By Linda Finarelli
Springfield police Officer William Seiler. Linda Finarelli – Digital First Media
SPRINGFIELD >> William Seiler, the newest member of the Springfield Township Police Department, may not have taken the direct route to becoming an officer, but he always wanted to be one.
A 1999 graduate of Souderton Area High School, Seiler, 35, spent seven years in facilities management at the Peter Becker Community. He also served on the safety committee at the continuing care retirement community in Harleysville, where he grew up. He got into the security industry, when he began working as a security officer at Montgomery Mall, where he became district director of public safety while taking night courses at Montgomery County Community College, he said in an interview last week. He also worked as a regional manager at other private security firms. Coming from a family with a military background, he views his years working in private security as baby steps.
I always wanted to be a police officer, said Seiler, who is in the process of moving from Collegeville to Upper Gwynedd. In 2012 he received an associate degree in liberal studies at MCCC and in 2015 he graduated from the college s Police Academy. At the academy, he was appointed sergeant of the class, Seiler said, adding, I guess I was picked due to my management experience. Before being hired by Springfield he was sworn in Aug.
10 as the 28th member of the department he spent six months as a police officer in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. Seiler said he was drawn to Springfield because it offers an opportunity for community policing, and the police chief, Mike Pitkow, is an instructor at the MCCC Police Academy and seems like a good person to work for. He s approachable and respected, he said. Continued…2
Coming from what he termed a reactive department in Whitehall near Allentown, Seiler said Springfield held an appeal because, I like being in proactive community policing.
In Springfield, you can patrol and get to know people. They will be more inclined to call you with concerns. It s better for police and the community. Today, especially, he said, police need good communication skills, and I think I possess good communication skills. It s a much better fit for me. It s important to bridge that gap between police and members of the community, Seiler said. I hope I can make a difference around here and keep it as nice as it is.
When not working, Seiler, who plays the drums, said he likes to fish, ride bikes and travel with his wife, a chiropractor with a practice in Trappe.
SPRINGFIELD >> William Seiler, the newest member of the Springfield Township Police Department, may not have taken the direct route to becoming an officer, but he always wanted to be one.
A 1999 graduate of Souderton Area High School, Seiler, 35, spent seven years in facilities management at the Peter Becker Community. He also served on the safety committee at the continuing care retirement community in Harleysville, where he grew up. He got into the security industry, when he began working as a security officer at Montgomery Mall, where he became district director of public safety while taking night courses at Montgomery County Community College, he said in an interview last week. He also worked as a regional manager at other private security firms. Coming from a family with a military background, he views his years working in private security as baby steps. I always wanted to be a police officer, said Seiler, who is in the process of moving from Collegeville to Upper Gwynedd. In 2012 he received an associate degree in liberal studies at MCCC and in 2015 he graduated from the college s Police Academy. At the academy, he was appointed sergeant of the class, Seiler said, adding, I guess I was picked due to my management experience. Before being hired by Springfield he was sworn in Aug.
10 as the 28th member of the department he spent six months as a police officer in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. Seiler said he was drawn to Springfield because it offers an opportunity for community policing, and the police chief, Mike Pitkow, is an instructor at the MCCC Police Academy and seems like a good person to work for. He s approachable and respected, he said.
Coming from what he termed a reactive department in Whitehall near Allentown, Seiler said Springfield held an appeal because, I like being in proactive community policing. In Springfield, you can patrol and get to know people. They will be more inclined to call you with concerns. It s better for police and the community. Today, especially, he said, police need good communication skills, and I think I possess good communication skills. It s a much better fit for me.
It s important to bridge that gap between police and members of the community, Seiler said. I hope I can make a difference around here and keep it as nice as it is.
When not working, Seiler, who plays the drums, said he likes to fish, ride bikes and travel with his wife, a chiropractor with a practice in Trappe.