After 37 Years, Doylestown’s Police Chief Heads Toward Retirement

DOYLESTOWN, PA—Since joining the Doylestown Township Police Department in 1987, Dean Logan has worked every job on the force, from patrol officer to detective and ultimately to chief. Now, after 37 years with the department, the last 12 in the top job, Logan is about to retire.

At Tuesday night’s meeting of the township’s supervisors, a crowd of about 100 people gathered to celebrate Logan’s time on the force and to thank him for his service. More than 20 officers Doylestown officers attended in full uniform, as did officers from nearby departments.

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Logan officially retires on Oct. 4. Lieutenant Charles Zeigler will be sworn in as chief later that month.

At last night’s retirement ceremony, Jennifer Herring, Chairman of the Board of the Supervisors, listed some of Logan’s achievements during his time leading the police force. She noted that the chief played a big role in implementing technology, including the rollout of body cameras and the use of social media by the department.

And on Logan’s watch, the department joined the elite ranks of Pennsylvania forces that are accredited with the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. Less than 10% of departments in the state are accredited, so completing the rigorous process is a badge of pride.

The people who spoke on Tuesday night said they were upbeat about the future of the force because of Logan’s leadership. The previous chief, Steve White, praised the way Logan worked with the township’s civilian leaders. White explained that Doylestown’s chief of police reports not to the township’s supervisors or its manager, but the township’s director of public safety. White noted that reporting arrangement is unique.

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Another thing that’s unique, White added, is Logan’s ability to work with all kinds of personalities both inside and outside of the police department. “It’s not something that occurs all of the time in police departments,” White said. “Sometimes the badge interferes with people interacting with the public and even interacting with their own officers.”

Another thing that made Logan unique was the fact that he was a local. Logan grew up in Doylestown and went to CB East High School, where he played football, before going to Shippensburg University.

Barbara Lyons, a longtime supervisor with the township, has worked closely with Logan in her role as Director of Public Safety. She noted that Logan’s habit of leading by example has trickled down to the overall department. Lyons said that the township’s officers show up “not just to out speeding tickets, but for community events. They walk among us and they're approachable.”

In remarks at the ceremony, Logan noted that the department is relatively young, having been created in 1970. By Logan’s own estimate, he’s worked with 62 of the 89 police officers who have ever served on the township’s force. “That’s a pretty good percentage,” Logan told the crowd.

Logan thanked a long list of people he had worked with over the years who had an impact on him and the department. Logan recounted one particularly memorable interaction he had with White, the previous chief, when he got the dreaded “Can you come into my office?” request. “That’s the message we always dreaded,” Logan said.

Logan said the message he heard as a young police officer has remained with him all these years later: “Steve stated to me, ‘I did not choose to discipline you. You chose to be disciplined by your actions.’ That holds true.”

Logan said that throughout his career, he tried to take that kind of straightforward approach. “I did not hesitate to make the difficult and oftentimes unpopular decision while keeping the residents of the township in mind,” Logan explained. “As I've always said, ‘This is not about me.’ ”

Finally, Logan had one request of the community: “Please remember that our officers sacrifice a lot to keep your community safe,” he said. “When you have an opportunity to speak with an officer, let them know that they are appreciated.”

Logan also urged residents to hold the department’s officers accountable “so we can continue to strive to be the best that we can.”

Toward the end of the ceremony, the Bucks County Department of Emergency Communications broadcast a final radio call for Logan. After a series of loud beeps, an announcer congratulated Logan’s tenure and wished him well on behalf of the entire department from a radio being held by Zeigler, Logan’s replacement.

When the announcement was done, Logan took the radio from Zeigler and signed off one last time.

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