| Board of Supervisors | |
| •Robert R. Hart, Chair •Leslie S. Richards, Vice-Chair |
•David E. Brooke •Sara J. Erlbaum •Melissa S. Sterling |
During the early 1920’s, the Pennsylvania State Motor Patrol, forerunner to the State Police, provided law enforcement in Whitemarsh Township. Later, Constable Harry S. Steinmetz, a resident of Church Road in Barren Hill patrolled the township in a Ford Model-A touring car and a motorcycle with sidecar.
In 1929, The Whitemarsh Women’s Club petitioned the Montgomery County Court to authorize a 
Police Department. The leader of the movement was Clara Burke, founder of the Nursing Home bearing her name. Mrs. D. Harry Dager and Vera Hiltner, charter members of the Women’s Club, also supported the movement. The club hired a well-known attorney, Theodore Bean, to represent their petition. Positioned on the northwest border of Philadelphia, crime was rising and motor traffic safety concerned the local citizens.
Not all residents approved of the proposed $75 a month salary for two officers. The very morning the court was to hear the petition; Constable Harry Steinmetz recovered a stolen car on the 
property of one of the landowners opposing the new police department. Montgomery County Judge Williams, upon hearing this timely evidence, immediately approved the formation of the Whitemarsh Police Department on June 1st, 1930.
The Whitemarsh Board of Supervisors paid to have telephones installed in both officers’ homes and also authorized leasing property at the corner of Crescent Avenue and Ridge Pike as the first Township and Police building. The cabin, built by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s WPA, belonged to the Barren Hill Boy Scouts of America. To protect the township’s 5000 residents, Chief Steinmetz hired Officer David Ennis. Together they patrolled the Township in their fleet of police vehicles, a Chevrolet touring car and two motorcycles.
Through the war years, ration tickets w
ere distributed from this small Township Building. By 1946, police were investigating 92 vehicle accidents a year. By 1947, that number swelled to 129.
Chief David Ennis replaced Steinmetz as Chief in 1948, serving one year. On April 6th, 1949, then Sergeant Edgar Mitchell was promoted to Chief of Police. Chief Mitchell was a towering man with enormous respect in the community.
In 1951, Chief Mitchell began providing 24-hour service. 
In 1954 the Whitemarsh Police Department moved to its new headquarters at 4021 Joshua Road in Lafayette Hill, complete with a modern radio dispatch system and three jail cells constructed by Walt Gilinger. Officials from all over visited our new headquarters, which was then described as a “modern police facility”. Chief Mitchell increased the size of the Department by having local residents sign petitions to persuade the elected Board of Supervisors to hire more officers.
In the civil unrest of the 1960’s, Chief Mitchell filled the growing ranks with promising new candidates. His choice in 1965 was Richard Zolko, the present Police Chief. Zolko was the first college graduate to wear a 
Whitemarsh uniform. In 1975, Chief Mitchell retired and was replaced by Detective Sergeant Joseph K. Blewitt. Following Blewitt’s retirement, Richard Zolko, took over the Chief’s position in 1981.
The Whitemarsh Police Department is proud of its highly motivated force and its fine reputation in the Philadelphia area. Under the leadership of Chief Richard Zolko, the department formed a highly trained Special Operations Team that works regularly with a county Drug Task Force and in high-risk emergencies. An acclaimed Juvenile Detective Division acts jointly with area schools to promote positive youth activities. Whitemarsh’s popular Police Bicycle Patrol also appears regularly in elementary schools promoting safety programs. They also patrol community events and are available for emergencies. Members of the department participate in an active volunteer Police Association that sponsors charitable community projects, the William Jeanes Children’s Library, youth athletic teams, women & children safety classes and other charitable causes.
By 1997, the force increased to 33 sworn officers assisted by radio dispatchers and clerical staff. That same year, the Police and Township Administration moved to their current location on Germantown Pike. Outfitted with the latest high-tech crime prevention, computer and video equipment, this new facility represents the best modern technology has to offer. The Whitemarsh Police Department is proud of its highly motivated force and the fine reputation it has in the Philadelphia area.
Following the untimely death of Chief Zolko in July of 2002, Lieutenant Jesse Stemple assumed the duties of acting Chief. In October of 2003 a new chief was selected. Chief Eileen Behr was selected to lead the department. In this new millennium, the Whitemarsh Police Department continues its tradition of professional policing and reputation for excellent community service.
Thirty-four officers currently staff the department. We are very proud of our seventy-year history. The public is invited to visit us at 616 Germantown Pike Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania.
Whitemarsh Township Police Department
616 Germantown Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
Administration: (610) 825-6530
Fax: (610) 825-5078
EMERGENCY:
Dial 911 or (610) 828-8000
Whitemarsh Township
616 Germantown Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
Phone: (610) 825-3535
Fax: (610) 825-9416