Kutztown Grad Hired As Fourth Police Recruit

And Jake Beebe makes four.

The 22-year-old Shoemakersville resident and Atlanta, Georgia native became the fourth newest recruit to Monday night.

“I want to do the best I can for this department. This is a great opportunity,” said Beebe.

The newest officer has always had a desire to be in law enforcement by the time he hit sixth grade.

“I’ve always wanted to be a police officer. Ever since middle school that’s the only thing I could ever think that I ever wanted to do,” he said. “So I put my mind to it and it brought me here.”

Montgomery Township Police Chief Richard Brady said a vacancy occurred within the police department when Lt. Mark Houghtaling retired after 32 years of service.

Brady said a recruit testing process in the first quarter of 2011 identified four top applicants for appointment – , and Beebe.

Beebe attended Kutztown University, graduating with a degree in criminal justice. He attended Reading Police Academy from June to December 2010, graduating with the highest GPA in his class, Brady said.

Beebe went on to complete the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Examination on Jan. 27, 2011.

Brady said Beebe had to go through a testing process consisting of a written exam, physical agility test, oral interview, polygraph test, background investigation, neighborhood interviews, employer interviews and a township Public Safety Committee interview.

Beebe was formerly employed as a delivery driver with Tasty Baking Company.

“At this time, it is my pleasure to introduce Recruit Police Officer Applicant Jake Beebe to the board of supervisors and the residents of Montgomery Township,” Brady said.

Beebe’s family and girlfriend attended the swearing in of Beebe as a cop with Montgomery Township.

Brady said the newest recruits are doing very well in their new roles.

“We do a very selective, intense hiring. We pretty much know what we’re hiring when we hire. It takes something very monumental for us to screw up,” Brady said.

On the same night, patrol officer Michael Jenkins was promoted from patrol officer two to patrol officer one.

Brady said Jenkins was hired as a recruit officer on March 20, 2009. He completed his one-year probationary period on April 9, 2010 and was promoted to patrol officer three. On April 9, 2011, he was promoted to the next highest rank.

“Officer Jenkins remains a very proactive and aggressive police officer. He continues to attend schools and seminars to further enhance his criminal justice knowledge,” Brady said. “He has once again received an above average performance evaluation from his patrol sergeant.”

There are 36 full-time officers on the department.

Brady will be leaving as chief in July.

“We are in very good shape. We’ve got (Deputy Chief) Scott (Bendig) coming in as the chief. I have two strong lieutenants, five good sergeants, four patrolmen and one detective sergeant,” he said. “It’s going to be a well-balanced police department.”

With an upgraded command center and new vehicles coming the way of Montgomery Township Police, the department is constantly improving itself.

“All I could ask is that they keep continuing to do that,” he said.