“You have just promoted the future of this department,” Police Chief Joel Herzog said, addressing trustees at the meeting.
Officer Gutman has been a police officer with West Chester since 1995. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2005 and Lieutenant in 2010, serving as Uniformed Patrol Commander, Criminal Investigation Section Commander and SWAT Commander from 2011 to 2013.
“As a Sergeant in the Community Affairs Unit, Officer Gutman helped develop and run the Citizen Police Academy, a popular program that’s currently in its 15th installment,” Herzog said.
Officer Whitton has been a police officer with West Chester since 1998. He was assigned to the SWAT team in 1999 and promoted to Sergeant in 2007, serving as a Uniformed Patrol Sergeant before being transferred to the Integrity & Development Unit. Officer Whitton has also been a Field Training Program Coordinator since 2011 and is responsible for the training of new officers.
“Officer Whitton has been a leader within the department in the education of Force Science and de-escalation techniques,” Herzog said.
Officer Lovell has been a police officer with West Chester since 2000 and was assigned additional duties as a criminalist in 2003 due to skills demonstrated on the job, according to Herzog. Officer Lovell is currently assigned to the Uniformed Patrol Section and will continue in this role as a road supervisor.
All three officers receiving promotions have also served as K-9 handlers for the department.
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