that aspect. I never anticipated the day would come where I’d become chief.”
Bertolasio, appointed as a lieutenant earlier this year, began his tenure with the Conneaut Police Department in 2011 as a patrolman. He advanced to become a detective in 2016, then a sergeant in 2020. He was appointed acting chief in April after former CPD Chief Mike Colby was placed on administrative leave pending investigation and later retired before being officially named the chief.
“Twenty-two years in law enforcement,” Bertolasio said. “It’s a great honor to be made chief. I’m thankful for city administration. I thank my family for support. I hope to serve with integrity and transparency, accountability for our officers, the Office of Chief of Police for several years to come. Thank you guys for the support, dedication of our staff.”
Bertolasio began his career in law enforcement as a dispatcher for the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department and later became a deputy.
“I enjoy serving the public with the work that I do,” Bertolasio said. “I like to see communities where I’ve made an impact. I don’t know if it was always a calling for me, but I definitely enjoyed it for the last 22 years, and I anticipate doing it until the end of my career.”
Conneaut City Manager Nick Sanford pointed out traits he not only admires in Bertolasio, but should aid him in leading the department.
“(He is) calm,” Sanford said. “Number one, (he is) calm. Anybody in law enforcement is trained to be a calming force in chaos. Things get chaotic, and that’s just in our day to day lives, and no matter what, I call him Bert, he is always calm, but he’s focused, and in his decision making and in his planning, he always is a force of calm, but he’s confident and he’s competent, and his decisions are rooted in that, and he knows what he’s doing. I’ve known Mike, I’ve known the chief, for many years. It goes back to this isn’t something that is just developed overnight. You’re born with that ability to lead and he absolutely has it. That’s something that is to be admired and really seized upon in terms of opportunity to lead a group of individuals such as your law enforcement.”
Growing up in Conneaut should be an asset for both Bertolasio and his community.
“You cannot put a price on that, because they know the nuances of every nook and cranny of this city,” Sanford said. “Mike came up not only with the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department, but with a long tenure here at the Conneaut Police Department, beginning in 2011. He grew up on Liberty Street within eyeshot of City Hall. He knows this place like the back of his hand and this speaks volumes to his character. He loves the people of this community, and that that is truly invaluable in considering a leadership position.”
As Bertolasio was sworn in by Conneaut Municipal Judge Nick Iarocci, his wife, Lindsay, and children, Bria and Bennett, held the bible.
“It is indescribable (to have my family at my side for the swearing in),” Bertolasio said. “I’ve had unwavering support from them from day one, especially my wife. We’ve been we’ve been together 23 years and she’s been by my side the entire time, from the time I’ve spent in the sheriff’s office to today, and that that means a lot, especially with law enforcement, the stress of the job. I’ve been there, and she’s been there with me.”
Bertolasio was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant at the start of 2025 and just a few months later was named interim chief before being sworn in as the permanent chief. It was a rise even he didn’t see coming as quickly as it did.
“Absolutely not,” Bertolasio said. “It was a big thing for the city to get to lieutenant in 2025. I was honored and grateful for the leadership of (former chief) Mike Colby to get that position reestablished for us, then being named acting chief, I was not expecting it, because when you work in a position as a lieutenant, there’s really no one who’s training you to go, ‘Hey, this is how you do this job,’ but you’re kind of dealt all those responsibilities, and then within four months, I was dealt more with other possibilities, all of them when it came to running the department, beyond the day to day, doing the budget and all that.”
“It’s been a very, very busy year where I’m trying to learn as I go, and hope I do the best when it comes to doing what’s right for the community, our officers and the city,” Bertolasio continued.
It was a bit of a meteoric rise for Bertolasio.
“Meteoric is a good way to put it, but I have a saying, ‘Life has a funny way of happening,’ just like for myself and I think the good Lord puts us in the right place at the right time,” Sanford said. “The same could be said about the chief. When you have integrity and when you have all the qualities and characteristics of a person who is fit to lead and can do so with humility, then you’re in the right place.”
Having Bertolasio sworn in was a relief for Sanford.
“It’s a great relief to, number one, have the position filled for the organization to move on and then number two, have somebody who has proven themselves, not only to you as the chief executive of the organization, but among the ranks of the department that they are the one who is fit to be respected, fit to be the one that they’re going to follow and they’re going to listen to and they want to learn from,” Sanford said. “I don’t think that there’s a better combination of all of these variables in the equation, and Chief Bertolasio was the right fit. We’re thrilled that this was possible.”
Bertolasio shared some of Sanford’s relief on behalf of the men and women of the Conneaut Police Department.
“I’m thankful that this position was filled to provide this department and the city with the stability of having a leader at the police department because an acting chief is one thing, as you’re there to make sure that the ship still sails forward and everybody goes the right direction,” Bertolasio said. “But, having a solid, ‘Now we make you chief,’ we can move on. Our next appointment will be a lieutenant’s position followed by a sergeant. I look for things to increase morale that gets this department going to a forward direction.”
Bertolasio wants to continue to build on his already strong relationship with the CPD staff.
“(Having a good relationship with the men and women of the Conneaut Police Department) is extremely important,” Bertolasio said. “My number one resource, is my officers, dispatchers, administrative assistant, Joann Hogle, she’s the one who makes this department run. I’m a headpiece who answers the questions, Joann is the one who makes this department run.”
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