Crafton swears in new police chief; Rick Ford outlines early priorities

Crafton Borough introduced its new police chief, Rick Ford, at the July council meeting. Ford said he started July 4 and plans to increase departmental communication with the public and to tap officers’ on-the-ground expertise to better serve the community.

Ford told council his first week began with Fourth of July activities and that he intends to attend council meetings early in his tenure to introduce himself and to discuss what the community should expect in police-related updates. "You'll see a lot more activeness in terms of the social media posts in relationship to scams that we see, crime trends," Ford said, adding that such posts are intended to inform residents rather than alarm them. He said he already had done a media interview about vehicle theft trends and that the department would provide proactive outreach.

Ford also said he is working internally to give officers more tools and freedom to apply their expertise in the community and invited residents to introduce themselves if they see him at local events. He paid tribute to his predecessor, Chief Sumpter, and said he intends to continue the department's work.

Why this matters: introduction of a new police chief signals a leadership transition in public safety and sets expectations for how the department will communicate with residents on crime trends and community-policing efforts.

Council and staff said Ford will appear at future meetings to provide periodic updates as appropriate, and that the borough will coordinate on what operational information can be shared while protecting privacy for individuals.