Upper
Gwynedd Township
Police Department
History
The Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department was formed in 1951 and consisted of three full-time officers and one part-time police officer. During this time, the police department occupied a building on the property of Merck Sharp & Dohme, which was leased to the Township. Raymond H. Miley, was the first Police Chief from 1951 - 1953.
Benjamin F. Cairns, Jr. became Chief of Police in 1953. During his tenure the police department provided protection and service to the neighboring Towamencin Township. Due to continuous growth, Towamencin formed its own police department in 1975. The Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department moved its headquarters to its current location on Parkside Place in West Point on November 30, 1969.
William E. Herr took over as Police Chief in 1979. The department grew to include Deputy Chief Wayne A. Cassel, one detective, three patrol sergeants, ten patrol officers, three crossing guards, and two secretaries.
Wayne A. Cassel took over as Chief of Police in 1993 and oversaw the daily operations of the department for four years.
Robert A. Freed took over as Police Chief in 1997. The department grew to twenty police officers. Under Chief Freed, the department became a Pennsylvania Accredited Law Enforcement Agency by the PA Chiefs of Police Association on July 9, 2005.
David W. Duffy became Chief of Police in 2008. The department is staffed at twenty-one sworn officers including the Deputy Chief, four patrol sergeants, twelve patrol officers, a detective sergeant, and two detectives. Three full time civilians provide administrative support services to the police department.
Upper Gwynedd officers specialize in traffic safety, crime prevention, DARE education programs, as well as other areas of law enforcement. They also participate in the special police support groups in the North Penn area, which includes: the North Penn Tactical Response Team and the C100 - Mobile Communications and Command Post Unit. A bicycle unit of six trained officers was implemented and is deployed for special events and directed neighborhood patrols. In 2002, several officers from the department were sworn in as Special County Detectives for the Bureau of Narcotics of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office to address drug-related quality-of-life issues in the Township.
For over half a century, the members of the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department have been dedicated to the community and proud to be part of one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The shield worn by Upper Gwynedd Township Police Officers is a custom design manufactured by V. H. Blackinton, Inc. for the Department's Anniversary in 2001. The badge is produced prior to the events of September 11, 2001 and the eagle design thereby became especially significant to the Department.
The shield design is owned by the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department and was licensed for use in 2005 by the Department of Public Safety, Village of Rosemont, Illinois.
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