Police Chief Succession Plan Approved By Doylestown Township

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Doylestown Township Police Lt. Charles Zeigler will take over as chief of police when Chief Dean Logan retires in October.

The board of supervisors this week voted unanimously to approve a succession plan that will see Lt. Zeigler advance to the position of chief of police pending the negotiation of an employment agreement.

The vote brought a standing ovation and loud applause from a contingent of police officers who were in attendance at the meeting for the annual police commendations.

Before the vote, Supervisors Chair Jennifer Herring said the board had taken the job of finding a successor "very seriously," conducting interviews, researching the process, speaking to people who have gone through the process before, and hearing recommendations from the current chief, the past chief, the former Bucks County District Attorney and members of the police department who she said had "outstanding recommendations for Lt. Zeigler to succeed Chief Logan.

"Through this process, we have had the confidence that Lt. Zeigler is the right candidate to fill this role," added Herring. "I'm very happy to ask our solicitor and our manager to work with the lieutenant to draft up a document for the succession."

Lt. Zeigler joined the department in January 2003 starting as a patrol officer and rising up through the ranks to corporal, sergeant, and then to lieutenant in 2020.

As a patrol sergeant, a position he held from 2010 to 2020, he supervised the patrol squad, was the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation program manager, and was a field training officer.

In August 2020 he was promoted to administrative lieutenant, the position he currently holds. Since 2010 he has served as accreditation manager, accreditation assessor, policy manager, internal affairs, case preparation, in-car and body-worn camera evidence manager, recruitment, and mentor.

"He's been building his experience and has committed himself to training that built his professional skills such as completing the FBI National Academy training," said Herring. "He has the respect and support of the people in the department as I can see here. Lt. Zeigler has demonstrated a growth mindset and a willingness to change based on new information and grow the department in the same way."

Chief Logan praised the decision and voiced his support for the succession plan and for Lt. Zeigler.

"It's very fortunate that we've elected to go in this direction," said the chief. "Back in 1987 when I started here I never expected to be where I am at today. But later, as my career progressed, I saw the opportunities that were given to me as I was going up through the ranks. That's all I tried to do moving forward was to make sure our staff was given the same opportunities I had.

"With Chuck coming up through the ranks in the same manner that I did, I think he earned it by doing the right thing, making the right decisions, and longevity. Longevity gets you places. And that's the commitment to this township," said Logan.

The chief continued, "I told the board when I met with them individually that you need to have the employee who wants to be here and has been here in your community and will fight for your community. And you're getting nothing less than that (with Lt. Zeigler). He's got the greatest temperament of anybody in this police department."