Mar 22, 2018 3 min read

The Greene Regional Police Department has a new police chief after Michael Natale, the chief since its inception in January 2017, resigned at a special March 8 meeting of the department’s governing commission.

Natale’s letter indicated he was resigning to pursue other endeavors, said Morris Township Supervisor Bob Keller, a member of the commission, formed by one supervisor from each of the three townships – Morris, Perry and Wayne – the department serves.

Natale confirmed his resignation and thanked the residents for supporting the upstart police department.

“It was an honor and a pleasure to serve the Greene County community in this capacity,” Natale said. “I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish and I am looking forward to the next step in my career.”

The commission voted to appoint Sgt. Zachary Sams to the position of chief. Sams has worked with the department since it served only Morris Township, prior to it becoming a regional force.

“I’m sick,” Keller said of Natale’s resignation. “He is a good cop and he will be deeply missed.”

Keller gave Natale credit for forming the police department, completing all the required paperwork and organizing the staffing.

“He virtually was the man who created the Morris Township Police Department,” he said.

Morris Township originally started the force on its own in February 2016. The part-time department became a regional force in January 2017 with the inclusion of Perry and Wayne townships. The department also provided police services under contract to Morris Township, Washington County.

“(Natale) was very attentive to the residents and he has always been here in a crisis,” Keller said. “On duty and off duty, he made a point of taking care of the community.”

Natale had worked in Morris Township several years prior to the township forming its own department as a police officer with the Southwest Regional Police Department, with which the township had a contract for police services.

Perry Township Supervisor Frank Basile, the township’s commission representative, declined to comment Wednesday on Natale’s resignation.

“I don’t really want to comment on this,” he said.

Wayne Township Supervisor Jeff Blake, that township’s alternate to the commission, said he was “surprised” to hear about the resignation and noted Natale indicted he wanted to explore other options. Blake said Natele was a good police chief and he knew of no problems that would have spurred Natale to resign.

He said he believes Sams will be a good replacement.

“I think he’ll do a good job,” Blake said.

Other supervisors also said they are confident Sams will be a good chief.

“He’s a decent guy,” Morris Township Supervisor Roger Creech said. “I think he’ll be good.”

Sams could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The police department, staffed by two full-time and two-part time officers, provides part-time police service to the three Greene County communities, providing 48 hours of service a week in Morris Township and splitting 40 hours a week between Perry and Wayne townships.

The costs of operating the department is shared by the three municipalities based on the hours of police service each receives. The department’s main office is in the Morris Township Community Center in Nineveh. It also has a station at Perry Township Municipal Building near Mt. Morris.