After decades of service, State College’s police chief plans retirement. ‘Eternally grateful’
State College’s longtime chief of police is set to retire at the end of this year, the borough manager announced during Monday’s borough council meeting.
John Gardner, who has been the police chief since 2016 and with the department since 1990, will retire on Dec. 31. Gardner is the eighth chief in the department’s history.
Borough manager Tom Fountaine and Mayor Ezra Nanes thanked Gardner for his service, noting that they’d “send him off properly” in the future.
“He’s really led the police department with professionalism, integrity and a commitment to community oriented policing. And I’d personally like to thank John for his 35 years of service to the community, nine years of service as the chief, and wish him well in future endeavors,” Fountaine said.
In a press release, the borough said a national search will be done to select the next police chief. A successor is anticipated to be appointed in late fall.
Working for the same place for 35 years doesn’t just happen, Gardner said, it’s an intentional decision — one he made with the State College Police Department. He’s stayed for this long because it has been a great place to work, he said, and they’ve always been given the resources they need.
“We have the resources here, we’ve never had to fight tooth and nail to get the resources we need here, because I think everyone sitting up there understands that to do the things we want to do, and to be as progressive as we want to be, it takes a commitment. Not only a financial commitment, but a commitment to doing those things, and that’s what we’ve been afforded the ability to do here. And for that, I’ll be eternally grateful,” he told the council.
Prior to his appointment to chief, Gardner held the ranks of corporal, sergeant, lieutenant and captain, according the department’s website. He served as the assistant chief and oversaw the detective and records division. He’s also served as field training officer, regional drug task force member, background investigator and coordinator, and detective during his career, the site states.
He encouraged younger officers to see the bigger picture and recognize that they have a good employer in the borough police department.
“Like I said, you don’t spend 35 years of your professional life in a place if it’s not worth it, and that’s the message I want to convey to our young officers here, because when you’re young, sometimes you don’t see the big picture, and I want them to understand you can’t find a better place to work in this place. So, thank you all,” Gardner said.
Gardner grew up in Philipsburg, graduated from Penn State with a bachelor of science degree and holds a master of science degree from Shippensburg University.
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 1:53 PM.
