Retirement Dinner for Chief Bono Planned for March 22 – Tickets Now on Sale

Friends and colleagues will honor former Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono at a dinner at Presidential Caterers on March 22.

Retirement Dinner for Chief Bono Planned for March 22 – Tickets Now on Sale

Friends and colleagues will honor former Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono at a dinner at Presidential Caterers on March 22.

Tickets are now on sale for former Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono's retirement dinner, planned for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 22 at Presidential Caterers, 2910 DeKalb Pike in East Norriton. Join friends, family and colleagues in honoring Chief Bono's more than four decades of service. Tickets for the event are $50 per person. Tables are available for $400. The night will feature a dinner choice of salmon or chicken saltimbocca and a cash bar. Checks can be made payable to the "Municipality of Norristown" and mailed to Kristi DeLorenzo, 235 East Airy Street, Norristown, PA 19401. For more information about the evening, contact one of the following: Download a copy of the flyer with a ticket order form in our PDF section. --- Related …

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Farewell to the Chief

Norristown Police Chief Russell J. Bono, a 42-year veteran of the force, retired Thursday to much fanfare.

Area law enforcement leaders, family and friends assembled at the home of Chief Russell J. Bono early Thursday morning to escort him to the police station for his last day as an officer of the law. The 42-year veteran of the force retires today along with his longtime friend and colleague, Deputy Chief Capt. Willie Richet. Capt. Richet, however, will continue on as interim police chief until a permanent replacement can be found. Both men were treated to full escorts to the station today. Chief Bono was visibly moved by the showing (as were many of the officers in attendance), more than once wiping a tear from his eye as he struggled to keep his composure. "I'm so honored and privileged to have worked with you all," Chief Bono told crowd …

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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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Changing of the Guard at West Norriton Police Department

West Norriton Police Chief Robert Adams retired on Monday, along with 44-year-public safety veteran Sgt. Joseph Hallman. Former Deputy Chief Dale Mabry was sworn in as the new Chief of Police.

Two long-standing icons of West Norriton law enforcement – West Norriton Police Chief Robert Adams and Sgt. Joseph Hallman – retired on Monday, Dec 31, and were sent off in style when the entire police force (along with representatives from other township departments and neighboring police departments) escorted both men from their homes for their final ride to the station as police officers. Once back at the station, Chief Adams (now former) announced that the West Norriton Township Board of Commissioners had decided that in honor of Sgt. Hallman's 44-year commitment to the township, he would be retired as Deputy Chief of Police. Hallman was sworn in on the spot for his final day. "Is this official?" Hallman asked, after Adams bestowed the…

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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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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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Rep. Kampf Hosts Retirement Savings Seminar

Hosted by state representative Warren Kampf (R-157), CPA Doug Hepburn explained how enjoying retirement is a matter of planning and the discipline to stick with it.