Bristol Twp. Swears In 2 New Cops

Bristol Township swore in two new police officers at Thursday night’s council meeting.

Patrick Kitchenman of Levittown and John Yeiter of Willow Grove took the oath of office before their families and township officials watching. They were met by a standing and clapping crowd of residents.

The two will be trained as patrol officers in the department that is currently being led by Acting Chief of Police Sgt. Ralph Johnson.

“I can’t wait to get them indoctrinated and in field training, so they will be ready to go on patrol this summer,” said Johnson.

Kitchenman and Yeiter were among 100 candidates who passed the Bucks County Consortium Test and can be hired as officers by local departments.

Kitchenman will begin with the department on February 23. He is a graduate of Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Bristol Township. According to Johnson, Kitchenman has worked as a licensed inspection mechanic managing local service centers and as an officer in the Richland Township Police Department.

Yeiter will start his job on March 2. He is a graduate of Penn State University’s criminal justice program and has worked for more than a year as a correctional officer at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

The township council has received criticism over the past two years for the dwindling number of police officers on patrol. With the two new hires, the department will now have 58 sworn officers; it has the total funding to accommodate for 61.

Bristol Township Police Benevolent Association President Detective Tim Fuhrmann told LevittownNow.com last year the department should have more officers on the street. The veteran police official said an “ideal” number would be 75 to 80 officers with 67 to 73 being “adequate.”

In fall, two officers who were previously laid off returned to the force as part of a plan to beef up the patrol squad.

Township Manager Bill McCauley as part of his address to the public at Thursday’s meeting announced the township should have two more officers hired within the next month. Those officers would be sworn in during the township’s meeting in March. McCauley noted it was due to the great work by the Civil Service Commission that the following will be possible.

The department that protects the town of roughly 54,000 is without a permanent top cop after former Chief James McAndrew went on medical leave in 2013. McAndrew officially retired July 1. Lt. John Godzieba served as acting chief until December when he was removed from the role and Johnson was promoted to the interim position. Officials have not publicly commented as to why Godzieba was placed back to heading the administrative division.

Bristol Township Council is also in the process of trying to replace the position of police chief with a public safety director job. The move is one the public has often objected.