Johnstown city manager names deputy police chief
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Mark Britton has gone through the Johnstown Police Department system from being a records clerk, patrolman, motorcycle officer, juvenile detective and major crimes detective to now being named the new deputy chief by City Manager Art Martynuska.
He will officially begin in the position Monday.
'I'm pretty excited from a guy that came from a records clerk making $6.25 an hour in 1995 to where I'm at now,' said Britton, who also spent years working in the city's Public Works Department as a laborer and later a superintendent. 'I'm pretty excited. I'm blessed.'
He will oversee a department that usually has in the range of 35 officers.
'The biggest thing is we're going to all work together,' Britton said. 'We're going to work for a common goal, and I think we're going to be able to do that. We're going to make this department hopefully where it used to be many years ago where officers wanted to start their careers and finish their careers here, like I do.'
Britton's goals are to bolster recruitment and retention, bring back the motorcycle officers, grow the K-9 program, boost morale and provide more access to training.
'A lot of ideas,' Britton said. 'We'll see which ones come to light, which I hope they will.'
The position opened after Chief Richard Pritchard abruptly resigned in October. Capt. Dan Price has served as interim chief since then.
Martynuska kept the search in house because 'obviously, institutional knowledge is a big thing.'
'(Britton) is one of our own,' Martynuska said.
'He's shown his dedication to the city. His public service is beyond comparison, and we're happy to have him on board.'
Pritchard's title was 'chief.' Britton is 'deputy chief.' The roles are identical as head of the police department. Martynuska said the 'deputy chief' label 'aligns better with our structural scheme.'
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