Northern Regional Police Chief announces his retirement
After more than 27 years of dedicated service in law enforcement, Northern Regional Police Chief John Sicilia has retired from the force. Friday was his last day.
On Tuesday, the Northern Regional Police Department’s Facebook page gave Sicilia a heartfelt send off, writing, “Join us in congratulating Chief Sicilia on his retirement! We’ll miss his leadership and humor, but we’re sure he’ll still be around to keep us all in line. Cheers to Chief Sicilia and his next adventure!”
As a native of Shaler Township, he first joined the Northern Regional Department, previously known as the Pine-Marshall-Bradford Woods Police Department, in 1997 after graduating from Westminster College.
After consistently proving himself as a trusted public servant, Sicilia gradually rose up the ranks, becoming a sergeant in 2008, then a captain in 2013, before finally being promoted to Chief of Police in 2019.
Seven Fields Borough Manager Tom Smith praised Sicilia’s work ethic and his commitment to helping stabilize police coverage in the area.
“We wish Chief Sicilia and his family the very best,” said Smith. “It’s definitely a great loss. In a short amount of time, we’ve definitely enjoyed his leadership and his communication skills. It’s been a wonderful endeavor to this point, and that definitely starts at the top with Chief Sicilia.”
According to Smith, Sicilia never missed the chance to update the borough council on what was happening with his staff’s coverage.
“Chief Sicilia attended all but one of our monthly council meetings,” added Smith. “That is something that we never had before. He was definitely always accessible and came to every council meeting except one. And the one meeting he missed, he sent one of his ranking officers to address any issues or questions from the council.”
The Northern Regional Department serves nearly 33,000 citizens in the Greater Pittsburgh Region.
The unit began providing coverage for Seven Fields and its nearly 3,000 residents after the borough council approved a four-year contract at the beginning of this year.
According to Sicilia, Captain Bryan DeWick will step into the police chief role immediately.
Smith doesn’t expect there will be any drop off in police coverage due to the staff realignment.
“I don’t think the council or the mayor or myself have any reservations that anything will change as far as the delivery of police services for the residents of Seven Fields. It can only continue to be an incredible relationship going forward because the foundation was set with Chief Sicilia and his ranking officers.”
Eagle staff writer Eddie Trizzino contributed to this report.
