Renovo’s Search for Police Continues


by Barbara Mastriania


RENOVO – This western Clinton County borough is continuing its quest for local police protection.

Renovo Police Department currently consists of one part-time officer, Matthew Carter, but Carter is presently not on duty as he is away for training and will be for the next two to three weeks.

The borough is not without police protection however; Renovo has had increased state police presence and number of PSP patrols in recent months.
 The Northampton area policeman who had been hired as full time chief of police for Renovo has had a change of mind and declined the job.

Renovo Mayor Carl Olshefski confirmed this week that Daniel Troxell who was to begin his duty here this month won’t be taking the job after all, citing that it isn’t financially feasible to relocate from Danielsville to here.


And A.J. Johnson, who was working part-time with Carter, has resigned to take a full-time job elsewhere. Carter and Johnson were hired for 25 hours each per week.
   After hiring Troxell in April the borough’s full time police, Thomas Kibbey and Chris Wolfer were laid off. The two had been dissatisfied with changes decreed by Olshefski after he took office as mayor in January.

Community residents and some Renovo council members had expressed dissatisfaction with Kibbey and Wolfer in the months prior to their dismissal and some business owners complained the police had not followed up on complaints.
  Olshefski said he went into office knowing there might be resistance to change. “I didn’t expect them to be so adamant. They wanted to write their own ticket,” he said.

Olshefski said the borough has advertised for full time police and has received applications from interested people. The matter now goes to the police committee, Rhonda Balchun, Colleen Testa and Kari Kepler.

The mayor said he thinks the borough needs at least one full time officer, but that Renovo is not the only borough in Clinton County with part-time police protection. He said residents have told him they are concerned there won’t be enforcement of the weed ordinance and other ordinances. “We do what we can do,” he said. He’s been working on procedures to file complaints of ordinance violations.

Finding and keeping fulltime police is a problem in that Renovo’s finances are limited. New officers don’t come out of the academy to Renovo for the money, they come to Renovo for certifications, Olshefski said.