The Bristol Township Police Department can trace its roots back to 1948. Joseph Seader was the first Bristol Township Police Chief and for awhile, its sole Police Officer.  He was joined in the early 1950’s by three additional officers. In 1952, the Department swelled to 15 officers as William Levitt began building his vision for the community of Levittown. The department headquarters was actually located at Bolton Mansion from 1952 up until 1967 when the Bristol Township Municipal Building was opened. 

The Bristol Township Police Department Circa. 1955.

As Levittown grew, so did the Bristol Township Police Department and by 1966 the Department was staffed by just over 30 Officers. The Department was a full service police department by this time, with specialized units and a full fleet of police vehicles. 

New police cars are received by Chief John Stewart, Circa. 1960.

On March 29, 1972, Bristol Township Police suffered its greatest loss when Detective Sergeant George Francis Stuckey was killed in the line of duty while stopping a suspect vehicle from a bank robbery. Ironically, Stuckey was shot only a couple hundred feet from the police headquarters on Bath Road.

Detective/Sergeant George Stuckey

Throughout the eighties and nineties, the Department continued to expand and develop additional ways of servicing the community. Today, our police force is on target to reach its highest staffing levels in Department history and in doing so will be able to provide a new level of service. The future of the Police Department is bright, as is the future of Bristol Township.

While a lot has changed in the Department’s 59 years of service, one message has remained consistent, a message of pride in public service. This pride is demonstrated each and every day by your Officers. We are proud to serve and look forward to working with the community in providing a safe and healthy place to live and work.

Shown above are the FIVE patches used throughout the 59-year history of the department.