Trending
Altoona Police Chief Janice Freehling, the first woman to head the city department, is retiring, effective March 1, the 20th anniversary of her appointment as chief.
"I selected that date some time ago," said Freehling, 67, who joined the force 44 years ago.
"If anybody has earned her retirement, it's her," City Manager Ken Decker said.
Freehling was "proactive at keeping people safe" and "cared very much for her officers," Councilman Dave Butterbaugh said.
She put those officers "in position to succeed," Butterbaugh said. He added that she worked well with council.
"If I had any questions or needed a clarification to understand something better," she was always willing, he said. "She was a great teacher that way."
She helped ensure tranquility for a march in protest of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis last summer, Butterbaugh said.
"She showed great leadership, meeting (along with others in the department) with everybody involved, making sure up front that everybody would be peaceful and safe," Butterbaugh said.
The march from Heritage Plaza across the 17th Street Bridge to First Avenue and back drew a little less than 1,000 people, according to estimates at the time.
It included speeches by members of the Black community and by Sgt. Matt Plummer, who also worked with march leaders.
Under Freehling's leadership, the police department introduced the use body cameras in 2019.
Freehling declined to discuss her tenure in depth, asking that it' be postponed to a time closer to her leaving.
"You can't ask anybody to do more than she's done in terms of her service," Decker said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038. Staff Writer Ike Fredregill contributed to this report.