Souderton police chief resigns; Sgt. Jeff Lukens named acting officer

The Souderton Borough Council announced April 7 that the borough's police chief has resigned after a 26-year career and that Sergeant Jeff Lukens will serve as officer in charge while the borough begins a recruitment process. Council leaders said they have hired an outside consultant to manage the search.

Council President (speaker 1) told the meeting that the chief "has resigned" and that Sergeant Jeff Lukens "will be serving as officer in charge" while the borough "engage[s] the process to find a new chief." The president said the borough expects a search led by a consultant to take longer than 90 days.

Why it matters: Local leadership changes in policing can affect patrol strategies and staffing while a new chief is selected. During the same meeting, the council reviewed operational figures and public-safety concerns that will inform the interim leadership team's priorities.

The council reviewed March statistics presented by the president. "For the month of March, we had 4 vehicle crashes. 3 of them involved injury. We conducted 314 traffic stops," the president said. He reported 1,118 incidents for the month and an annual total of 2,492, which he said represents a roughly 20% increase over the prior year. Council members said patrols have been increased after repeated vandalism at Gregory Park.

A resident who spoke during public comment, Matt (speaker 5), pressed the council for more enforcement on speeding on School Lane and said he had "witnessed officers going 40 and over." Council staff responded that they would follow up and encouraged residents to contact the borough manager by email to provide additional information.

Next steps: Borough staff will proceed with the consultant-led recruitment and present qualified candidates to the council when completed. The council did not set a specific public timeline beyond noting the search would likely extend past the next 90 days.