Hollidaysburg Mayor Chad Repko (left) stands with new borough police Chief Richard Oldham after he was sworn in on Thursday. Courtesy photo

HOLLIDAYSBURG – Borough residents can rest assured that they remain in safe hands, as Sgt. Richard Oldham was sworn in as police chief on Thursday to replace Christopher Storm, who retired in late 2025.

Oldham, 40, brings the experience of 10 years’ service with the Hollidaysburg Police Department to the position, after short tenures at several other local law enforcement agencies.

After being laid off from a construction job in 2013, Oldham knew it was time for a change of career, attending the Indiana University Police Academy and graduating later that year.

Oldham began his career in law enforcement in early 2014, serving in part-time patrolman positions in Roaring Spring Borough, Freedom Township and Gallitzin Borough police departments over the next two years.

Oldham began as a full time patrolman in the Hollidaysburg Police Department in July 2016 before earning a promotion to sergeant in early 2020.

According to Oldham, working in both rural and more urban areas gave him experience handling different types of cases, with his continuing tenure in Hollidaysburg representing “the best of both worlds.”

“(Storm) was here for three years and I learned a lot from him, he taught me a lot,” Oldham said, “so I’m forever grateful for that.”

Oldham also served as Officer In Charge of the department for 16 months immediately prior to Storm’s arrival in 2022.

“So once he got here, it strengthened my experience and gave me some different ways for how to handle things,” Oldham said.

Oldham said that continuing to foster an open, productive dialog with the elected officials in borough government and newly inaugurated Mayor Chad Repko is a priority for his tenure as police chief.

“I’ll keep working with the residents of the borough, the Borough Council and borough manager to keep things progressing forward, to have a positive impact on the community,” Oldham said.

Addressing longstanding recruitment and retention concerns within the nine-officer department is another focus for Oldham.

“It’s more so a global problem, at least here in Pennsylvania … across the board, people just don’t want to be police officers anymore,” he said, noting that some early-career officers leave for higher-paying positions elsewhere.

“They’re constantly wanting to better themselves, and I’m always going to encourage them to better themselves, it’s just that being in a small town is kind of hard to get people to want to become a police officer,” Oldham said.

Oldham said he is looking forward to working with borough leaders on ways to offer expanded opportunities for incoming officers and experienced veterans in the department.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.