Ferguson Township Police Chief Resigns

Ferguson Township’s police chief has stepped down less than two years into his tenure and three months before his employment agreement was set to expire.

John Petrick resigned on Sept. 6, Township Manager Centrice Martin wrote in an email.

Petrick and the township had mutually “agreed to part ways” at the end of his contract, and his early departure “will enable the Township to begin its succession planning and allow him to consider the next steps in his own career,” Martin wrote.

Sgt. Shawn Morrison is serving as officer-in-charge of the department.

The township will initiate a recruitment process for finding its next chief, but Martin did not offer a timeline.

“The human resource director and I will continue meeting to discuss a recruitment plan for the chief of police,” Martin wrote.

Petrick was appointed to lead the 20-officer department in December 2022 and began in the role in January 2023. He succeeded Chris Albright, who retired from the position in 2022 after 30 years with the department.

Before serving as chief in Ferguson Township, Petrick led the Ephrata police department in Lancaster County, but had a long history in Centre County. He spent 24 years with the Patton Township Police Department, including 16 as chief, before leaving in 2017 to become chief of administration for Penn State University Police and Public Safety. 

He is the second Centre County police chief to resign this year. Bellefonte Police Chief Shawn Weaver resigned in April after 28 years in the position amid upheaval in the department.