West Penn Township will open the new year with a familiar face at the helm of its police department.

At Tuesday morning’s board of supervisors meeting, resident Delroy Haas asked board members if they have hired a new police chief, or if there was a new chief in waiting.

Board Chairman Tony Prudenti told Haas the township’s new police chief will be Cpl. Jason Lorah.

Prudenti added sergeant-in-charge John Kaczmarczyk will be a full-time officer.

In addition, he said William Cope was recently hired as a part-time officer.

Prudenti said Lorah will become police chief, at a rate of pay of $81,120, while Kaczmarczyk will be a full-time officer, both effective at the start of the new year.

Earlier this month the board hired Cope; his rate of pay was not announced.

At its April 1 meeting, supervisors promoted Kaczmarczyk to sergeant and Lorah to the rank of corporal after then police Chief James Bonner requested the promotions.

Kaczmarczyk is a 17-year member of the force. Overall, he has over 34 years experience.

Bonner said at that time Lorah has worked for the department for years and had retired with the rank of sergeant. He returned to the township’s police force as a patrolman, and had been covering a multitude of shifts.

In October, the supervisors terminated the employment of Bonner, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the year.

Bonner had been on paid administrative suspension since Sept. 4.

Bonner was hired as chief in October 2021, but had worked for the township since 2016.

Bonner’s wife, Carla Fritz, has filed a lawsuit alleging the township violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and other federal and state laws while she was employed as support staff for the police department.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. In it, Fritz alleges discriminatory and retaliatory actions made after she was diagnosed with anxiety led to her termination in October 2023.

In her lawsuit, Fritz is seeking several forms of relief, including back pay and benefits, compensation for emotional pain and suffering, and punitive damages.