Rickard sworn in as new Lock Haven police chief

LOCK HAVEN, PA – With multiple family members and friends looking on, Matthew Rickard was sworn in Monday night as Lock Haven’s chief of police. Mayor Joel Long swore him in and the new chief offered brief remarks, stating he is “looking forward to many more years serving the citizens of Lock Haven.”

His position with the city police department is a homecoming of sorts. Rickard was raised in Haneyville and is a 1994 graduate of Lock Haven High School. A Marine veteran, the new chief is a graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Police Academy. He subsequently worked on a number of central Pennsylvania police departments, including at Bellefonte where he was a detective. Rickard began his service with the city as a patrolman in April 2020.

Rickard had been appointed assistant chief in September of last year after then-chief Kristin Smith announced she would be departing the force in December; he had been serving as interim chief since then, until the formal Monday night swearing-in.

He is the son of the late Steve Rickard, a retired state policeman and Clinton County native who passed away in January of 2022.