Police Chief Bart Bucher is Retiring; His Last Day in Office is July 1
For 35 years, Officer Bart Bucher has been a familiar face in Collegeville Borough. And for the last 24 years, he has served our Chief.
For over two decades, Chief Bucher and his police reports have been a well-known—and at times memorable–part of every Council meeting. What has not been as visible is the positive impact his philosophy of Community Policing and respect for all residents has had throughout the borough and at Ursinus College. When residents need help, Chief Bucher freely gives them his personal cell phone number and follows up. His presence in Collegeville—and his legendary jokes and sense of humor– will be greatly missed!
Chief Bucher joined the Collegeville Police Force in 1989. He was promoted from within at the recommendation of the Borough Council’s Personnel Committee and Council in 2000 when Chief John Clawson retired.
Chief Bucher holds a BS in Criminal Justice from West Chester University. He is Past President of the Police Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Chief Bucher also serves as an Assistant to the Commander of the Montgomery County SWAT – Western Region. Additionally, he has sat on over 35 entry level and promotional hiring boards for police departments throughout Montgomery and Chester County.
“Being a small-town police officer is a completely different experience from being a chief in a big city,” Chief Bucher explains. “You need to do everything. I’m in charge of the hiring, scheduling of officers, the budget, and ordering supplies, along with always being there 24/7 for the Officers, the Council, and the community. As Chief, I am seen as an ambassador to the community along with the Mayor. It is also very important to have a close working relationship and constantly network with the police forces from all the neighboring towns. With a small department, we all need to work closely together to have the necessary resources and back-up.”
We’ve all heard stories in the news—and perhaps experienced–police behaving badly. But that is highly unlikely to occur in Collegeville.
“Our Collegeville officers grew up in the suburbs and hold similar ethics and values as our residents, Chief Bucher says. “As Collegeville police, our primary mission is always to help residents, so I have looked for a certain type of officer to work here. Our officers learn the basics of police procedure and the law at the Police Academy. But they learn the important skills they need to interact with and respect our residents here. All our officers are trained to be sensitive to the issues residents are experiencing.
“We practice Community Policing; all our officers are focused on being service-oriented. They try to understand what our residents are going through. and when people have problems, it is important that they be heard. Our officers also need to be proficient in domestic and neighbor conflict resolution.”
As he looks back on his career, Chief Bucher affirms that “I have loved my time here, and I feel as though this job is something I was always meant to do. But now it is time to give someone else a chance.”
And in stepping down on July 1, Chief Bucher will do that. At their June 5 meeting, Borough Council approved the hiring of Officer John Barnshaw to assume the position of Collegeville’s next Police Chief effective July 2.
Join us in sending Collegeville Police Chief Bart Bucher
our best wishes on his retirement
after 24 years of service
on his last day as Chief of Collegeville Borough
on Monday, July 1, 2024, Noon to 2 p.m.
Collegeville Borough Hall, 491 E. Main St., Collegeville
