Horsham Police

Horsham Police Sergeants Jeffrey Woodruff and Larry Bozzomo, and Officers Steve Ryan, Jeffrey Wolf, Joseph Hopkins and Gregory Wittmer received departmental commendations from Chief Robert Ruxton in a ceremony on January 5, 2009.

Our officers display acts of courage and kindness everytime they patrol our streets. In 2008, several acts of bravery stood out and the officers involved were awarded commendations.

On January 31, 2008, Sergeant Jeffrey Woodruff rushed into a burning house on Springhouse Drive. After confirming that the house was evacuated, the Sergeant was able to extinguish the fire and saved the home from burning to the ground.

On July 8, 2008 Sergeant Larry Bozzomo and Officer Steve Ryan arrested a dangerous suspect who had just brutally stabbed two women, then fled into the Blair Mill Apartment complex. After searching the apartments, the attacker was taken into custody with no further problems.

On July 26, 2008, Sergeant Jeffrey Woodruff and Officers Jeffrey Wolf, Joseph Hopkins and Gregory Wittmer apprehended a deranged suspect who was firing a handgun wildly about the English Village Apartment complex. No one was injured, including the defendant, as the officers were able to subdue and arrest the gunman.

These are just a few of many examples of the dedication to duty, pride and professionalism our officers display on a daily basis.

Congratulations and thank you!

The Grand Opening of the new Horsham Police Station will for Saturday December 12. Everyone is invited to attend this long awaited ribbon cutting and tour of the modern facility that will enable our Police Dept to even better serve the community for decades into the future. The new 13,800-square-foot building, is next to the township building on the 70-acre site at 1025 Horsham Road, and replaces the existing 5,000 sf station now located in the basement of that building. Ground breaking was held on Saturday morning December 6, 2008. The new police facility features secure areas for prisoner and evidence processing, work stations with computer access for the patrol officers, a roll call room, interview rooms for the accused as well as for victims of crime, and a sally port (an attached garage for secure transport of prisoners).

Horsham is only 1 of 60 accredited police departments (out of over 1200 in PA) and the new station will help the department maintain its high standards.

The department moved into its current 5,000 sf space in the basement of the Township building in 1971 when the force had 21 officers. Since 1998, the department has had 40 officers plus 9 non-uniformed employees in the same area. During that same 39 year period the nature of police work, ADA requirements, the need for computer access and safety standards have all evolved and thus the need has grown for an increase in space.

The area vacated by the police will be utilized to provide much needed space for other township departments that have also increase in terms of number of employees over the years.

The new police facility was designed by KCBA Architects, who also designed the new municipal building in Montgomeryville and features a secure area for prisoner and evidence processing, work stations with computer access for the patrol officers, a roll call room, interview rooms for the accused as well as for victims of crime, and a sally port (an attached garage for secure transport of prisoners).

The sally port is one of the many new safety and security features designed into the building. Suspects are driven into the sally port and a steel door is locked behind them. Officers empty and lock away their weapons before escorting the suspect into a fortified holding area, all under video surveillance. These areas, and 2 of the 4 interview rooms can only be opened from outside so prisoners have no possibility of escape even if they were to overpower an officer.

In addition, there are many environmentally friendly features including two rain gardens along with features to insure the quality and quantity of storm water run-off. And for the convenience and security of visitors there are also public rest rooms.

The police station is the latest in a series of major capital expenditures that have been accomplished without a tax increase or incurring any debt, as with the the purchase and renovation of the former public works facility, the conversion of the former public works garage into the Community Center in 2005, and the $4 million allocation toward the construction of two new firehouses. (from the Horsham Township Report Fall 2009)