Markle Ready to Assume Mantle as New Chief of Police in Brookville

BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) — The Brookville Police Department has a new chief of police, but he’s more than a familiar face to borough residents.

On Wednesday, senior patrolman Vince Markle was named the new chief.

Markle will take over the chief’s duties on Saturday, February 17, replacing outgoing chief Jason Brown.

Markle is celebrating his 20th anniversary with the Brookville Police Department as a police officer this year. Markle is also nearing 25 years in law enforcement, having worked in Summerville from 1994-98.

Markle, a New Bethlehem native, has also worked as a part-time officer in Clarion, under current Chief William H. Peck, IV.

“I’m proud to be the new chief, and I’m looking forward to continuing to serve the people of Brookville,” Markle said. “I enjoy helping people, and it’s a very good feeling to help those that are down and out.”

Markle has been the department’s DARE officer and has been on the Jefferson County Drug Task Force for the last 15 years.

Markle also previously served on the New Bethlehem School Board.

“Being the DARE officer has been very rewarding,” Markle said. “Getting to work with the kids in the schools, it’s special.”

Launched in 1983, D.A.R.E. is a comprehensive K-12 education program taught in thousands of schools in America and 52 other countries. D.A.R.E. curricula address drugs, violence, bullying, internet safety, and other high-risk circumstances.

Markle has also been the department’s firearms and Taser instructor.

Markle’s promotion to chief means he has come full circle.

Current mayor Richard Beck was Markle’s training officer when he first joined the force.

“It’s kind of neat to have trained under Mayor Beck and now (to be) working alongside him and council after all these years,” Markle said. “The council members know me well, they know I’m a hard worker, that I’m community-oriented, and the people of Brookville know me.”

Markle said starting at the bottom and working his way up to chief is particularly gratifying.

“I feel it’s a good thing to have started at the bottom and worked up. I know how my officers feel when they first start and how they feel after they’ve been on the job for 10 years,” Markle said.

He said he has worked under four of five chiefs and plans to take certain elements from each of them.

“Working under chief Ken Dworek, I learned you have to be consistent every day with the people you work with and with the public,” Markle said. “Working with Chief Peck, he wouldn’t ask any of his officers to do anything he wouldn’t do.”

Markle said the biggest challenges facing police departments today are the drug epidemic and keeping officers safe.

“The drug problem is more than what it was when I started, and it’s something we will continue to battle while working with other departments, the sheriff’s department, state police,” Markle said. “Keeping our officers safe is another thing that is at the forefront. There isn’t a day that you don’t hear about an officer being shot somewhere, so that’s something we work on constantly.”

Markle said he is proud of his fellow officers and looks forward to serving the borough residents.

“It takes a special person to risk their life for someone they don’t know, and we are fortunate to have officers like that on our force,” Markle said.

Markle is also a family man and his wife Jane works in the Brookville Area School District.

His children include Logan, a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed in Hawaii; Whitney, a student at Slippery Rock University; Abigail and Alex, both sophomores in high school; and Joseph, a third-grade student.


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