Northern Berks Regional Police Department will swear in Det. Sgt. Brian Horner, Officer in Charge, as the new chief of police during a ceremony at 11 a.m. on May 8 at the Ontelaunee Township Municipal Building.
“I look forward to being the leader of Northern Berks Regional Police Department and being there for them,” said Horner of Maidencreek Township.
Serving in law enforcement for 28 and a half years, Horner served with Mill Hall Borough Police, Kutztown University Police, Borough of Kutztown Police, Maidencreek Township Police and 26 and a half years with the Northern Berks Regional Police Department.
“My goals so far, when I set about taking over as chief, is I wanted to do a lot for the guys by getting the officers trained. There’s a lot of training out there that will be useful with our department,” said Horner, who has been Officer in Charge for the past three weeks and has already begun instituting changes in the department.
He also wanted to start using Facebook to connect with the community through social media.
“To educate the people and let the people know what’s going in our area. That was one of the biggest things,” Horner said. “The other thing is to get a Crime Watch started, which we’ve never had since I’ve been here.”
Horner also wants to create a Police Community Group, asking people from the communities of Maidencreek, Ontelaunee and Leesport to be involved. The group will meet with Horner and one of the sergeants and possibly an officer every three months.
“To discuss what they hear from the street and the areas that they live. What people would like for the police to do,” he said. “We will discuss what we can help the community with but then we’re going to give back to those people and say this is what we would like the community to do for us. I think to have that happen, I think is going to build up the relationship with the community and the police department, which I think is very important.”
Other recent changes include switching to a computerized work schedule which Horner said has been working out phenomenally well because it has cut down on overtime. They can see in advance and make adjustments easier.
“You’re also going to see us doing a lot more traffic enforcement,” said Horner.
There are normally 14 officers at Northern Berks Regional Police Department. Horner said they are currently two officers short. There are plans to hire one or two more officers in the near future.
Horner hopes to bring positive morale to the police department in his role as chief.
“Being a leader that the officers want to make them do the job more efficiently and to be there for the community and to help the community,” he said.
What he likes about being in law enforcement is the opportunity to help people.
“It’s about being there for the people. I like to see people with a smile on their face. Anything that I can do, that I can help somebody, that’s the type of person that I am. I’m the type of person that I’ve never forgot where I came from and I always say treat people with respect because that’s what you would want,” said Horner.
Horner encourages the community to contact the police department.
“We have an open door policy. If there’s any complaints or issues in the area that they live, please come in and see us and hopefully we can get things resolved quickly,” he said.
Northern Berks Regional Police Department is located at 37 Ontelaunee Drive, Reading, at the Ontelaunee Township Municipal Building at the intersection of Route 73. Contact Horner by calling the police department business office at 610-926-2999.
