Chester County expands first responder death benefit policy to include paid workers

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The Chester County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday expanded the scope of its death benefit policy for emergency responders who die in the line of duty.

A previous iteration of the policy awarded a one-time payment of $10,000 to the surviving spouse or children of volunteer first responders.

The new protocol extends the relief to the surviving spouses or relatives of paid first responders as well — such as Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Timothy O’Connor.

“The policy change we made today is meant to help Cpl. O’Connor’s family, but also to show our commitment to law enforcement and that career path for all of Chester County’s residents,” Commissioner Eric Roe said.

O’Connor was fatally shot March 8 during a traffic stop in the Honey Brook area of Chester County. He is survived by his wife, his daughter and his parents. The funeral was held March 18. O’Connor is the first officer in Chester County to die in the line of duty since 1972.

“We want to make sure that we have taken care of his wife and children and all the above,” Commissioner Josh Maxwell said.

The original policy was enacted in 2001. The new death benefit policy will be applied retroactively starting from Jan. 1.

Other business

On Wednesday, Chester County formally ditched C-suite titles for its top administrators. The county Board of Commissioners approved a resolution restoring the title of county administrator.

The purpose of the move is to “eliminate confusion and ensure that the signatory authority previously granted to both the County Administrator and to the CEO continues under the restored title of County Administrator,” the resolution said.

In 2024, Chester County decided to split the role of the county administrator, its top nonelected position. The county hired David Byerman as its first-ever chief executive officer and Erik Walschburger as its chief operating officer.

Byerman left his position March 2. The county immediately named Erik Walschburger as his replacement — but under the old title of county administrator. Byerman later told The Philadelphia Inquirer that his exit arose from an “administrative decision” to allow staff to access sports betting and fantasy sports websites on the county Wi-Fi.

Walschburger is now the county administrator. Megan Moser, the former chief experience officer, currently holds the title of deputy county administrator alongside Howard Holland.