A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HAMPDEN TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Hampden Township Police Department was established in 1959. The Department consisted of three Police Officers with Leonard Lotrick as the Chief of Police. In 1969, Kenneth Fetrow was officially appointed Chief of Police and served in that role until retiring in 2005. He is now an elected Commissioner of Hampden Township. Upon Chief Fetrow's retirement, Michael A. Andreoli was appointed as Chief of Police and the department has grown to twenty four officers but with the recent retirements the complement is at nineteen officers. Chief Andreoli retired in January 2010. Harry K. Clay, Jr. was appointed the new Chief of Police in February 2010.
The Hampden Township Police Department serves the largest residential population of Cumberland County with nineteen sworn officers.
In 1985, Hampden Township was the host agency for the first local Drug Task Force in the state, known as Tri-County Drug Task Force. The Tri-County Drug Task Force consisted of local Police and members of the state Attorney General’s Office and covered Northern York, Cumberland, and Perry County.
In 1987, Hampden Township became a member of the first multi-agency Forensic Task Force, known as the WE Team, which involved Dauphin and Cumberland County. Hampden Township was one the two Cumberland County Departments involved.