SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — After three years, South Whitehall Township Police Department once again has a full staff.
Six new officers had their badge-pinning ceremonies at the township Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday, officially joining the township police department.
The department now has 43 officers and no vacancies, Chief Glen Dorney said in an emailed statement.
“It has been a challenge getting police applicants for the last several years due to negative publicity surrounding law enforcement on a national level."South Whitehall Police Chief Glen Dorney
He said it is “very exciting” to be fully staffed again because the department can boost patrol levels and minimize overtime.
“It has been a challenge getting police applicants for the last several years due to negative publicity surrounding law enforcement on a national level,” Dorney said in the email.
“We take pride in our profession and hiring the right people, and I’m confident we hired six great people with this round of new hires.
"We look forward to getting them trained to serve our community.”
This round of recruitment comes after the police department dropped its college degree requirement in July to deepen the pool of applicants.
Candidates still are required to hold a high school diploma or a GED.
The new officers
The six new members of tSouth Whitehall Police Department are officers Nathan Petersen, Noel Brouse, Zakkary Foster, Kelley Quilty, Trent Garlin and Abbie Miller.
Peterson is a 2016 graduate of Stroudsburg High School and a 2022 graduate of East Stroudsburg University. From 2017 until 2023, he served as an infantryman in the Army National Guard, obtaining the rank of Specialist. Petersen recently graduated from Allentown Police Academy.
Brouse is a 2016 graduate of Parkland High School and a 2020 graduate of the University of Connecticut. He also received a master's degree at California University of Pennsylvania. Brouse also recently graduated from Allentown Police Academy.
Foster is a 2018 graduate of Emmaus High School and a 2023 graduate of Pennsylvania State University. Since 2018, he has served as a motor transport operator in the Marine Corps and now is a corporal. He recently graduated from Allentown Police Academy.
Quilty is a 2010 graduate of Kings Christian High School. For eight years, he served as a hospital corpsman in the Navy, and obtained the rank of Petty Officer Third Class.
He graduated from the Tulare-Kings County Police Academy in California in 2019 and then served as a patrol officer and school resource officer with the Hanford, Calif., Police Department.
Garlin is a 2018 graduate of Lancaster Mennonite School —Hershey Campus and a 2022 graduate of Kutztown University. He recently graduated from Reading Police Academy.
Miller is a 2020 graduate of Fleetwood Area High School. She is majoring in criminal justice at Alvernia University is scheduled to graduate in May. She recently graduated from Reading Police Academy.
