Council Appoints Capt. Richet Interim Police Chief

Deputy Police Chief Capt. Willie Richet would take on the role starting March 1.

Norristown Municipal Council opened the agenda at Tuesday night's meeting to add a vote on making Deputy Police Chief Capt. Willie Richet the interim Chief of Police beginning March 1. The motion passed unanimously with 6 votes. (Councilwoman Mimi DeSouza was absent from the meeting.) Capt. Richet is scheduled to retire alongside current Police Chief Russell Bono on Feb. 28, and will still technically be retiring and receiving his retirement and DROP benefits, but will hold the interim office until a permanent replacement can be found. According to Councilman Bill Caldwell, chair of the ad hoc search committee, the process could take up to six months. A salary for the position is still being negotiated. Council President Gary Simpson noted…

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Council Chooses Reading-Based Firm to Conduct Search for New Police Chief

Council voted to enter into a contract with Safe City Solutions, LLC to conduct the search for Norristown's next chief of police.

Among the business at Monday night's municipal council meeting, council voted unanimously to authorize Norristown Municipal Manager Dave Forrest to enter into an agreement with Reading-based Safe City Solutions, LLC (SCS) to conduct a search for candidates to replace retiring Police Chief Russell J. Bono. Chief Bono is set to retire at the end of February this year. According to the agreement, SCS would conduct an initial review process including screening resumes and review written questionnaires and video presentations. SCS would also help with advertising the post. SCS would offer up to 15 candidates and will then work with the municipality to narrow the field to 5 or 6 candidates. Those finalists would subjected to a professional oral …

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Norristown Council Appoints Committee to Conduct Police Chief Search

The committee will review and add to the job description for the position and conduct public meetings to get community input.

Norristown Municipal Council President Gary Simpson announced the creation of an ad hoc committee to spearhead the search for a new police chief at Tuesday night's council meeting. Current Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono said he is scheduled to retire on Feb. 28. Simpson named Public Safety Committee Chair William Caldwell and fellow councilmen Dwayne Royster and Marlon Millner to the committee. "[The search committee] will work with the finance and personnel committee to review and add to the job description of police chief, which has not yet been determined prior to this," Simpson said. "They will actually convene a public process that will provide unity meetings – either between two and three meetings – so that we can get the input…

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Concerned Residents Call for National Search for New Police Chief

Norristown's current chief of police, Russell J. Bono, retires at the end of February 2013.

A small group gathered on the corner of Sterigere and Stanbridge streets during rush hour on Thursday, Dec. 6, to publicize Norristown's search for a new police chief.  The half dozen residents held signs reading "Police Chief Needed" and "Qualified Police Chief" and distributed flyers to passing cars alerting readers to the impending retirement of both Norristown Police Chief Russell J. Bono and Deputy Chief Captain Willie Richet. Both men are scheduled to retire early next year. The flyer also implores residents to contact their council members and encourage them to begin a national search for a qualified candidate. Norristown Municipal Council has not yet addressed the retirement of its two top cops at any pubic meeting, but has …

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No Word From Council on New Chief of Police as Deadline Approaches

Norristown Police Chief Russel Bono is set to retire on Feb. 28, 2013, and Norristown Municipal Council seems no closer to finding a successor.

As previously reported by Norristown Patch, Norristown Municipal Council is faced with replacing its two top cops when they retire next year and while the deadline is fast approaching, council members have yet to publicly announce plans to fill either position. Both Police Chief Russell J. Bono and Deputy Chief Captain Willie Richet are scheduled to step down at the same time next year, and council is now tasked with filling not one, but two senior leadership roles in the Norristown Police Department by March 2013. The process has been discussed and debated by council in executive session, but as the deadline looms, disagreements on the best way to proceed have reportedly mired the process. One option is to immediately hire a search firm …

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Norristown Searching For New Chief, Deputy Chief of Police

Norristown Police Chief Russell J. Bono and Deputy Chief Captain Willie Richet are retiring in the spring.

[Editor's Note: This is the first in a planned ongoing series exploring Norristown's search for a new Chief and Deputy Chief of Police. Check back with Norristown Patch for more on this issue as it develops.] Norristown Patch has learned that Norristown Municipal Council is currently mulling its options for replacing its two top cops when they retire next year. Both Police Chief Russell J. Bono and Deputy Chief Captain Willie Richet are scheduled to step down at the same time in April 2013, and council is now tasked with filling not one, but two senior leadership roles in the Norristown Police Department in the next seven months. While that process would be no easy feat for any municipality, it's made more complicated for Norristown by …

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Norristown in the Headlines

Former Norristown Police Chief William Bambi remembered and some great things happening around town are just a few of the things other media outlets are writing about Norristown around the Web.

The Times Herald reports that Tatiana Berry, of Haws Avenue, was charged with allegedly assaulting her ex-boyfriend with a boxcutter and threatening his sister with a stun gun on Monday afternoon. Berry, 22, reportedly came to an East Spruce Street residence looking for her ex-boyfriend, who is the father of her child, to collect child support. She argued with him and allegedly swung a boxcutter, cutting his arm and leg. Berry later reportedly threatened his sister with a stun gun who then called the police. The Herald remembers William J. Bambi, Norristown's Chief of Police from 1980 to 1992, who passed away Monday at the age of 72. Bambi was described as a hard-working, tough cop who was once in charge of criminal investigations and the …

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Council Honors Police Chief Bono

Norristown Municipal Council honored Police Chief Russell Bono on Tuesday night for his 40 years of service to our town.

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In the Headlines

Norristown Patch brings you the headlines and top stories from area news outlets covering Norristown.

According to The Times Herald, the early morning fire at 825 Violet St. that claimed the life of 21-year-old Tyrone Owens was determined to be accidental in the preliminary investigation, but officials continue to look into the matter. According to the Herald, Norristown Code Enforcement spoke to Owens in March after getting a tip about an illegal rental unit at the home. At the time, Owens told a Code Enforcement officer that he did not live at the address. Read more about this story here. Also reported by the Herald, Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono presented Det. Lt. Kevin McKeon with a plaque commemorating his nearly three decades of service to Norristown at Tuesday’s council meeting. McKeon is leaving Norristown to become the …

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