Longtime Delco Lawman Retires After Decades Of Service

After more than four decades of serving in law enforcement, Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Lieutenant and Bomb Squad Commander William "Scott" Bireley, of Aston, will be officially retiring from the force on July 11.

Bireley began his career in law enforcement on December 10, 1973 as a Police Officer for the Chester Police Department.

For 15 years, he served the Chester Police Department as a Certified Fire Investigator and expert to the cause and origin in fire and arson related cases, and as member of the Chester Police Department Narcotics Unit.

Bireley joined the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division as a detective on July 10, 1989, where he served for 29 years and moved up through the ranks.

In May 2010, he was promoted to Sergeant and then promoted to Lieutenant in February 2013.

Bireley was named "Policeman of the Year" in 1981, and he is a 2016 honoree of the Philadelphia Crime Commission awards for his investigative work on the June 2015 Yeadon homicide of Thomas Childs that resulted in the conviction of Rodney Talbot Shelton.

Bireley is well-known as a Certified Fire Investigator and bomb expert, and as a result, he has been called in to assist and provide expertise on cases in the Philadelphia region, and across the country.

"On behalf of the District Attorney’s Office, we wish Lt. Bireley the best in his well-deserved retirement after more than four decades of dedicated service to the residents of Delaware County," District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland said. "As one of the best arson and explosives experts in the region, Lt. Bireley will be greatly missed, and there is no question that his years of dedicated service have made Delaware County a safer place to live, work and raise a family for our residents."

Pictured from left, former CID Captain John J. McKenna, District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland, Lt. William "Scott" Bireley, the Honorable Judge John J. Whelan, former District Attorney, and CID Chief Joseph A. Ryan

Image via Delaware County District Attorney's Office