By Patty Poist
The Hanover Evening Sun
PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — When Russell Rhodes started out as a police officer for Penn Township some 35 years ago, things were “tremendously” different, he said.
York County Control was in its infancy, training requirements were not nearly as stringent and computers in police cars were unheard of.
Rhodes agreed to take some time to reminisce about the old days shortly before township commissioners Monday night officially named him as their top cop, a position he served on an interim basis since May when Sam Gilbert retired as chief.
Commissioners at their regular meeting unanimously agreed to officially name Rhodes as the new chief, with Commissioner Phil Heilman, the board’s personnel committee chairman, saying Rhodes has done “a magnificent job” in the position over the past eight months.
Heilman said it was just a matter of procedure to place Rhodes as interim chief for a period of time before giving him the title, given the importance of the job.
Rhodes, who graduated from York College in 1973 where he studied comprehensive social sciences, recalled that when he started out as a young man, new police officers were given a badge, a gun and law enforcement books to study on their free time. They spent time with veteran police officers for a couple of weeks before they went out on their own. It wasn’t long after he was hired when more intensive training became mandatory and he readily took all the courses that were available.
With the exception of a two-year stint for the Manheim Township Police Department in Lancaster County, Rhodes spent his entire career with Penn Township and rose through the ranks through the years.
As opposed to the handful of police officers on the force when he started out, Penn Township now has 22 police officers with the 22nd officer, 26-year-old Steve Gebhart, being sworn in last night by District Justice James Miner of Hanover.
The new chief gave his new officer some encouragement before last night’s meeting.
“Are you ready?” he asked the young officer, who eagerly replied with a “yes.”
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