Upper Dublin Police Department
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The Upper Dublin Police Department, or more affectionately known simply as the UDPD, is a First Class Civil Service Criminal Justice System that operates under the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its statutes. They are charged with protecting a 13 square mile (34 km²) area that includes the town of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and the Township of Upper Dublin. The department employs 40 full-time sworn officers divided between two major divisions: Patrol and Staff. These divisions are then divided into three support areas identified as Communications, Adult Investigations, and Juvenile Investigations. Additionally, there are several specialized units identified as Tactical Response, Medical Response, Bike Patrol, Traffic Safety, and DARE education.
The department is a member of the Montgomery County 800 MHz Trunked Communications System and utilizes it for their dispatching purposes. Their Motorola Talkgroup ID number is 2320. Currently, the entire county is in the process of switching over to a completely digital radio system in order to add more features and increase reliability. For more information, please visit this website.
UDPD is considered by many to be one of the most progressive and trained pd in Pa. They will only consider the top 30 applicants who take the Montgomery County Consortium test to become an entry-level police officer. Also, they require a minimum of 60 college credits, which is the highest amount required in the county. Upper Dublin Police Department is an accredited agency through the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accredidation Commission.
[edit] Significant events
Peter Betz Murder On the night of March 7, 1988, Upper Dublin Police responded to the Camphill Road home of Peter Betz, the son of a Philadelphia Phillies executive and a prominent member of his community. He was found dead at the scene lying face up in the kitchen of his lavish Upper Dublin estate. The autopsy revealed Betz suffered three bullet wounds from a .357 Magnum revolver. Ballistics later showed that the gun used was the same gun Betz kept in the master bedroom of his home. With the help of Montgomery County detectives, Upper Dublin police arrested Peter Betz's son, who was only 16 at the time. Betz's son pled guilty to third-degree murder for the death of his father and was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison. The rationale for the killing is not completely clear.
Lou Ann Merkle v. Upper Dublin School District During the late 1990s, the Upper Dublin Police Department found itself in the middle of an embarrassing incident involving a local art teacher and the School District of Upper Dublin. The teacher was accused by the school's principal of stealing art supplies, but when interviewed by Detective Jack Hahn of the UDPD, she claimed that she was merely donating them to a local charity. As a result, Merkle lost her job and was arrested based solely on the statement filed in the affidavit by the school's principal and at the insistence of the School Superentendant. It was widely known that the principal had an on-going personal vendetta against Merkle and was simply looking for an opportunity to get even with her. Merkle took her case to the third circuit court of appeals and won. The story was widely reported in the Philadelphia area media and is now taught as a textbook case among law students. Detective Hahn is now retired from the force and works as a security guard at Upper Dublin High School. The action against Upper Dublin Police was dismissed by the court and the school district was found liable (see the court case proceedings [1]).
Officer Laurie Sweeney On the morning of December 22, 2003, a black cat was struck by a truck while crossing the street. A passerby who witnessed the incident called police. Officer Laurie Sweeney of the Upper Dublin Police Department responded to the scene. Along with Upper Dublin, an Abington Township police officer responded because the road shared a municipal boundary. The Abington police officer suggested he "euthanize" the crippling cat by shooting it in the head with his 9mm service pistol. However, Officer Sweeney recommended she take the cat to a veterinary hospital. Off she went with her lights and sirens ablaze. Though the cat lived, Chief Terrence Thompson issued Officer Sweeney a temporary suspension without pay for using her lights and sirens to transport a feline across township lines. Officer Sweeney remains on the force to this day and the cat who was saved now lives a quiet life outside the public eye.
Lantern Circle Incident Late in the afternoon on May 24, 2004, a fire was reported at a single-dwelling home on the 1400 block of Lantern Circle. The Fort Washington Fire Company was dispatched and the small fire was put out. The cause of the fire was determined to be from a recessed lighting fixture in the ceiling. Approximately 11 hours later, the fire rekindled in the empty house. The home's security system activated the automatic fire alarm upon sensing the smoke and the Upper Dublin Police Department was dispatched to investigate. The fire marshall advised the Police that the alarm may malfunction during the night. Upon arrival, UD police officers thought the smoke they smelled was the same smoke lingering from the fire earlier that day. Approximately two hours later, the house was fully involved in flames. By that time, it was too late. The Fort Washington Fire Company was once again dispatched to the scene and spent nearly five hours putting the fire out. The Upper Dublin Fire Marshall ruled the fire as a "total loss". The house and the contents within were valued at over $500,000. Part of the problem was that the Fort Washington Fire Company's policy is to not respond to residential fire alarms initially and have the police department dispatched first. The policy remains in effect to this day.
