A West Penn Township police officer who was attacked and injured while she stopped to assist a motorist along Route 309 on Sept. 2 has suffered a concussion, which resulted in some memory loss.

Officer Melissa Ruch was attacked and injured by a Hispanic man who drove a black Nissan Maxima, according to police. The incident took place in the daylight between 4:53 and 5:08 p.m.During the assault, Ruch was thrown or pushed down an embankment along Route 309 on the Blue Mountain.She was able to use her police radio to summon help while the assailant fled.So far, no arrest has been made.As a result of the incident, West Penn Township supervisors voted Tuesday to buy new video and audio cameras for their police cruisers. The new cameras. at a cost of $5,509, could be installed within 30 days, said Chief of Police Brian Johnson.Johnson said an initial news report said Ruch was picked up by the assailant and thrown down the bank. “This wasn’t accurate,” Johnson said.Johnson said nobody knows for sure what happened since Ruch is unable to recall some of the details because of the concussion.Police have described the suspect as being between 6 feet 2 inches, and 6 feet 4 inches tall, between 240 and 260 pounds and wearing a black sweatshirt and jean shorts.It’s not known when Ruch will be returning to duty, although Johnson said she is anxious to be back at work. He said before she can patrol again, she must complete therapy for the concussion, have medical treatment for an injured knee and be approved for work by a police psychologist.Township resident Jen Kromer, who lives close to where the incident involving Ruch occurred, brought up the topic at the supervisors’ meeting.She asked the supervisors, “Are they any closer to finding the suspect who terrorized our neighborhood?”Johnson said the investigation is being handled by state police and he was advised not to make any comments regarding the investigation.Cruiser camerasJohnson said the cruisers have cameras, but they are outdated and must be turned on manually to function.He said had the new cameras been in the cruisers when Ruch was attacked, the assailant might have been identified.It is not known if Johnson had the existing camera in her cruiser turned on.The new cameras will turn on automatically whenever the overhead lights on the cruiser are activated, when the cruiser sustains any type of jolt, or if it is driven over a specified speed limit.There is also a component that allows police to constantly view suspects being transported in the back seat of the cruisers.With microphones, police can record conversations at the scene of incidents. He said the police department will adopt a policymaking it mandatory for police to carry the microphones on calls. These microphones turn on when the cameras become activated.It’s not the same type of cameras as the state police have in their vehicles, Johnson said. Such camera equipment would cost more than four times than the equipment he is purchasing.Johnson said money unused from the salary fund will be used for the camera purchase.In appealing to the supervisors to let him purchase the cameras, he told them, “It would stop a lot of ‘what ifs’ of what happened. It may have event caught the suspect.”Board Chairman James E. Akins said, “Move forward and get it done.”Johnson said his stun guns are also outdated. Replacing them would cost $3,512. No action was taken regarding purchasing new ones.A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.Anyone with information is asked to call 877-TIPS4SC, or 877-847-7472 and refer to incident 09-06-15, when calling with information about the assault in West Penn Township; call state police at Frackville at 570-874-5300, or West Penn Township via the Schuylkill County Communications Center, 570-668-6100.