Politics & Government

Township Police Officers Honored with Annual Awards

A new full-time Lower Saucon police officer, Robert Winters, was also sworn in at Wednesday night's township council meeting.

Wednesday night's Lower Saucon Township Council meeting was a very special one for some of the township's men in blue.

Lower Saucon Police Chief Guy Lesser presented a number of the department's officers with awards for distinguished service in 2010.

Lesser also oversaw the swearing in of Robert Winters as a full-time police officer, after presenting him with an award for making 11 DUI arrests.

Find out what's happening in Hellertown-Lower Sauconwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sergeant Thomas Barndt, a 20-year department veteran, also received an award for making 19 DUI arrests, and Lesser noted that he has "been a major factor in elevating our department over the years."

"Your efforts continue to make traveling the roadways of Lower Saucon Township safer for all of us," Lesser said to both Barndt and Winters.

Find out what's happening in Hellertown-Lower Sauconwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Officer Chuck Werkheiser, a two-year department veteran, was the recipient of the 2010 Officer of the Year Award, as well as an enforcement award given to his patrol team.

Lesser commended Werkheiser for participating in training exercises on his days off, and said that together with Officers Eric Marth and Tom Lauder--fellow members of his patrol team who were co-recipients of the enforcement award--his performance has been "exemplary."

Lauder is coordinator of the department's program targeting aggressive drivers, and Marth is Lower Saucon's criminal identification officer, as well as the maintainer of its criminal and traffic court books.

Another officer recognized at the meeting was Investigator Christopher Leidy, who Lesser said has been with the Lower Saucon Police Department for more than 13 years.

"We're a better department...because of Chris's ongoing effort," Lesser said.

More specifically, Lesser commended Leidy for helping to solve the Keystone Automotive armed robbery that occurred in 2005.

The work Leidy did helped lead to the arrest and conviction last year of a former Keystone employee who had moved to Florida, and Lesser said it was Leidy's "persistence, attention to detail and diligence" that kept the case from going cold.

Council President Glenn Kern thanked the officers for their service.

"You're doing a great job and we see it," he said.

Council also approved a resolution formally recognizing the officers for their achievements.


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