Mount Joy Names Second Interim Police Chief In Less Than A Month

Mount Joy borough officials appointed a new interim police chief Monday after accepting the resignation of the former interim chief, who was only on the job for two and a half weeks.

At Monday’s meeting, council accepted the resignation of Luis Mendez, who began as interim chief on Feb. 6, and reinstated him to his former position of part-time patrol officer.

Council then appointed Maurice “Bill” Williams as the new interim chief.

Williams, a retired lieutenant from the Lancaster City Bureau of Police, will take leadership of Mount Joy’s police department on the condition that he passes pre-employment testing.

Read more:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/mount-joy-names-second-interim-police-chief-in-less-than/article_88aed5f0-bc6e-11e4-b902-bbcbb68bf956.html

16 Arrested – Mostly For Drugs – In Northwest Lancaster County Sweep

Sixteen people were arrested Wednesday in a sweep of northwest Lancaster County by a host of law enforcement agencies.

The arrests were the result of a year-long undercover operation, according to Elizabethtown Borough police.

Here’s who was arrested and their charges:

•Jeffrey Myers, 37, of Elizabethtown, charged with one felony count of delivery of a controlled substance by. Myers was arraigned before District Judge Jayne Duncan and was released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/arrested—mostly-for-drugs—in-northwest/article_f3320066-8193-11e4-8184-9b9b354b3a04.html

Mount Joy Hires New Police Chief, Lifts Restriction On Police Overtime

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mount Joy Borough officials lifted restrictions on police overtime and approved the hiring of a new police chief on Monday, March 3, after hearing discussions on recent staffing issues within the department.

Council members agreed to hire Kevin Girling, a Lieutenant with the York City Police Department, as chief of the Mount Joy Borough Police Department at a salary of $85,000 following a mid-meeting executive session to discuss the matter.

Girling, who is still working in York, will need to sign an employment agreement before officially joining the Mount Joy department , no later than April 1.

“Thank you to everybody who helped with the process,” council member William Hall said. “We put a lot of hours in, a lot of meetings, a lot of feedback from the public, and I’m very confident that this is going to work out.”

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/mount-joy-hires-new-police-chief-lifts-restriction-on-police/article_7d374eac-a872-11e3-839d-001a4bcf6878.html

Amtrak Reports Increase In Ridership On Keystone Line, Says Lancaster Is Third-Busiest Station In State

Ridership on Amtrak’s Keystone line through Lancaster County grew by 5.2 percent in the last six months, the nation’s passenger railroad corporation announced Tuesday.

Amtrak has 13 trains each weekday stopping at the Lancaster, Mount Joy and Elizabethtown stations on the Keystone line and nine weekend trains.  The Keystone line carries passengers between Harrisburg and Philadelphia.

The Keystone carried 723,461 passengers in the first half of the fiscal year, compared to 687,860 during the same period last year.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/836140_Amtrak-reports-increase-in-ridership-on-Keystone-line–says-Lancaster-is-third-busiest-station-in-state.html#ixzz2QAEZu4bn

Mount Joy Borough Demotes Its Police Chief

Mount Joy Borough Council demoted its police chief to sergeant on Monday, finding he failed to “meet administrative expectations of the position.”

The decision ends six months of limbo for the borough and John O’Connell, who had been on paid administrative leave since July.

Bill Hall, chairman of the public safety committee, called the demotion a “reassignment agreement and release” that was agreed to by the borough and O’Connell in a motion offered to council.

Council voted 7-1 for the demotion, with Councilman Barry Mowrer opposing.  Councilman John Hiestand was absent.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/808599_Mount-Joy-Borough-demotes-its-police-chief.html#ixzz2JPq5KI6I

Mount Joy Borough Agrees To $900,000 Payment To Family Of Man Who Died In Taser Incident

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mount Joy Borough Council  on Monday approved a $900,000 settlement agreement for the family of a man who died in 2010 after attempts to subdue him included repeated discharges from a police officer’s Taser.

The settlement will be paid to the family of Robert A. Neill Jr. by the borough’s insurance carrier, according to borough officials.

The borough’s insurance company recommended the settlement, according to a one-paragraph statement read by council President Chris Metzler.

The insurance company was not identified, and no other comments were made by members of council.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/788936_Mount-Joy-Borough-agrees-to–900-000-payment-to-family-of-man-who-died-in-Taser-incident-.html#ixzz2E7KMA9Gr