Sgt. James Miller On April 20, 2004, the Upper Dublin Police Department lost its first officer while on duty. A 28-year veteran of the force, Sgt. James Miller was working the night shift from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.. He was driving a white unmarked Tahoe PPV (one of only two in UDPD's motor pool) when he was involved in a one-vehicle crash around 4:30 a.m. at the 1700 block of Dreshertown Road. Sgt. Miller was ejected from his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. It is common for police officers not to wear their seatbelts because it is necessary to get in and out of the patrol vehicle very quickly. Officer Miller was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident. The cause of the accident was not publicly released. Sgt. Miller was 55 years old and is survived by his wife, Barbara, two grown children, and two grandchildren. He was well-liked and was considered an exemplary police officer.
Officer Williams and the elusive Sanchez On March 3, 2005, Alfonso Sanchez was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Upper Dublin Township. He fled the scene and was later captured on foot in a neighboring township. Sanchez was then extradited back to Upper Dublin and taken into custody by Officer Thomas Williams of the Upper Dublin Police Department. Officer Williams then escorted Sanchez to Abington Memorial Hospital for a routine blood test to check for drugs. While there, Sanchez miraculously escaped the custody of Officer Williams despite being both drunk and high on cocaine at the time. As a result, Officer Williams, a 32-year veteran of the force, was fired from the police department. After an internal investigation, the department stated that Williams did not follow standard procedure for the safe transport of suspects. Sanchez, who is known to be armed and dangerous, is still at large at the time of this writing. Update: On June 11, 2005, Alfonso Sanchez was apprehended by officers of the Springfield Township Police Department during a traffic stop. He is currently awaiting trial.
[edit] Patrol vehicle
The vehicle of choice for the Upper Dublin Police Department is the Chevrolet Tahoe Police Package Vehicle (PPV). The Tahoe PPV is a rear-wheel drive workhorse that is comparable to the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (CVPI). The particular Tahoe PPV that the UDPD drives features a paint scheme in the township's colors (green and orange), and starting in late 2004, has the words "In Memory of Sgt. James Miller" written above the rear quarter-panel. On the exterior, UDPD's Tahoes are additionally modified to include a rear lightbar with an arrow stick, emergency strobes on the rear quarter-panels, strobes on the deck lid, strobes on the front fenders, and strobes on the front push bar. These additional lights far exceed the State's requirements and are done so in the name of safety. The vehicle sits on 16" wheels wrapped with 255/70R16 All-Season SBR Blackwall H-Rated shoes.
On the interior, the front cloth seats provide spacious room for the officers and their equipment. The center console houses all the radio equipment, including the Motorola trunked communications system. A LCD screen mounted from the floor provides the officer with all the information they need while on the road. Vehicles are equipted with in-car-camers. The back seats are vinyl to ease cleanup in case a suspect vomits while in transport to the station. The rear cargo area features equipment vital to performing the duties of an officer. All marked units are equipted with AEDS. On the QRS unit (Quick Response Service), an AED (automated external defibrillator) is placed additionally inside this cargo area, as well as other EMT supplies. On that note, the QRS unit is actually a highly-modified Chevrolet Suburban. It should also be noted that there is only one QRS unit in service in the UDPD. EMTs are assigned to each patrol squad to man the medic responder.
Mechanically speaking, the Tahoe PPV has a top speed of 125 MPH and packs a powerful Vortec 5300 V-8 engine that produces 295 horsepower (220 kW) and 330 foot-pounds (447 Nm) of torque tied to a 4-speed Allison transmission. A 26 US gallon (98 L) gas tank fuels the engine, which can run on either 87 octane or E85 Ethanol Alcohol. A 160 watt alternator provides power for the vehicle, which includes recharging the heavy-duty 770 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) battery after the engine turns over. This alternator is also hooked up to a DC-AC inverter, which provides power to three 110-VAC outlets located throughout the vehicle.
