‘It was a privilege.’ Ferguson Township’s police chief is set to retire after 30 years
Ferguson Township’s police chief publicly announced Tuesday his plan to retire, a move that would bring a close to his three decades with his hometown police department.
Chris Albright, a lifelong township resident who was named chief in June 2017, had his resignation accepted Tuesday during the township’s board of supervisors meeting. He expects his last day to be in late August or early September.
“It was a privilege to represent Ferguson Township for the last 30 years. I’ve experienced many highs and lows throughout my career,” Albright wrote in his resignation letter to the township’s five-member board. “My hope is that I have positively impacted at least one person along the way.”
The township will be looking for a new police chief for only the second time in nearly two decades. Former Chief Diane Conrad served as the police department’s top administrator from 2004 to 2017.
Albright inherited a department with a handful of unsolved, high-profile cases. He oversaw the creation of a cold case unit to specifically review the cases that have eluded investigators.
An arrest was made in one case — a man is awaiting trial after a detective assigned to the unit and the state’s top prosecutor charged him with homicide in the 2016 killing of Jean Tuggy — while the disappearances of Cindy Song and Jennifer Cahill-Shadle remain under investigation.
Vice Chair Lisa Strickland thanked Albright for the “lasting impressions and advancements” he made on the township’s police department, including improvements to crisis intervention training and protocols for drug overdoses.
“It’s made such an impression and a difference here,” Strickland said. “We’re sorry and sad to see you go, but very happy for you and your new adventures.”
Added Chair Laura Dininni: “I know from what I have observed and heard and seen what an incredible asset that you have been to this community.”
Albright’s department was the first in Centre County to implement the use of body cameras. Each of the other four municipal police departments in the county followed.
Bellefonte police Chief Shawn Weaver, who worked under Albright before becoming chief, described his former supervisor as a “very thorough, compassionate officer.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed working for and with him,” Weaver wrote in an email.
The State College Area High School and Penn State alumnus is the first municipal police chief in Centre County to leave the top spot since 2019. Mike Danneker stepped down as Spring Township police chief to become the township’s manager.
“Ferguson Township’s always been like a family to me. Now adding a little humor, sometimes maybe that family you don’t always want to see, but, you know, still family,” Albright said. “I just appreciate the opportunity that I’ve had over the last 30 years.”