Two Of Horsham's Longest Active Police Officers Retire

Two of Horsham Township’s longest active police officers have retired, the police department announced Wednesday.

Detective Dave Bussenger and Officer Steve Ryan have more than 70 years of service in Horsham Township combined.

“Today is a bittersweet day for us here in Community Police Services,” the Horsham ChAT’s Facebook page wrote. “For today we say good bye to two of our Finest.”

Bussenger is going into the real estate business, while Ryan has not decided the next move in his retirement.

Bussenger was also a guest speaker and instructor at the Citizens Police Academy in Horsham in April, just weeks before his retirement.

At the academy Bussenger taught students about hostage negotiation situations and helped the public understand the nature of different kinds of police work.

“Bussenger’s presentation, rich in personal experience and the insight gained through years of being the #1 Negotiator, made you want to pay close attention,” writes Horsham resident Mike Shortall on his blog. “His most surprising tidbit was his belief that the movie Dog Day Afternoon was perhaps the best portrayal of what an actual negotiation situation is really like.

“Detective Bussenger confided that what drove him to be successful in his negotiations was to consider the consequences of failure … the lives affected on both sides if a subject could not be talked out peaceably. He allowed that one of the most important skills he had as a negotiator was the ability to understand what a subject was feeling and experiencing during a standoff.”

Bussenger and Ryan are pictured here at the station. Bussenger is in white and Ryan is in uniform.

Photo credit: Police Captain Joe Repkoe, retired.