‘I want the community to be proud of us.’ Bellefonte’s new police chief looking to build trust
Strike up a conversation with Bellefonte’s new police chief for even five minutes and you will likely walk away having a good idea of how he wants to lead his small department.
Even if the questions or topics aren’t germane to the job, Chief Bill Witmer speaks in a steady cadence and doesn’t often leave room for ambiguity.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Centre Daily Times about two weeks after he officially took over the top spot in the department, Witmer said he wants to build trust between the tightly-knit community and the department that’s there to protect it.
“I want the community to be proud of us, proud of their police department and know that they can trust us. That’s the biggest thing,” Witmer said. “We’re out there, they see us, they know that they can walk up to us and talk to us at any time. They want us to be a part of them and be around.”
The interview came near the end of a year marked by some of the department’s most significant changes in recent memory.
Before flowers even had time to bloom in the spring, 40% of the department’s officers left the force. That included the abrupt resignation of former police Chief Shawn Weaver, who led the department for 18 years.
The department has since made hires, added new technology that Witmer said put his officers on par with the others in Centre County, and updated an internal affairs policy, while renovations of the department are ongoing.
“Things are going in the right direction,” Witmer said.
All roads lead to Bellefonte
In some circles, Witmer may be best remembered as the quarterback who led the Red Raiders to a district championship in 1999. His former coach once told the CDT he was the “Tom Brady of our team” and described him as “extremely mature.”
Bellefonte Mayor Gene “Buddy” Johnson, who moved to the borough that same year and taught Witmer in high school, hearkened to the team’s success when the Bellefonte native was sworn in earlier this month.
“He was a very reputable individual. He was a great athlete and a great person,” Johnson said. “I am extremely proud to have him be the quarterback of our police force.”
After he wound up at Lock Haven University, Witmer first had plans of pursuing a business degree until some friends convinced him to pursue criminal justice. He took an internship with none other than the Bellefonte Police Department and was hooked from then on.
His first job was with Renovo police, a tiny department in rural Clinton County. “If you can work in Renovo, you can work anywhere,” Witmer said.
He had stints with a pair of departments about two hours north of Los Angeles and another in Clearfield County, but time and again wound back up in the Bellefonte area. He joined the department full time in November 2016.
When asked if he viewed Bellefonte as an area where he and his wife plan on staying long-term, Witmer definitively said “I do.”
“I’m done moving around,” said Witmer, who is the father of a 15-year-old daughter. “I want to retire someday.”
‘People should think something of Bellefonte police’
Witmer’s goals for the department are in some ways fundamental but also emblematic of a chief taking over a small department in turmoil. He spoke of a desire for the department to be trusted, organized and run with a clear sense of direction.
He wants it to be fully staffed, especially since a few more retirements are on the horizon. He’s said in public meetings that he wants the department to be involved in as many community events as possible.
“I think we should be thought of something here,” Witmer said. “... My goal here is to be relevant, have our community trust us and know that when we’re coming things are in good hands.”
He later added: “We’re the county seat. I think people should think something of Bellefonte police.”
Community-oriented policing has almost become a buzzword after a national reckoning on policing unfolded in recent years, but Witmer believes that will be another way his department can be defined.
With several new faces in a department that polices a community like Bellefonte, he knows that will likely take time.
“It’s my job to make sure I hire good people who want to work here for the right reasons, not just a paycheck,” Witmer said. “They want to work here because they want to do the work of Bellefonte police, not just come here and arrest people and give people tickets.”
Making Bellefonte proud
Officer Mike Lyons, who is also the Bellefonte Borough Police Association president, was complimentary of Witmer and the job he’s done since being named acting chief in April.
When Borough Council voted in September to offer the full-time position to Witmer, it was unanimous and met with a round of applause. Council President Kent Bernier told him “you deserve it.”
Witmer has seemingly won over his bosses and the union that represents his officers. Now he’s left to face the community he polices.
“For this time period, it’s a great time to be here,” Witmer said.
