(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Underneath the chaos of the national headlines that dominated the year 2020, a local change to law enforcement has anchored a multi-year progression for the Ambridge Borough Police Department.

That change came when the then-chief of the Beaver Falls PD, John DeLuca, was hired by the Ambridge PD in that same position (interim until 2021). Two and a half years later, the police staff has increased to 21 members, including a jump from 8 to 15 full-time staff. Chief DeLuca spoke to Matt Drzik about this and more during a sit-down on the December 5 edition of A.M. Beaver County.

Ambridge’s staff also includes several officers designed to focus on drug crimes in the borough, and two full-time SROs working at Ambridge High School. But other municipalities near Ambridge–particularly Conway, Baden, and Freedom–are short-staffed to the point of serious merger consideration. Chief DeLuca knows this and says that his staff is willing to help out when needed (and vice versa: “They kind of go back and forth; if we need them or they need us. We kind of bounce back and forth together.”

To watch the full interview with Chief DeLuca, click on the Facebook feed below!