Beadling retires as Perryopolis chief
After more than two decades as police chief of Perryopolis, Roger Beadling is hanging it up.
Beadling, who became the borough’s police chief in April 2001, retired at the end of July.
Although he’ll miss the job, he decided it was time to enjoy his golden years.
“I’m going to be 67 years old in a few months,” he said. “It’s time for me to go.”
Beadling’s resignation brings an end to nearly a quarter-century of serving as the chief. Before the previous police chief took on a new position, Beadling had been working part-time for about two years.
Working at the Pennsylvania branch of the Kent, Ohio-based Davey Tree Expert Company taught Beadling he liked working administratively. He’d been a supervisor for them, with several men and pieces of equipment under his jurisdiction.
The journey to becoming police chief started with a friend of his, who talked Beadling into becoming a deputy for the state Fish and Boat Commission. After getting his feet wet in law enforcement, Beadling decided he wanted to make it a career.
When he retired, Beadling oversaw five officers.
The responsibility has come with ups and downs. He and the rest of the department grieved after a fatal two-vehicle crash killed Officer Richard Champion, who was involved in a vehicle pursuit.
“I know that incident greatly impacted myself and the entire department on losing an officer,” he said.
But there have been many positives: the numerous people he’s been able to help through medical emergencies.
“Police officers are normally the first ones on scene, and helping those people in their time of need is a great feeling,” he said.
Perryopolis Mayor Bud Petrosky has worked with Beadling over multiple terms on council.
“He is an outstanding police officer,” he said. “He’s friends with all the borough people, and he’ll go out of his way to help you.”
Looking back on the changes in policing since his law enforcement career began, Beadling thought first about the public perceptions of police.
On a national level, the disrespect to police over the past five to 10 years drove a lot of officers to early retirement, Beadling said. But he hadn’t experienced that in Perryopolis, where residents stayed courteous.
“That’s one of the benefits of a small-town police department,” he said. “I’ve pretty much got to know a lot of people in the town, and a lot of people got to know me, which is a very positive thing.”
The technology officers use to do the job has also changed, he said. License plate readers have enhanced the job, making it easier for officers to track vehicles involved in anything from car thefts to speeding.
But the new gear also has downsides, Beadling said.
“When it doesn’t work, it’s terrible, and it’s very difficult to get back up and running,” he said.
With Route 51 running through the borough, Beadling’s diligence has kept the roads safer, and brought revenue into the borough, Petrosky said.
And as a certified instructor, he’s been able to run the other officers through their required training.
“He’s really been a bonus for the community all these years,” Petrosky said.
Beadling said he’ll miss being around the force everyday, and the officers he regularly sees from other departments.
“Our department has built a good network with the state police, the sheriff’s department, and those are the kinds of things I’m going to miss,” he said. “I’m also going to try to stay in touch with officers going forward, just try to stay involved socially with them.”
In the days before Beadling retired, he worked with the new chief — his sergeant, Dennis Heath — to get him acclimated to what needs to be done in the role.
A lot of it comes down to time management.
An officer will spend most of their time out on patrol. But as chief, about half the day gets taken up by administrative tasks.
“That’s an adjustment,” Beadling said. “It’s kind of difficult to get into.”
Just because Beadling is retiring doesn’t mean he’s done with law enforcement. He’s picking up more courses at the police academy at Westmoreland County Community College, where he’s been teaching for the past decade.
Those cadets will get advice borne of experience picked up over a long career.
“That’s one of the good things about being experienced in police work, is you can relay that to the cadets to help them get a better understanding of what policing is all about,” Beadling said.