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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Police Chief Search Continues, Public Meetings Scheduled

Two public meetings have been scheduled to get residents' input on what Norristown's should look for in its next chief of police.

Norristown's search for a new police chief continues and the municipality has scheduled two of its promised public meetings to include the public in the search process. The first meeting will be held Thursday, March 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library at 1001 Powell Street. The second is scheduled for Thursday, March 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Montgomery County Human Services Center at 1430 DeKalb Street (the old Sacred Heart Hospital). The search committee is hoping to get public input about what sort of professional experience, training and potential law enforcement focus the public would like to see in a new chief of police. Residents will be asked to limit their comments to what they feel is …

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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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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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