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Lehigh Township promotes John Henry to police chief, moves to fill detective post after split vote
Summary
The Lehigh Township Board unanimously promoted Sergeant John Henry to Chief of Police and swore in a new patrolman. A motion to authorize Sergeant testing contingent on an internal promotion failed on a 3–3 split; the board unanimously approved scheduling interviews for the detective vacancy.
The Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors unanimously promoted Sergeant John Henry to Chief of Police and administered the oath during its Jan. 13 meeting, then swore in new patrolman Jarett Honea.
Chief John Henry, who joined the department in 1999 and has served as Detective Sergeant and officer in charge since June 2025, was sworn in by District Magistrate Robert Hawke. "She is currently doing well, but her condition was quite serious at the time," Henry said when describing a separate recent rescue in which officers helped an 84‑year‑old woman from a pond and transported her to the hospital.
The promotion came as part of a broader staffing discussion. Henry reported department totals for 2025 — 5,410 calls, 137 reportable accidents, 311 traffic citations and eight arrests in December — and said 20 applications are under review for open positions. He requested authorization to begin the hiring process for a Detective and, if necessary, testing for a Sergeant vacancy that could follow.
Supervisor Janet Sheats moved to authorize filling the Detective position and to schedule Sergeant testing if Detective Phil Mirabile accepts the Detective role. The motion failed on a 3–3 split, with Sheats and Supervisor David Hess voting yes and Supervisors Cindy Miller, Mike Jones and Jerry Pritchard voting no. Pritchard said he supported moving forward but not authorizing Sergeant testing "if we don’t know who is going to be getting the position of Detective." The board then voted unanimously to schedule interviews for the Detective vacancy.
The board’s actions create an immediate hiring timeline: the department will administer a written test Feb. 21 and continue candidate screening with interviews to follow. Henry said the department has received 20 applications and hopes for a strong candidate pool. The board also opened a posting period through Feb. 3 for additional applicants.
By approving the promotion and moving to schedule detective interviews, the board maintained continuity in department leadership while deferring a decision about cascading testing until a Detective appointment is clearer. The Board approved all personnel wage adjustments for 2026 after a later executive session.
