Pottsville Police Capt. Joseph Welsh will be the city’s next Police Chief.
City Council on Monday approved Welsh’s contract. He takes over on Jan. 1 at a salary of $110,864.
The vote was 3-0. Mayor Tom Smith and Councilmen Jonathan Marsh and Scott Price voted in favor. Council members Dottie Botto and Andy Wollyung were absent.
Welsh replaces Chief John Morrow. Morrow announced in October that he’s stepping down when his contract expires at the end of the year.
“It’s an honor, and that’s kind of an understatement,” Welsh said in an interview with Coal Region Canary on Monday. “I’ve dedicated my life and my career for the last 21 years of my law enforcement career to build the department and the community. So it’s certainly an honor, and I’m just grateful for the opportunity the Mayor and Council have given me.”
Welsh was hired by Pottsville police in July 2005 and went through the police academy. He was a patrolman for nine years before becoming a corporal. He later tested for detective, became a senior criminal investigator, and was promoted to Captain about two and a half years ago.
He’s 52 and a lifelong Pottsville resident. He grew up on the city’s East Side.
“I’m very proud of that neighborhood and very proud of the city of Pottsville,” Welsh said. “I was born here, was raised here. It’s a city that I chose to stay in and make a life out of.”
Welsh said he’s tried to learn from everyone he’s worked with on the force and will bring that into his own leadership style.
“Whether it’s being prepared, whether it’s seeing how they lead, seeing how people deal with people, deal with incidents, I’m just trying to incorporate that into what will be my own style moving forward,” he said.
He described that style as accountable and approachable.
“I want to be somebody who’s certainly accountable for my own actions,” Welsh said. “I want to be somebody who is approachable, is well-respected, and is going to listen to feedback, both positive and the criticism that will come. I’ll take that and try to make myself a better version of what I’m trying to become.”
On the street, Welsh said Pottsville faces many of the same problems as other communities, including mental health issues and drug addiction. But quality-of-life complaints are what he hears about most as Captain, and he plans to keep addressing them as Chief.
He pointed to noise complaints and vehicle problems, the kinds of issues some people consider low level.
“What matters to a neighbor certainly affects the direction of a neighborhood,” he said. “I don’t want to let a small problem become a big problem.”
Like police departments across the state, and specifically in Schuylkill County, Pottsville has had trouble recruiting and keeping officers. Welsh said the city has to keep testing candidates and make the department a place people want to work.
He’s been part of the department’s hiring for the last couple of years. He said the department has held its numbers steady, apart from one officer who recently left for Florida. He credited the city with improving officer schedules and pay.
“I think the city has made a dedicated effort in making it better for future applicants,” Welsh said. “I think that will play a big part in keeping our numbers where they need to be.”
The department plans to hire two more officers soon, Welsh said. Those positions are already budgeted. Another civil service process will be needed to fill his spot once he moves up to Chief. He said he doesn’t yet know who will replace him as Captain.
“I don’t want to be premature,” he said. “I just want to make sure whatever is done is done right and we get the best qualified person, or persons for that matter.”
Welsh said he respects Morrow, who promoted him to Captain.
“He spent 35 years serving our community,” Welsh said. “He’s done a very good job, and I just look to build on what he’s done with the department and continue to move us forward.”
Morrow joined the department as a patrolman in 1991 and was named Chief in 2022.
Welsh said he’s looking forward to building on the department’s mix of veteran and younger officers.
“I want the people of our city to know that I will continue to work very hard for them,” he said. “And I want our officers to know that I will continue to work very hard for them and try to support them in the best manner that I can. That’s going to be my job moving forward: to serve our city and our people in the best manner I can.”
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