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Former APD officer joins field seeking bid as district judge

Clapper

A former Altoona police officer has announced he will run for magisterial district judge.

Scott Clapper, a 20-year veteran of the Altoona Police Department who retired in 2012 as a sergeant, said he has spent his entire life serving the community and helping others in need and wants to continue serving as district judge.

“Judge (Todd) Kelly has always served in his position with great integrity and if elected, I plan to serve the people in the district with the same impartial and ethical principals,” Clapper said in a statement.

A 1984 graduate of Hollidaysburg Area High School, Clapper has lived in Altoona for 25 years. Clapper received his bachelor of science degree in criminology from IUP in 1988, and he received his certification to be a police officer in 1992 from Harrisburg Area Community College.

Clapper and his wife, Stephanie, have three children between the ages of 13 and 23, and the family attends and are members of Calvary Baptist Church. Clapper is a deacon and regularly volunteers at the church.

As a police officer in Altoona, Clapper retired as a sergeant of the Third Platoon of the patrol division. He said spending 20 years in the patrol division gave him the opportunity to meet and deal with people on a day-to-day basis, as well as work with the Blair County Drug Task Force and Blair County DUI Task Force. Clapper also served as a Field Training Officer with APD and was a certified Crime Scene Investigator. In 1994, Clapper was given the chance to implement the community policing “Walk and Talk” program in the southeast section of Altoona.

Since retiring from APD, Clapper has worked as a chef for Allegheny Creamery & Crepes restaurant in Hollidaysburg, adding that cooking has always been a personal hobby and something he enjoys. For the last several years, Clapper has worked for the U.S. Postal Service.

Judge Kelly’s term ends at the end of the year and Clapper joins a growing field of candidates for the office, which covers half the City of Altoona from above 13th Street. Benjamin Jones, Meghan Farrell Irwin, Curt Polito and Terressa George have all announced they will seek the job.

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