16 Feb Thanks, Chief!

Posted at 16:47h in Administration by
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After 30 years of dedicated service to the West Vincent Township community, Chief Michael Swininger retired as Chief on February 17. Below are some highlights of his career:

Chief Swininger began working as a Deputy Conservation Officer with the PA Fish and Boat Commission, and a Police Officer in Spring City Borough and East Vincent Township. In 1996 he was hired as a Patrol Officer in West Vincent Township and in 2001 was promoted to Police Chief.

Chief established the Northern Chester County Youth Aid Program which allows non-violent, first-time juvenile offenders an opportunity to enter a diversion program instead of entering the juvenile justice system. The Center for Resolutions, the agency that oversees Youth Aid Panels throughout the state, presented Chief Swininger with their Community Stewardship Award in 2009.

In 2011, Chief Swininger was presented a Commendation of Merit from the West Vincent Township Board of Supervisors for his heroic actions during a water rescue of a trapped woman during a flood on French Creek Road. In 2013, he received another Commendation of Merit from the West Vincent Township Board of Supervisors for overseeing an animal cruelty investigation, subsequent arrest and conviction of an individual who shot and killed two pet Bernese Mountain dogs.

Chief Swininger served several years on the Chester County Emergency Response Team (CCERT) Board of Commissioners. Early in his career he was a member of the Chester County Drug Task Force. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico Virgina Class 232 and is a graduate of the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command Class 458.

Community Policing: Chief Swininger worked with concerned residents to create the West Vincent Township Traffic Safety Committee, to identify traffic issues and potential resolutions throughout the Township to create a safer community. He promoted community relations through programs such as Coffee with a Cop, Movie Night with students from the West Vincent Elementary School, Kona Water Ice meet and greets, Walk to School Day, Trout Fishing Rodeos, Shop with a Cop, Citizen Police Academy, Trunk or Treat and Dr Suess Reading Day. He also established the DARE program in the West Vincent Township Elementary School and set up several child car seat clinics, along with Chester County COAD, to assist parents to properly install car seats. He partnered with the West Vincent Township Litter Lifters to ensure the Township volunteers were safe while cleaning up along the side of our roadways.

We cannot forget the Country Music Festivals… each event was a monumental undertaking, but Chief Swininger successfully coordinated with federal, state and local agencies to ensure the community and everyone attending would be safe.

Thanks, Chief!