News from the Boyertown Borough

Boyertown’s Finest — the Boyertown Police Department are here to serve! There are currently 10 police officers on staff – Chief Barry Leatherman, five full time, and four part time. These officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide the excellent protection on which we have come to depend.

The full time clerk/secretary is also a very integral part of the team. Judy handles much of the paper work (citations, reports, supplies) and handles many of the public contacts and inquiries for the department. If Judy is not in her office, it is because she is also the Borough’s parking enforcement person.

Speaking of parking meters, you may have noticed the new meters in the Streetscape Area of town. These attractive meters now serve two parking spaces. When you park, your car should either be directly in front of or behind the meter. When you use the meter, you will want to push the button on the nearest meter with the arrow pointing to your space (left or right) to “tell the meter” which space you are in.

Our Police Department is always a phone call away. If you have an emergency or even a possible emergency, do not hesitate to call 911. The local phone number for non-emergencies or office inquiries is 610-369-3050. If nobody is in the office to answer, an automated system gives options, including one to transfer to the dispatcher, and others to leave messages for department members. People can also call Berks Radio directly for non-emergencies at 1-800-372-9111.

Sergeant Greg Miller recently retired from the department but continues to work part-time on an as-needed basis. You can now find Officer Miller walking the halls of the Boyertown Area High School during the school year keeping the halls of BASH safe and orderly.

Officer Brian Myers was the Boyertown Jaycees’ 2012 Outstanding Law Enforcement officer of the Year. Truly dedicated to his profession, Officer Myers sets the bar high as a highly respected officer and public servant. He is also a member of the District Attorney’s Local Drug Task Force.

Officer Mike Hoppes, in addition to being a full time police officer in Boyertown, is a State Police (MCSAP) certified truck inspector. This allows the department to conduct and participate in commercial vehicle safety inspection and weighing details throughout the year.

In May, Borough Council approved our newest part-time officer Matthew Merry. Officer Merry, a graduate from Upper Perk High School, resides in the Boyertown District with his wife and two children. His work background is mostly in the construction trades but now works for the Colebrookdale and Bally Police Departments part-time as well as here in Boyertown, while looking for an opportunity to start a full-time career in police work.

We are also fortunate to have an intern on duty with us for the summer. Michah Long, from the Fleetwood area, is a criminal justice major at West Chester. His internship is 12 weeks, full-time, and this is part of his credited course work, and a graduation requirement for him. He will be with us through most of July. In addition to observing officers perform their work, asking questions, and learning as much as he can, he has been assigned other projects such as working on a grant proposal, doing research for a pedestrian safety presentation, and documenting our updated traffic control and detour plans for special events using our new detour signs.

We recently received a $4,000 Aggressive Driving Enforcement Special Projects grant, and will be doing increased enforcement of speed and other moving violations over the next few months, combined with some pedestrian safety presentations, with a combined goal of improving the overall traffic safety climate of our downtown, both for pedestrians and for vehicle occupants. We also participate in a DUI enforcement grant program, and will be conducting reimbursed DUI enforcement activities the next two weekends - those before and after the Independence Day Holiday.

As children, we were always taught that “the Policeman is our friend”. This is still true in Boyertown.

Boyertown Borough Council
Borough of Boyertown, Berks County, Pennsylvania