Yesterday was the official change in command for the Indiana Borough Police Department as one police chief officially stepped down and a new one was sworn in to office.
Yesterday, Indiana Borough Police Chief William Sutton officially handed over command of the police department to the new chief, Justin Schawl. Chief Sutton’s retirement was officially announced on January 22nd during the Indiana Borough Council Meeting. Sutton had been the chief of police in Indiana since 2001 and a part of the law enforcement community for 40 years. Also during his time in Indiana, he sometimes had to wear two hats as he served as an interim borough manager.
(New Chief Justin Schawl (left) and former Chief William Sutton exchange salutes as command is passed. Photos provided by Kris Mellinger)
Justin Schawl was promoted to chief that same night by borough council. Schawl has been with the police department since 2001 and was also one of Chief Sutton’s first hires. As of late, Schawl has been a part of the borough’s parking and communications departments among others, and has been working on the borough’s parking garage, including improvements to the lighting system and payment systems. He also introduced the use of the PassportParking app in Downtown Indiana, allowing people to pay for parking using their cell phones.
