Following recognition of former police chief Guy Lesser–who retired after 42 years of service last month–Lower Saucon Township Council on Wednesday approved a job description for the position he left as well as advertising it in various publications and online.
The job description is now posted on the township’s website and the deadline to apply for the position is Monday, Oct. 30, with interviews of semifinalist candidates tentatively scheduled to be held the week of Dec. 4.
Council approved forming a hiring committee to review applications and conduct interviews that will include township manager Leslie Huhn, interim police chief John Scruggs (of Matrix Consulting Group), two council members, two township residents and a member of the Lower Saucon Township Police Association.
Council members Priscilla deLeon and Donna Louder both said they would like to serve on the hiring committee, as did Lower Saucon Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Bryan Evans.
Louder and deLeon disagreed over the education qualifications included in the job description, which Louder–whose husband is a township police officer–ultimately voted against approving altogether.
Louder said a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in criminal justice or a related field should be required of police chief candidates–not simply preferred, as the description states.
She said Lesser’s retirement after decades at the helm of the department is an opportunity for the township to raise its standards for the position of chief.
“I think we need a well-rounded chief. Not somebody who drives 23 square miles, day in and day out,” Louder said, referencing the approximate size of the township. “You were in the military. You were in New York. You were in Detroit.”
“I prefer the language Leslie (Huhn) has proposed (for the job description), because it gives us options,” deLeon said. “You never know who you’re going to get as an applicant.”
When the motion to approve the job description was called, Louder voted “No,” it passed 3-1, and she said, “Dumbing down the department.” Councilman Glenn Kern was absent from the meeting.
The salary range for the new chief will be in the range of $83,000 to $93,476 annually plus benefits, with the starting salary to be determined based on the successful candidate’s experience and qualifications, per the job description.
A requirement of all candidates is at least 10 years of law enforcement experience, including five years of leadership in a department similar in size to Lower Saucon’s, which has an annual budget of $2.7 million and 23 staff members.
In response to a question, Interim Chief Scruggs–who is being paid up to $2,500 a week for a period of up to 12 weeks, while the hiring process for a new chief takes place–said there is the potential for someone from outside the state to qualify for the position, because of reciprocity among departments provided for in Act 120.
To apply, interested candidates should send a cover letter and/or resume to the township manager, Lower Saucon Township, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem, PA 18015 or via email to ma*****@lo*****************.org.
Huhn also told council she is also preparing an online community input survey about the police chief job, so the public’s feedback can be received.
It will include 15 to 20 questions about what the public is looking for in a chief and will likely be published via the survey website SurveyMonkey, Huhn said.
