After serving the community for 22 years, the chief of police for the City of Reading, in Berks County, Richard Tornielli is set to retire on Monday.
On Saturday, the mayor of Reading, Eddie Moran, announced that he has accepted Tornielli's offer of retirement, saying it was time to "move forward with new leadership in the police department.'
"When I was elected four years ago, among several issues I wanted to tackle, making the community safe was and still is my number one priority. Given recent events, I decided that we needed to move forward with new leadership in the police department," the mayor's letter read. "As such, the Chief and I agreed that a change of strategy was needed, and I graciously accepted his offer of retirement."
In his statement, Moran said that he had heard from people across the city who felt unsafe and and he said he wants to do a "nationwide search" for a replacement for Tornielli.
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Also, Moran said he wants to new chief to be visible in the community, while helping his office develop a safety plan "to address growing concerns of crime within our city."
"In the very near future, I’ll be appointing an interim police chief to lead the department while a search is conducted. And finally, to the men and women of the Reading Police Department. I hear you, I am with you, and I am willing to do all I can to ensure that you feel valued and respected, Moran's statement read. "I will continue to listen to your opinions on how we fight crime in the city and whom I choose to lead the police department in the future."
On Monday morning, calls to Tornielli's office seeking comment went unreturned.
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