History
The Board of Supervisors of the Township of Derry created the Derry Township Police Department on July 1, 1966. The department began with Chief Joseph Sheranko and three patrol officers. The agency continued to grow and in 1971, five additional officers were hired to the expanding department bringing the total officers to 16. Between 1974 and 1978 the agency remained at 18 officers, expanding to 21 in 1978. The next growth occurred in 1983 when the force totaled 24 officers. The next seven years, as the community grew, the Police Department maintained the 24-officer level. Additional officers were added in 1990 and 1992. In 1993 the Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of SET (Special Enforcement Team) with three officers. In 1998 the Police Department established a Community Police Section after receiving Federal funding for 4 additional officers from a COPPS Universal Hiring Program grant. The complement of sworn officers established in 1998 is 36.
In addition to the sworn officers, the Police Department employs two full-time and three part-time secretaries, five full-time and five part-time Communications Specialists, eight part-time Community Service Officers, and six part-time Special School Police (Crossing Guards).
The Derry Township Police Department is now in its eleventh year as an Internationally Accredited Police Department, This accomplishment is significant given the fact that there are 1,253 municipal police departments in Pennsylvania, and the Derry Township Police Department was only the 5th municipal police department to receive this honor of Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). By achieving their goal of International Accreditation, the Derry Township Police Department is in the forefront of law enforcement not only in Central Pennsylvania. The Department received accredited status in 1997 and was re-accredited in 1999.
Read more about this topic: Derry Township Police (Pennsylvania)
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