Wednesday
September 18, 2024 
The Upper Makefield Township Police Department is keen to bolsters its ranks.
An important step toward doing so occurred at the mid-July public meeting of the township board of supervisors.
The elected five-person board, which locally governs the municipality, approved the hiring of Dakota Romberger as a full-time police officer with the township force.
Supervisors green-lighted bringing Romberger aboard at the request of Police Chief Mark Schmidt. The chief told the board that some 20 candidates had applied for what’s currently two vacancies with the department. Romberger stood out, Schmidt said.
“He has a very good background,” Schmidt asserted.
Romberger’s resume includes most recently serving as a full-time police officer in neighboring Yardley Borough. Romberger is the recipient of multiple Yardley department commendations, including the 2021 GEM award. He is a graduate of Randolph (N.J.) High School and the Montgomery County Police Academy (2019).
Upper Makefield is continuing to look for a good candidate to fill the second vacancy, which like Romberger’s role, would be a patrol position.
One officer retired and another left Upper Makefield within the last year, creating the vacancies. Meanwhile, Gerard Russi was promoted to sergeant and sworn in to the position in May, fueling the need for patrol officers. Russi has been serving with Upper Makefield police since 2016, during which time he has been an exemplary officer, officials said.
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