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New South Williamsport police chief ready and able to take command

With a wealth of experience in public safety in the county and years of working under the current chief, South Williamsport Police Department’s newest chief is ready to continue where his predecessor left off come November.

Cpl. Carl Finnerty, of the South Williamsport Police Department, has worked as an EMT, a paramedic, a volunteer firefighter, an employee at the county call center, deputy sheriff, police officer and will now be taking the title as chief of the department.

The department’s current chief, Robert Hetner, announced Aug. 13 that Finnerty will take the position after he retires in November.

Hetner has held the position for six years and says that since he became chief, he has worked with his corporals to prepare them for the position.

“I knew it was important that when I took over as chief I would also build for the future,” Hetner said. “I had the corporal involved with administrative things to make the transition easy so it wasn’t a matter of just turning it over and saying ‘here it is.’ “

Finnerty has been an officer with the department for 15 years and decided to join after participating in ride-alongs while he was a paramedic at Williamsport Hospital in the early 1990s.

When he first joined the department, Finnerty continued to work part-time as a paramedic until he decided to take a part-time position with the force. It’s then that he realized it was his true passion, he said.

“He brings a wealth of experience,” Hetner said. “He has that broader background with the time he’s spent in other departments along with his background as an EMT and paramedic.”

Finnerty feels the transition to chief will be relatively smooth thanks to the knowledge he has administratively, but also because of the relationships he already has with the borough and the other officers.

“Above me and below me, we have good working relationships,” Finnerty said. “We’ve got a good group of officers and our borough council and our mayor have been so supportive of the police department.”

After beginning a school resource officer program with the South Williamsport Area School District, the department has an additional officer. The department could see as many as three new officers as it begins to settle from the new changes.

To Hetner, one of the biggest duties Finnerty will have in the coming years will be to make sure the department keeps the new officers it brings in, which he says helps make the community feel more comfortable about law enforcement.

“We like to get and keep officers and keep stability because people get to know officers when they see them year after year,” Hetner said.

The new chief will be looking at securing grant money to update the department’s radio systems, which are being federally mandated to be transitioned to digital radio systems. The cruiser’s camera systems also are in need of an update and Finnerty says he feels both the cameras and the radio systems will be a focus.

“We want to have what’s available out there to be available to our officers if it will improve safety,” Finnerty said, adding that he wants the department ready for a changing world. “The climate towards law enforcement right now, changes in the court system and case law, everything is always changing in law enforcement.”

Finnerty currently lives in South Williamsport, which Hetner felt was a positive by keeping the chief close for emergencies, but also because that his time in the department and with his history in public safety has kept him close to the community.

“Interacting with people or doing our various community programs, people recognize me. It’s a nice feeling to see that,” Finnerty said.

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