Indiana Township promotes officer, hires new patrolman

The Indiana Township Police epartment recently promoted one of its longtime officers to lieutenant and welcomed a new patrolman.

There are 13 officers, including Chief Marc Myers — a dozen full-time and one part-time.

The force includes Lt. Kirk Vandenbord, who was bumped up the ranks from sergeant, and new recruit Hunter Thompson, 23, of Hampton.

Both the promotion and the hiring were unanimously authorized by the township supervisors on Sept. 10.

Mayor Darrin Krally said he has known Vandenbord for about 25 years and his promotion is well-deserved.

“He’s a great individual,” Krally said. “He’s been a loyal, dedicated role model employee for the police and the township.”

The mayor noted Thompson was highly recommended despite limited law enforcement experience.

“We’re glad to have him,” Krally said. “We can train him and ensure he’s getting best practices from all of our senior officers and our junior officers who have been here for a limited amount of time. You can always learn something, and hopefully he’ll remain with us for the long term.”

Myers, a former sergeant who was appointed chief mid-August to replace retiring chief Steven Colucci, said department morale is high and he appreciates the township supervisors’ support.

Lieutenant’s service

Vandenbord, a township native and University of Pittsburgh grad, has been with the department for about 29 years.

He started as a patrolman in 1996 and has served in many roles throughout his career.

Services include juvenile detective, school resource officer, DARE officer, crime prevention officer and a certified ALICE instructor. That safety training is primarily used for active shooter situations and stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate.

Vandenbord has also been highly involved with community events, including organizing the fall festival. He became a sergeant in 2022.

“The promotion was a long time coming, without a doubt,” Myers said. “He’s been a valuable asset to this department. … We couldn’t function without him.”

The promotion comes with a pay increase. Vandenbord’s salary went from $106,887 to $111,975.

“It’s nice to be recognized by the department,” Vandenbord said. “The job hasn’t changed too much. I am doing more work now in office on the administration side. It’s very nice to work here because it’s a community that does respect us, and they’re proud to have us as their police officers.”

He said township administration and supervisors are also great to work with.

Township Manager Dan Anderson lauded Vandenbord for his service and looks forward to seeing what he does in the new position.

“He’ll be instrumental in helping Chief Myers as he takes the reins and runs the department,” Anderson said.

New recruit

Thompson was hired by Aspinwall in July. It was his first job as an officer.

Thompson graduated from Hampton High School in 2020 and from the Allegheny County Police Academy in June.

He resigned from the borough on Sept. 13 to start with Indiana Township on Sept. 15.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about Indiana Township,” Thompson said. “I’m looking forward to beginning my career here. It’s a bigger department. It’s a larger area. It’s almost 18 square miles and there is room for growth for me here.”

Myers said he was very impressed with the rookie throughout the screening process.

“He presents himself very well in a very professional manner, and that means a lot to us,” Myers said.

Thompson said he learned a lot from his time in Aspinwall, especially from Deputy Chief Michael Vith.

“Aspinwall’s a very tight-knit community,” Thompson said. “He taught me how to play a big role in community policing. He also knew a lot about the vehicle code and running traffic. I’ve learned a lot of the traffic side of a job through him, and I’m looking forward to implementing that in my time in Indiana.

“Everyone in Aspinwall’s police department taught me a thing or two.”

Thompson joins his cousin, Robert Thompson, who works as a detective in the township.

The new patrolman’s starting salary is $56,555. It goes up to $62,350 after a year and $69,209 after two years.

More promotions within the department are expected this year.

“We’re forming a better bond as a department and as a whole that we haven’t seen in a long time,” the chief said. “It seems like the team is stepping up and getting everything done that needs to be done.”