Langhorne Borough Police Chief John Godzieba was honored at the borough’s September council meeting in recognition of his retirement after eight years of service to the community. Police Chief Godzieba retired effective October 1.
At the start of the council meeting, Langhorne Borough Mayor Joe Taylor read a proclamation highlighting Chief Godzieba’s service to the town. Mayor Taylor noted that Chief Godzieba joined the Langhorne Borough Police Department in 2017 after retiring as a senior lieutenant in the Bristol Township Police Department after serving the township for 38 years. As such, he brought extensive experience to Langhorne Borough through his exceptional career in law enforcement which earned him the highest respect of borough residents and within the entire community. Chief Godzieba is also the head of the Bucks County Major Incident Response Team.
Council President Nancy Culleton offered heartfelt thanks and expressions of appreciation to Chief Godzieba on behalf of the entire borough council.
“The quintessential small town police chief, John has conducted his duties with calm professionalism as both chief and patrol officer,” Nancy said. “He has become a familiar, friendly presence while working to keep our community safe. He knows an extraordinary number of our residents and business people personally and is always happy to have a neighborly chat.”
Chief Godzieba is not only familiar and accessible to borough residents and business owners, but he is also known throughout the region as ‘General George Washington.’
Nancy said: “We are a town of many community events and I’ve seen John and his team go above and beyond to ensure public safety at all of them. He deeply appreciates our passion for preserving our town’s historic character. In fact, he is well known for his volunteer service portraying George Washington at local events including the annual reenactment of Washington crossing the Delaware River.”
Chief Godzieba addressed the council and attendees about serving Langhorne Borough after the council gave its presentations and remarks.
“I’m not used to being the center of attention, unless I’m George Washington!” he joked. “But I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me tonight with kind words and your support over the years,” he said.
“This place is so self-policing it’s just amazing. Council has always been fantastic. Anyone who has ever cycled through council has been fantastic and very supportive of me and very supportive of the police department. I can’t have a better boss than Mayor Taylor. He has been unbelievably supportive of the police department. We would not be a success in this town if it wasn’t for all the officers that are here from the borough. Every one of them has a certain skill that they bring with them. It’s handling the people and the issues. They have time to spend with people.”
Pennsylvania State Senator Frank Farry, who represents the 6th District, also attended the meeting and honored Chief Godzieba with a retirement resolution from the state senate.
In addition to the council presentations, which included a gift card and retirement card presented by council Vice President Kathy Horwatt, several police officers in attendance, local residents, community members and business owners spoke, thanking Chief Godzieba for his exemplary service. A resolution was also presented on behalf of Pennsylvania State Representative Joe Hogan, who represents the 142nd legislative district.
In her remarks, Council President Culleton described how Chief Godzieba has an extensive and thorough knowledge of the borough. “He knows every square inch of our borough, every tree, every sign, every pothole, he knows it. When I became council president two years ago, he warmly offered me a tour of the police department as well as a ride along tour of the borough in his cruiser. On that tour I saw corners and crannies of the borough I never knew existed. I’ve seen first hand his kind approach when he encounters folks who are down on their luck,” she said.
“John Godzieba leaves a legacy of excellence in Langhorne Borough and he will be sorely missed,” Nancy added.
