Falls Twp. Names New Police Chief

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA — Falls Township has looked within to find its next police chief.

Lt. Nelson Whitney, currently a division commander with the department, will become acting chief of police in September, then be named chief in January. Falls supervisors voted unanimously Monday to hire Whitney for the job.

Police Chief William Wilcox is retiring at the end of the year.

Whitney began working with the Falls Police Department in 1988.

"It has been an honor serving the community of Falls Township as a police officer for the last 32 years," Whitney said. "I look forward to the challenges of this new position and thank the board for their confidence in me. We have excellent officers in the Falls Township Police Department, and I am proud to serve with them."

Whitney will be paid $155,000 per year in his new position.

Supervisors Chairman Jeff Dence said the board collaborated with the Police Chiefs Association fromMontgomery County in narrowing down a list of candidates. All three of the chiefs recommended Whitney, Dence said, adding that he is a "great addition."

"We look forward to working with him," Dence said.

Whitney spent his first 10 years with Falls working as a police officer and EMT. In 1998, he transitioned to investigator in the cold case homicide unit. He was promoted to detective in 1999 and detectivevcorporal in 2002.

In 2003, Whitney was promoted to detective sergeant and served as supervisor of the detective division, a position he held for 10 years. In 2013, he was promoted to lieutenant, serving as the detective division commander for the following three years.

In 2016, Whitney began his current role as lieutenant, serving as the patrol division commander.

As lieutenant, Whitney instituted a program of data-driven, proactive policing to help address community issues related to drug abuse and traffic crashes. He also developed a training profile for new patrol officers emphasizing proactive patrol and increased training of patrol officers in responding to active shooter incidents.

Whitney has served as an instructor for the Falls Township Police Department Youth Police Academy, Falls Township Police Department Citizens Police Academy and the Bucks County Police Training Center and Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) of Bucks County.

A lecturer at Bucks County Community College and Pennsbury School District, Whitney has received numerous awards and commendations.