Photo Provided Some of Bethesda’s new police officers gather in the village with Belmont police. The department is being rebuilt after several tumultuous years of disagreement among village leaders prior to selecting a police chief. They include, from left. Belmont Patrolman William Pelish, Belmont Chief Andrew Miller, Bethesda Chief Chris Storm, Bethesda Patrolmen R. Maynard, R. Stoica, C. Logsdon, K. Kudel and M. Drake. Missing from the photo is Bethesda Patrolwoman K. Work.

BETHESDA — After years of turmoil, the village police department is being rebuilt and Chief Chris Storm has plans for the future.

The department has grown to six officers plus Storm. All are part-time employees.

“March 31 you had no police officers in that village and they swore me in as the chief, and since then I’ve put six people on,” Storm said.

“I’d like to put five or six auxiliaries on and maybe get some of the kids that are in the academy now. When they come out we can teach them how to be police officers,” he said. “The academy only teaches you the basics. You need to go to a police department and learn how things actually work.”

It remains to be seen how the nationwide shortage of police officer candidates will impact his plans.

“I’m trying to find some more local people. Until the academy gets their graduates on the road, there’s really nobody to choose. The sheriff’s office is looking for people. Every police department in the county is looking for people,” Storm said.

The new officers are Patrolmen R. Maynard, M. Drake, R. Stocia, C. Logsdon, K. Kudel, and Patrolwoman K. Work. Storm declined to provide their first names and would only give their initials. Three of them have more than 20 years of experience, one has 25 years of experience.

“The one with the least amount of experience has been on the road for just about four years,” he said. “I wanted people who had a little bit more experience, to make it easier to get the department up and running.”

Storm said the department has officers working enough hours to cover five days a week, with different schedules and shifts.

For several years law enforcement has been a point of contention in Bethesda, with the lengthy suspension and eventual resignation of Eric Smith as chief and council members deadlocked about whether to promote Pete Busack from patrolman and acting chief to the chief’s position.

Both situations involved personality conflicts with village leaders and allegations from the public of overreach and improper behavior, as well as assertions from other residents who defended each man and who said those residents who spoke against them were spreading misinformation and half-truths.

There had been some discussion of whether to dispense with village law enforcement altogether and utilize the sheriff’s office instead.

Storm has expressed the desire to get past these issues. He said the public has reacted positively to the new police force.

“Everybody’s happy we have a police force up and running. On Memorial Day I had six out of seven of us out there,” he said.

Other tasks included restoring software and learning how to use the county’s system.

“We had lost all the state computer database law enforcement needs because they didn’t have a chief for so long,” he said.

Storm is also running fundraisers, including a gun raffle selling 500 tickets at $10 each for a prize package of two shotguns, a handgun and a knife from Egypt Valley Firearms. The raffle is separate from the village’s annual Gun Bash. Anyone wanting a ticket can purchase it at the village office at 112 S Main St.

“The drawing will be held when the tickets sell out,” he said. “All the profits go straight to the police department so that we can get more coverage and buy more equipment for the officers.”

In the long term, he also hopes to build the police fleet.

“I’d like to get two more cruisers,” he said.

He hopes that a police department in the state has extra vehicles to donate. He would like to have three cruisers altogether if there are seven officers.

“Eventually I’d like to have 15 (officers), but the best I could do in two months is get seven,” he said.

“I’d like to get Morristown and Goshen Township back,” he said. Bethesda had patrolled those communities prior to the controversy under prior chiefs. “I don’t know what happened in the past. Whatever happened in the past happened in the past, but whatever it was, I’d like to change it so that we could get a larger coverage area, then we would be eligible for more grants. We could get more officers on, and possibly get 24 hours/seven-day protection on that end of the county.”

“It’s just a large area, and the sheriff’s office is already overburdened and stretched out,” Storm said.

Eventually it may be necessary to ask voters to approve a new police levy to fund more vehicles and patrol hours, but Storm and village leaders wish to first rebuild public trust in the department.

“The last three weeks I’ve been driving around trying to meet all the kids,” Storm said.

He is also planning a water balloon toss with children late July or early August, and police will participate in the upcoming Chautauqua Festival in mid-July.

“I think the people understand that we’re there for them.”

Any donations for activities, sports equipment or gift cards for children will be appreciated.