Northern Regional promotes 24-year department veteran to police chief

Bryan DeWick is the new chief of the Northern Regional Police Department, of which he has been a member for 24 years, following the retirement of Chief John Sicilia.

The department serves Bradford Woods, Marshall, Pine, Richland and Seven Fields.

Sicilia was given a special proclamation for his 28 years of work at Northern Regional and received a citation from state Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Pine, at the swearing-in ceremony for DeWick.

The ceremony was held during an August Pine supervisors meeting.

“It was an absolute pleasure to lead that for that time. It was an amazing police department, truly an honor and highlight of my career,” Sicilia said.

A native of Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, DeWick earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, after which he attended the Allegheny County Police Academy in 1998.

He began his career working for both the Robinson Township and Munhall police departments. In 2000, DeWick joined the Pine-Marshall-Bradford Woods Police Department, which later merged with Richland police in 2006 to form Northern Regional.

DeWick has served as an instructor for use of firearms, Tasers and chemical agents, along with tactical instruction. He spent 18 years as a member of the North Hills Special Response Team, retiring as team commander at the beginning of 2024.

He also attended a 10-week leadership program at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

With Northern Regional, DeWick was promoted to sergeant in 2016 and captain in 2020.

“I think the most important job as the chief is being in tune with the expectations and needs of the community I serve, and ensuring our department is reflective of that,” he said. “This also begins with putting the right officers in places where they can excel, who are able to understand those expectations and react to them. We focus on hiring good people and then train them to be good police officers.”

His department promotes wellness, both mental and physical.

“We prioritize training so that our officers can be better prepared for any situation they may encounter,” DeWick said.

He cited community policing as the department’s No. 1 goal is.

“We constantly strive toward making positive relationships with all community entities and ensuring we are involved in all aspects,” he said. “With that involvement, certain issues come to our attention. Traffic complaints are probably our biggest challenge. We have a division completely dedicated to traffic enforcement, so we’re always trying to address every complaint that we receive.”

DeWick is a 24-year resident of Richland. He and his wife have five children between them, including three graduates of Pine-Richland High School who are now in college.

Outside of work, DeWick said, “We are definitely foodies. We love to dine out but also thoroughly enjoy cooking at home.”

Sicilia is moving on to a corporate position in safety and security, as he would have had to retire soon, anyway, as part of the department’s Deferred Retirement Option Program, he said.