John Petrick Appointed Ferguson Township Chief of Police
On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors formally appointed John Petrick as the Chief of Police for Ferguson Township during the Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting Session.
Chief Petrick has over 32 years of law enforcement experience and 20 years of command level experience as Chief of Police. Chief Petrick previously served Patton Township from 1994 through 2017, including 16 years as Chief of Police before joining Penn State University Police and Public Safety as Chief of Police Administration. He most recently served as Chief of Police for Ephrata Borough, Pennsylvania.
Ferguson Township engaged in a national search to fill the position with professional firm, GovHR. Recruitment for the position began on July 20th with input and comments provided by 22 stakeholders, as well as a community input survey. The two-month application period yielded 25 applications from 9 states, including 13 resumes from Pennsylvania.
Chief Petrick holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from New York University and subsequently graduated from the New York City Police Academy, Pennsylvania Municipal Police Academy, and FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He began his career in community policing in 1987 with the New York City Police Department where he served as an intern before becoming a police officer. As Patton Township Chief of Police, where he was cross-sworn with Ferguson Township Police, he oversaw his agency’s accreditation by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission and received convictions on two high-profile cases. As Penn State Chief of Police Administration, he managed all administrative activities for over 150 sworn police officers, protecting over 100,000 Penn State employees, students and visitors across all 22 Commonwealth stations.
Chief Petrick will officially begin his employment with the Township on January 3, 2023. Ferguson Township looks forward to introducing residents and community members to Chief Petrick in the weeks to come.