Yardley Borough Council Pays Tribute To Police Chief Kelly

YARDLEY, PA — The borough now has an interim police chief to replace Joseph Kelly III, who took the same post with neighboring Lower Makefield Township.

Borough officials know they have big shoes to fill in replacing Kelly and recently commented about the loss of their police chief exclusively to Patch.

"On behalf of Yardley Borough Council, I want to express our deep appreciation for Chief Joseph Kelly’s years of dedicated service to our community," Council President Caroline Thompson told Patch. "His leadership, vision, and steadfast commitment to public safety have strengthened both our police department and the borough as a whole."

Council Vice President Uri Feiner said that the entire borough was "enormously grateful" for Chief Kelly's contributions to modernizing and strengthening the police department.

"One of the great things about living in Yardley Borough is our committed local police department, where officers and residents personally know and trust each other," Feiner told Patch.

Thompson added that Chief Kelly always led the borough with integrity and a focus on progress.
Under his leadership, the department expanded its presence, strengthened relationships with residents, and implemented innovative programs that have brought the community and law enforcement closer together.

"His ability to balance operational efficiency with meaningful engagement has been a model of modern policing," Thompson said. "Several times, he has beat the budget that he was awarded — which is unheard of in the field. Name another police department that operates under budget. I’ll wait. So much so that other chiefs have approached him and us and asked “how does he do it?”

Thompson said that, through Kelly's guidance, the department has grown into a more structured, well-trained, and well-equipped force, prepared to meet the challenges of today’s public safety landscape — with officers under his wing "who felt as engrained into the fabric of our lives as our very residents."

Feiner said Borough Council will seek a replacement and try to fill Kelly's shoes.

"Transition is not an easy thing, but let's remember that we've been here before — the Yardley Borough Police Department has been serving our residents longer than any of us have been alive," Feiner said. "Transition allows for new energy, new ideas, and new solutions. So while it is a loss, I also look at it as an opportunity. What can we do to become more efficient? What can we do to become more effective? I don't believe those two questions are necessarily contradictory, and I look forward to working with the council, the mayor, the staff, the police department, and our residents to ensure that our community continues to benefit from our century-long tradition of dedicated local policing."

Thompson said that Kelly's leadership will be missed but that his contributions will have a lasting impact on Yardley Borough for years to come.

"Chief Kelly, we are grateful for your dedication, your service, and the countless ways you have made this community safer and stronger," Thompson said. "I am especially grateful for all of the times you had a million better things to do, but got down at eye level with my son and talked to him like you had all the time in the world —which has truly encapsulated you in his mind as his hero forever. We wish you all the best in your next chapter, and we know that your legacy here will not soon be forgotten. And to Lower Makefield Township — where do I send my angry letter?"