Morrisville police might not have a chief until end of year
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Philadelphia police patrol a stretch of Kensington Avenue. Since January, police have made 633 prostitution arrests. (Photography by Jeff Fusco)
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A police department in Bucks County known lately more for lawsuits than arrests is having a bumpy change in leadership.
The Morrisville Police Department has seen everything. One officer was dubbed the “Tin Man” by colleagues for writing speeding tickets and making DUI arrests. And a male officer accused a female co-worker of sexual harassment.
Morrisville Council Vice President Victor Cicero says the borough tried to hire an interim chief to help stabilize the department since the last leader retired in December.
“As in any workgroup there are conflicts; there are personalities,” said Cicero. “Officers are at differences of opinions how certain things should be handled. We felt that if we got somebody in there with the leadership qualities that we were looking for, that person could probably at least could get us through the end of the year.”
But the interim chief quit after two weeks. Now the plan is to focus on hiring a permanent leader. Chief of neighboring Lower Makefield Township’s force Ken Coluzzi is screening applicants through his private consulting firm.
“We’ll be sending out questionnaires and reviewing and interviewing candidates all of September,” said Coluzzi.
The goal is to have finalists for Borough Council to review in October and hire a permanent chief before the end of the year.
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