Police Staff
The Department is organized into two Bureaus: the Administrative Services Bureau and the Operations Services Bureau. The two Bureaus, together, keep the department running efficiently.
Administrative Services Bureau
The Administrative Services Bureau is responsible for directing, administering, and coordinating the operations and activities of the entire Police Department in the enforcement of laws and ordinances, prevention of crime, and protection of citizens.
This Bureau is comprised of the Chief of Police, Captain, and an Executive Administrative Assistant, and is responsible for budgeting; grant application; records; professional responsibility; formulation of policies, procedures, rules, and regulations; obtaining resources; staffing; recruiting and processing new hires; planning and directing police training and personnel evaluation system; managing and scheduling of departmental personnel; departmental purchases; issuing and inventorying of all department uniforms, equipment, and agency-owned property; fleet maintenance and management; police facility maintenance; and property/evidence room supervision.
Chief of Police- Michael McLouth
The Chief of Police, under the direction of the Board of Supervisors and Township Manager, the Chief plans, organizes, coordinates and directs uniformed, technical and professional staff of the Township Police department. The Chief is also an integral part of the Emergency Management team associated with the Township.
Captain- Scott Dempsey
The Captain, under the direction of the Chief of Police has the responsibility for planning, assigning, and supervising activities of the patrol and investigative divisions. Work includes the responsibility for making decisions regarding actions to be taken, and exercising independent judgment in the application of laws and ordinances. Supervision is exercised through subordinate supervisors over all employees of the assigned operation.
Executive Administrative Assistant- Lois Iasiello
The Police Executive Administrative Assistant (P.E.A.) is a staffed full-time civilian position. This position serves as an important liaison between law enforcement personnel and members of the community. The Executive Administrative Assistant is the first point of contact with for the public with the Police Department. The Executive Administrative Assistant receives phone calls and directs them to the proper police personnel; prepares monthly police reports and Uniform Crime Reports; and ensures that daily paperwork and documents from officers are in order and are properly filed for future reference.
Operations Services Bureau
The Operations Services Bureau is comprised of several divisions that directly provide police services to the community. The majority of Police Department personnel and resources is focused on Operations and comprised of Patrol Services, Canine Unit, Traffic Safety Services, School Resource Services, DUI Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations.
Patrol Services
Patrol Services is the largest and most visible service division of the Bushkill Township Police Department. As with every Police Department it is the "backbone" of the agency. Uniformed officers, using various types of marked patrol vehicles, staff the Patrol Services and is supervised by Sergeant David Marino and Sergeant Dale Steigerwalt.
While the term "patrol officer" may lead people to believe that the officers' main function is to cruise the streets of the community; that is not the case. Patrol Services are typically the first point of contact with citizens and are responsible for handling calls for service, response to apprehend perpatrators and/or stop criminal behavior, problem solving, identifying and addressing trends that affect the safety of people in our community, and enforcement of traffic laws, criminal laws, and Township Ordinances. Patrol Services also routinely patrol neighborhoods and business locations throughout their shifts to proactively deter crime through visible patrol.
Canine Unit
The Bushkill Township Police K-9 Unit was established in 2007 with donations from local businesses and community members. Since its inception, the team of Officer Josh Miller and his first partner Havoc have proven to be an effective law enforcement tool. K-9 Havoc served from 2007 and retired in 2016. Officer Josh Miller is now partnered with K-9 Dark a Belgian Malinois after attending intense training designed to prepare for some of the situations they may face while on duty. The team is Patrol certified to include criminal apprehension, tracking, building searches, handler protection, and illegal drug detection. The Canine Unit is available not only to Bushkill Township, but responds to other agencies in the surrounding area in need of the team's assistance.
Havoc, a Hungarian born German shepherd, served with our department from August 2007 until his retirement in January 2016. Havov was trained in tracking, search and rescue, narcotics detection, and other forms of patrol work. Havoc enjoyed retirement in the home of Officer Miller and sadly passed on January 5, 2019.
School Resource Services
The Bushkill Township Police Department has a police officer assigned to the Colonial Academy School and is funded through various grants and/or reimbursed from the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20. The Colonial Academy accepts students from 16 school districts that are in need of specialized education and/or behavioral health services. The officer assigned ensures the safety and security of students, participates in educating students enrolled in the Academy's Law Enforcement Services Program, and greatly reduces the amount of times a patrol officer would be pulled away to respond to any situation that may arise on the campus.
Traffic Safety Services
Traffic safety is very important to the Department and the community we serve. The Department takes measures to ensure traffic safety through education and enforcement. Officers are trained in various aspects of speed enforcement, vehicle inspection and safety, child seat safety, and advanced collision investigation. The Department also participates in the Pennsylvania "Click It or Ticket" Program. The Department also has a speed monitoring trailer to assist in identifying possible problem areas that require additional attention.
Sergeant Dale Steigerwalt and Officer Jake Carrick have received specialized training and are certified in commercial motor vehicle enforcement, weights, and measures. Officers are required to perform a required number of detailed truck inspections, annually, and use a systematic system during details to inspect the commercial motor vehicles for safety violations. The department has equipment to weigh and measure commercial trucks to ensure that height, width, and weight of commercial vehicles are in compliance with State and Federal laws. When a commercial motor vehicle is involved in an accident, these officers respond to investigate the equipment for potential malfunctions that could have caused the traffic accident.
DUI Enforcement
The Bushkill Township Police Department is proactive in the enforcement of DUI. This enforcement is accomplished by having officers who are trained to detect motorists that are under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance while on routine patrol. Officers have received training in standardized field sobriety testing (SFST) as well as advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement (ARIDE). The department is also a participating member in a regional DUI Task Force comprised of 14 area police departments that conduct organized events that consist of static DUI Checkpoints and DUI Roving Patrols. The salaries for the officers participating in these details are paid for with grant money.
Criminal Investigations
The investigation process is one of the most important police responses to the problem of crime. The Bushkill Township Police Department currently has two officers assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division who provide direct services to the community, Detective Randy Knauss and Detective Ryan Vresics. The detectives are highly trained in many areas, including criminal investigation, crime scene processing, evidence handling, interview and interrogation, and surveillance and search warrant preparation.
The function of the Criminal Investigations Division is to investigate criminal offenses, based upon solvability factors. As criminal investigators, they oversee crime scenes, including but not limited to homicide or questionable death, sexual assault, arson, robbery, burglary, rape, suicide, theft, fraudulent documents, telephone harassment, kidnapping/abduction, stalking, runaways, and missing persons.
They also use enforcement services to identify and address trends and they use partnerships, where applicable, to address the safety of persons within our community. For more complicated investigations, they apply or seek outside assistance with advanced methods for evidence collection, identity theft, and computer investigations.
The Division is responsible for crime scene investigation, which often includes using various types of equipment for scientific evaluation and comparison. Detectives conduct interviews, examine records, observe the activity of suspects, and participate in raids or arrest in the apprehension of perpetrators of criminal acts. Our detectives often must prepare detailed and time-consuming reports of each incident with which they are involved.
