Leetsdale Police Department recently added two new members to its force.
Marine Sgt. Steven Impell was hired as a full-time officer.
Law enforcement veteran Aaron Vanatta was hired as a part-time patrolman.
The department has five full-time officers and two part-timers including the new hires.
Impell served in the Marines for four years before being honorably discharged with various letters of accommodation and certificates of appreciation for performance of duties.
He also has nine years in law enforcement having worked for Ohio Township and Avalon before coming to Leetsdale.
Impell is a defensive tactics instructor and a community-oriented police officer involved in such programs as Shop with a Cop, Tough a Truck, Allegheny County Communities & Police Together and other activities. His starting salary is about $53,000.
Vanatta has 24 years of experience in police work. He served in South Strabane Township, Washington County Juvenile Probation, Keystone Oaks School Police and is the current chief of police at Quaker Valley School District.
Related accomplishments include director of the Pennsylvania chapter of Friends of Safe Schools, past resident of the Pennsylvania Association of School Resource Officers and secretary for the National Association of School Resource Officers. His starting salary is about $24 per hour.
Police Chief Daniel Raible spoke highly of his new recruits.
“Not only does each officer bring years of law enforcement experience in different fields of training, but an obvious dedication to the job itself,” Raible said. “Whether it be Aaron working the last decade of law enforcement as a School Resource Officer, or Steven’s dedication to community relations, the department, as well as the borough of Leetsdale itself, are lucky to have them.”
Mayor Sandra Ford works closely with the department. However, she was not involved in the hiring process.
She said that was handled through the Civil Service Commission and the police chief.
“I am glad with the chief’s choices,” Ford said. “Both gentlemen are well qualified and very professional. I have complete confidence in our chief selecting these two officers. They will be an asset to Leetsdale.”
The officers were sworn in by the mayor May 11.
