Lansford Borough dealt with numerous issues with police in 2025, beginning with its new police chief giving notice.

In January, former Police Chief Kyle Woodward, who had joined the borough a year earlier, announced he would serve through the end of March.

Council also accepted the resignation of full-time officer Matthew Houser that month, leaving the borough with two full-time officers and five part-time officers.

Three part-time officers, Randy Schlatter, Danilo Garcia and Gilbert Diaz, were added under Chief Woodward.

Council launched a search for a new police chief and began the process of bolstering its Civil Service Commission, seeking alternate members to serve on the panel that produces a police eligibility list for council to select from for new hires.

By April, 13 candidates had submitted resumes to be Lansford’s top cop and applications were being accepted through May 19. Lansford’s Civil Service Commission also began testing for full-time police officers.

Complaints from residents about police matters became more frequent during council meetings six months into the year.

Council wanted to hire more full-time officers but decertified an eligibility list from the Civil Service Commission due to procedural errors and held off on transitioning two part-timers to full time in July.

Council also found its spending on part-time police officers overbudget in July, but believed the borough had enough money to support one full-time hire, while a search for a new chief stalled over finding a panel to interview candidates.

Council still hoped to hire a chief by October, although some members talked about offering a slightly higher salary than the $83,500 budgeted as some candidates were seeking six figures.

In August, council learned that state Department of Community and Economic Development would provide a panel to interview chief candidates, which now numbered six.

Residents continued to complain about police coverage, pointing out incidents with noise, fights, drug houses and displays of weapons, while the Civil Service Commission sought changes to hiring process and rules.

Lansford approved a regional police study, looking to work with neighboring Summit Hill in September. The move came the same week as a federal lawsuit filed by a part-time police officer.

Gilbert Diaz claimed he was denied due process when removed from the police schedule without a hearing to present his side, calling it a “de facto” termination.

Council had denied granting a hearing to an unnamed employee a month earlier during a heated meeting.

The four council members who voted against the hearing, Joseph Butrie, George Gilbert and Jack Soberick and outgoing member Jennifer Staines, were named individually as defendants in the suit.

Also named in the suit are Shawn Nunemacher, who is serving as officer-in-charge in lieu of a police chief, and outgoing Mayor Hugh Vrablic.

Council then deferred action on hiring a police chief and did not revisit the matter in 2025. Diaz was among those candidates applying for the chief’s position.

In October, the chairman of the Civil Service Commission, John Zym, presented council suggestions to attract more police officer candidates.

The following week, Zym submitted his resignation, which was critical of council, and then withdrew it. Council later removed him from the commission.

The borough also found itself without legal representation in the lawsuit after its insurance companies denied coverage, and tempers flared during the October and November council meetings.

Council President Bruce Markovich said that the borough solicitor did not want to be involved in the federal lawsuit but was appealing the denial of insurance coverage.

In November, council hired the law firm of Thomas, Thomas & Hafer to defend the borough in the federal lawsuit and reinstated Houser as a full-time officer.

In December, the borough hired another firm, Haggerty, Goldberg, Schleifer & Kupersmith, to review the denial of insurance coverage in the federal lawsuit.