Pitcairn native Dennis Hockenberry became the borough's new police chief after council voted unanimously to hire him last week.
Mayor Betsy Stevick swore Hockenberry in at the council meeting.
"I would like to thank council for this opportunity to come back to Pitcairn," he said. "I hope to bring you a police department you can all be proud of."
Hockenberry replaces David Palermo, who resigned in August after clashing with Stevick over officers' scheduling.
After graduating with a degree in elementary education from California University of Pennsylvania, Hockenberry was hired as a police officer in Edgewood in 1977. He has been there ever since, as a patrolman, sergeant, acting chief and then, by his own choice, a patrolman again.
He saw the job in Pitcairn as a way to come home.
"I wasn't looking for a job, but it came up," he said
His wife of 26 years, Kathleen, who was on hand with other family members at the council meeting, said she thinks the job is a great fit.
"I think he'll love it here, and they'll love him," she said. "He's a very low-key kind of guy. "It's a homecoming."
Hockenberry said he'd like to institute some programs that proved successful in Edgewood: open houses for residents to talk to their public safety officials, cooperating on programs for seniors with the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, and getting police officers to make sure they maintain a presence in or around the elementary school.
"We wanted the guys to know the schools inside and out, who the principal is, everything," he said.
He also wants to have officers get out of their patrol cars and check the area and talk to local business owners and people.
"Guys are going to have to get out of the car and meet-and-greet," he said.
A salary package hasn't been finalized, but the borough is expected to offer Hockenberry an annual salary within the $50,000 range, Bova said.
Hockenberry was one of several applicants for the job, which was advertised in the newspaper.
Councilman Jim Grill Jr. was absent from the meeting, and Councilwoman Peggy Yagatich voted by phone.
Hockenberry will be the sixth chief of police in Pitcairn in nine years.
