Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Holdsworth to be named new police chief
Lt. William Holdsworth will be sworn in next month as only the third police chief in Kennett Square’s history.
KENNETT SQUARE >> Lt. William Holdsworth will be sworn in next month as only the third police chief in the past 45 years in the borough.
Council Monday night unanimously agreed to conditionally offer Holdsworth the job, and he will be sworn in on April 3. He succeeds former Police Chief Ed Zunino, who retired last year, and Albert McCarthy before that.
For the past five months, a committee composed of Zunino, Mayor Matt Fetick, two councilors and two residents pored through 50 resumes. Of those, 14 were interviewed, and six were brought back for a second interview.
“The great thing about this is he did not have an inside track,” Fetick said. “He was not given any preference and he was absolutely the most qualified candidate.”
Holdsworth, a 1990 graduate of Unionville High School, was promoted to lieutenant in August of 2016, and was temporarily the officer in charge after Zunino announced his retirement.
“I’m looking forward to negotiating with you, and getting that contract finalized,” Council President Danilo Maffei told Holdsworth. “I’m sure that will go smoothly.”
Charla Watson, a longtime Kennett resident, said Holdsworth was the right choice.
“I knew he would be the best candidate,” she said. “You need someone who knows the community and can effectively interact with your population. He’s proven to be a very honest man.”
After attending Delaware County Community College, Holdsworth attended the Police Academy in 1995 and was hired parttime by the Kennett Square Police Department in 1997. He kept his landscaping business, but left that after he was hired full-time by Kennett Square in 1998.
He married his wife, Debbie, who has two children, in 2008. He and his wife have a son, nearly three years old.
In 2012, Holdsworth received a Certificate of Merit for apprehending a dangerous DUI suspect.
Holdsworth is active in helping the young generation form positive bonds with police. He spends time at the Garage Youth Center in Kennett Square, and also at Linden Street.
Kennett Square Police Department employs 12 full-time officers, three part-time officers, two parking meter officers and two administrative assistants. The borough is planning to hire three new entry-level police officers on April 3 to boost the force even more.