# Harrisburg Bureau of Police

Harrisburg Bureau of Police is a medium-sized city police force in South Central Pennsylvania serving the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In 2021, Harrisburg had the eighth largest police department in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by total law enforcement employees. Since 2003, the Bureau has achieved and maintained its annual status of an Accredited Agency under the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association Accreditation Program. It is one of only 131 agencies across the state to voluntarily apply for and earn the accreditation.

## History

Records show that the first police force was loosely assembled in Harrisburg city in 1861, with an unknown number of non-uniformed "Constables" making their money from fees of those arrested. Under former Mayor John Augustus Fritchey, the Police Department was formally reorganized in 1888 with official uniforms and 26 men placed on salary. That year, police call boxes were installed (and later booths). Alvin W. Weikert was appointed Chief of Police by the Mayor in 1889; the Chief worked dayshift while the Lieutenant assumed acting control for nights. The first police station was held inside the former Masonic Hall (more commonly referred to at the time as the Exchange Building) on Walnut St & 3rd St, but moved locations many times in the next decades, finally relocating to the first floor and basement of the Old City Hall building at 423 Walnut Street after its conversion from the Technical High School in 1929. Following the completion and opening of the Vance C. McCormick Public Service Center on June 17, 1982, the Bureau of Police relocated to its current day headquarters.
Since the 1970s through today, the Bureau sometimes participates with local Universities to allow researchers to conduct research and publish articles regarding their policing methodologies.
In the mid 2000s, a substation opened at 15th & Drummond Streets in the Allison Hill neighborhood. Following a period of its disuse, it was reconstructed from a modular building in 2018 at a cost of $1 million (funded primarily through grants). However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Allison Hill Police Substation was not reopened to the public until July 2020.
In 2021, the Bureau's officers were overwhelmingly white despite patrolling a majority minority city, and in an ongoing problem it struggled to recruit minority officers in what was called a "perception problem" with the occupation.

## Vehicles

In the past, HBP operated an all Chevrolet fleet. The fleet consisted of Chevrolet Caprice PPV sedans and Chevrolet Tahoe PPV SUV used for K-9 patrols. In 2016, HBP revealed new Ford patrol vehicles as well as a new paint scheme, ditching the dark blue with yellow lettering for a more traditional black and white cars. Originally, the new scheme was only on new vehicles being introduced, while older Chevy units retained the old colors (until entirely withdrawn from service three months later). Currently, the department utilizes a mix of Ford Police Interceptor Utility, Ford Police Interceptor Sedan, Chevrolet Tahoe PPV, and Ford Transit Prisoner Transport vehicles moving now to an all-black color scheme.

## Agency structure and Divisions
### Agency structure

The Bureau is organized under the Harrisburg Department of Public Safety, along with the Bureau of Fire, Bureau of Codes, Office of Health, and Office of Parking Enforcement. The current Police Commissioner is Thomas Carter. The current Deputy Chief of Police is Kenny Young. Historically, 3 Captains lead the Uniformed Patrol, Technical Services, and Criminal Investigation Divisions. In 2020, the force was reorganized to include a Community Services Division to house the community needs more cohesively outside of the Uniformed Patrol Division.

### Divisions

* Uniformed Patrol Division
* Technical Services Division
* Community Services Division
* Criminal Investigation Division

### Rank structure

| Rank title | Information |
| Commissioner/Chief | The Commissioner/Chief is head of HBP, appointed by the mayor. |
| Deputy Chief of Police | The deputy chief of police is second-in-command of HBP. |
| Captain | Captains are in charge of a Division. |
| Lieutenant | Lieutenants are Second-in-Command of a Division, leader of some Units. |
| Sergeant | Sergeants are Supervisors, leader of some units and squads. |
| Corporal | Corporals are senior officers. |
| Detective | An officer assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division. |
| Police Officer | |

## Fallen officers

As of February 2025, seven Harrisburg Bureau of Police officers lost their lives on duty:
| Rank | Name | End of Watch | Cause of death |
| Patrol Officer | Charles Humphrey | 5 September 1907 | Killed in cow stampede |
| Patrol Officer | Lewis C. Hipple | 23 June 1916 | Shot and killed while attempting to detain two men |
| Patrol Officer | Melvin W. Kepford | 30 October 1918 | Struck and killed by vehicle while directing traffic |
| Patrol Officer | Cloyd L. Hearn | 13 November 1934 | Struck and killed by vehicle while on foot patrol |
| Patrol Officer | Barry P. Karper | 20 July 1963 | Killed when patrol vehicle crashed while chasing stolen vehicle |
| Patrol Officer | Joseph J. O'Shura | 20 July 1963 | Killed when patrol vehicle crashed while chasing stolen vehicle |
| Detective Corporal | John Robert Christian Jr. | 18 April 1978 | Shot and killed by robbery suspect |