NEW HOLLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT- 1926…

1926 Davis WARFEL appointed first police officer/high constable by New Holland Borough. Salary was $80 per month.

1932 Off. Warfel was appointed as the first Chief of Police for New Holland, at an Annual salary of $1000.

1934  Edward Bauer succeeded Chief Warfel, who had passed away at 62 years of age. His annual salary was $1080; he was required to purchase his own uniforms.

1934 Off. Bauer injured when he was thrown from his motorcycle during a pursuit of a Fleeing drunk driver, at Main and Brimmer.

1935 Burnell IMHOFF, a “world war” veteran, is hired as Police Chief in New Holland.

1939 June 5, Chief Imhoff was seriously injured while attempting to stop a speeding Motorist. Chief Imhoff passed away on June 7 from his injuries suffered when his motorcycle skidded out of control trying to avoid a collision with a motorist who pulled in front of him.

1939 Kahl C. SHARP hired as police officer to replace Chief Imhoff.

1940 Reuben SWEIGART hired to replace Sharp, who had resigned.

1946 W. Ben BOLTZ hired to replace Sweigart, who had resigned.

1947 John SEBELIST hired to replace Boltz, who had resigned. Sebelist was paid a salary of $175 per month. He was also the janitor service for the council meeting room. A month after being hired, council approved the purchase of a gun for the officer, a siren for his car, as well as a $15 per month car allowance.

1947 Reuben SWEIGART appointed as Chief of Police

1968 Ralph SPRECHER appointed as Chief of Police to replace the retiring Chief Sweigart.
Under Chief Ralph Sprecher, the Department grew from one officer to a force of four full time officers. In addition patrol guards were employed by the Borough under Chief Sprecher’s direction with the primary duty of serving as school crossing guides.

1973  Donald TROUPE was appointed Chief of Police to replace the retiring Chief Ralph Sprecher.

1984  Harry ERB was appointed Chief of Police to replace the resigning Chief Troupe.

1986 Off. Rodney HARTMAN appointed as Chief of Police.

1992 Off. Edward SPRECHER appointed as Chief of Police, the same position his Grandfather, Ralph Sprecher had held for five years. Ed replaced the retiring Hartman.

2003 John YOST appointed as Chief of Police to replace the retiring Ed Sprecher.

2010 Donald BOWERS appointed as Chief of Police to replace the resigning Chief Yost.

2011 Jonathan HEISSE promoted to Detective Lieutenant

2011  First car cameras donated by New Holland Lions, Case New Holland and Tyson Foods placed in service.

2011 Chief Burnell Imhoff Memorial display at Borough Hall, through the efforts of Off. Mike Zimmerman.

2012 Police Department Honor Guard debuts at Lancaster PD’s Police Memorial.

2012 School Resource Officer Dan Achenbach starts duties at Garden Spot HS.

2013 Chief (Retired) Ed Sprecher passes away of ALS. http://www.alsa.org

2017 New Holland welcomes its new Police Chief, William D. Leighty, who took the oath of office to succeed Chief Donald Bowers. With a wealth of law enforcement experience garnered in Lancaster County, Chief Leighty brings a strong background to his new role.

2018 New Holland changes it's records management system to CODY. This switch links our Agency with records with other Police Departments from around the state providing an even larger database.

2022 The New Holland Police Department has successfully secured grant funding to pursue accreditation through the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. This initiative, designed by law enforcement professionals, aims to promote the professionalization of law enforcement agencies across the state in a cost-effective manner. The accreditation process provides a valuable opportunity for our agency to assess its overall performance and strive for excellence. By achieving accreditation, we ensure that our department operates at the highest standards of quality. To oversee this effort, Lisa Gehr has been appointed as our agency's Accreditation Manager.

2023 The New Holland Police Department has secured grant funding to acquire and integrate Body Worn Cameras and upgraded in-car camera systems.

2024 The New Holland Borough Council has approved the addition of a second investigator to support the police department's criminal investigations, helping to alleviate the increasing caseload.

2025 The New Holland Police Department has successfully concluded the last stage of the accreditation process in January. A team of expert assessors visited our facility, conducting a thorough two-day examination of our records and premises to verify our compliance with all necessary standards. We are now awaiting the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission's final decision.

         On February 7, 2025, Chief William D. Leighty concluded his tenure as the Chief of Police at the New Holland Police Department, marking the end of a 7.5-year stint in the role. This milestone also signaled the culmination of Chief Leighty's 36-year dedication to law enforcement, serving the residents of Lancaster County.

       New Holland Borough appoints Mark Bentzel as its interim Police Chief, effective February 10, 2025.