Oakmont hires two new full-time police officers

Oakmont has hired two new full-time police officers who are familiar faces to the department.

Council unanimously voted Sept. 21 to hire Justin Mease of Plum and Katelyn Goodman of Rosslyn Farms to the force.

Mease, 37, worked part-time as an Oakmont officer from 2007 to 2018. During that time, he also served part time with the Pitcairn, Swissvale and Tarentum police departments.

The 2001 Plum High School graduate said he quit law enforcement about two years ago to take a federal security job at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin. He plans to leave that post in early October to come back to Oakmont.

“I’ve always enjoyed working here,” Mease said. “It’s a tightknit community. It’s very family-oriented here, and I’ve just enjoyed everybody that I’ve worked with. Never had a problem with anybody, and I’d like to think no one had an issue with me.”

Goodman, 25, was hired as a part-time Oakmont officer in August 2019, shortly after graduating from the Allegheny County Police Academy.

The 2013 Altoona Area High School alum said she is thrilled with the promotion.

“I’m very excited,” Goodman said. “I think it’s a great community. I’m really excited to keep growing as a police officer and making connections with the people in the community.”

With the personnel shifts, Oakmont has five part-time officers and seven who are full time, including Chief Michael Ford, who lauded Mease and Goodman’s work ethic.

“They’re very community oriented,” Ford said. “They’ve both shown themselves to be very reliable and dependable.”

Ford said he is unsure if the two would get any special assignments such as bike patrol.

“We won’t know that until everybody’s established,” Ford said.

Council President Patricia Friday and other borough officials welcomed the officers to their new positions.

“I was very impressed with their interviews and their dedication to the borough of Oakmont,” Friday said. “One is an active part-time employee, and Justin had been part-time here. They were very impressive.”

The full-time officers’ hirings were contingent upon passing physicals and psychological evaluations. Their wages were set at $33.50 per hour.