East Greenville's mayor swore in Randy Morris as its new police chief during Tuesday's public meeting. Borough council voted to approve separate motions accepting a three-year contract with Morris, previously the department's officer in charge, and appoint him as Drew Skelton's successor.

            Member Lon Brinckman II cast the lone vote against both motions. Two weeks earlier, Brinckman cast the lone vote opposing the submission of a term sheet and a draft contract to Morris.

            Following the Aug. 19 meeting, Brinckman explained that he would have preferred that council hire an outside consulting agency to vet candidates and oversee the hiring process.
"I have 100 percent confidence in all the officers in the department," he said. "I'm willing to do whatever I can to help make it better. Hiring Officer Morris would certainly fit into our budget. But I don't think this is the proper way to proceed on this issue."

            Terms of the contract were not released. Morris has yet to sign the agreement, according to Mayor Keith Gerhart. The mayor told the audience that the new police chief approved the draft contract submitted by the borough, but that Morris requested some minor text changes.
            Residents should not expect to notice any changes in the department, according to Gerhart.
            "That's why we did what we did," the mayor said after the meeting. "We like what we have."

            After being sworn in and receiving his new badge, Morris thanked the council, his family, and several members of the Upper Perk and Marlborough Township Police departments for their attendance. He referred to the officers from neighboring municipalities as his colleagues.

            "We're all on the same team," Morris said after the meeting.

            The new chief said the "overwhelming support" of the neighboring departments played a significant role in his decision to take the job. Morris specifically referenced Joe Adam Jr. and Darren Morgan, the chiefs of the Pennsburg and Marlborough departments.

            "It was so kind for all of them to show up," Morris said after the meeting. "They have been a godsend for me. Both chiefs have been absolutely wonderful."

            Morris, who retired as a detective sergeant with the Bristol Borough Police Department after 29 years, said he expects East Greenville council to approve a fourth officer for the department in the very near future. According to the new chief, the addition would allow the department to continue providing quality service and address quality of life issues in the borough.

            "Another officer would give us an awful lot of flexibility," Morris said. "We could be more proactive then reactive."

            East Greenville officials initially hired Morris in July of 2017. Thirteen months later, East Greenville council voted to accept his resignation letter. In a letter to council, the officer wrote that "it's time to see what retirement feels like."

            Morris said he retired a second time "to see if the department would succeed."  He returned to the department four months later, in December of 2018. He said he wanted to help make sure the department survived following the "unfortunate circumstances" involving Skelton, who was terminated earlier this year.

            East Greenville's police department handled 91 total incidents in August, according to information provided by Gerhart. Municipal authorities responded to 18 traffic incidents, 18 assists, eight calls for public service, four criminal investigations, four accidents, three animal incidents and two incidents each of vandalism and domestic as well as one each for parking and an attempted suicide.

            The state police responded to 21 incidents in the borough, according to the information.