Pleasant Valley School District’s new assistant police chief credits his mother and educators for getting him where he is today.

Assistant Police Chief Van Scott said he grew up in a not-so-nice section of Bethlehem, but his mother, whom he called the Rock, kept him in line.

“She raised four kids on her own. If it wasn’t for my mom, if it wasn’t for the Bethlehem Boys Club, if it wasn’t for Lehigh University, if it wasn’t for the school system, I probably wouldn’t be here where I am at right now,” Scott said. “They were almost like my umbrella; kept me out of trouble and guided me. I had a lot of really good educators growing up.”

It’s because of these people that Scott said he has always had a drive to give back to the community.

After graduating from high school, Scott joined the U.S. Army. He then became a correctional officer at the Lehigh County Jail for three years, and eventually moved on to police work.

“I was privileged to join the City of Bethlehem Police Department,” Scott said.

During his 21 years on the police force, Scott worked in patrols, drug elimination, and then he became a school resource officer at East Hills Middle School, followed by Liberty High School. Next, he was promoted to detective sergeant in the criminal investigations unit and then became a supervisor.

During his employment, he went back to college to get a master’s degree in criminal justice at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. After retiring from the police department, he began teaching criminal justice first in Berks County then at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute for more than eight years. He also has been an adjunct professor of criminal justice at DeSales University since 2009.

It was during his work with the Bethlehem Police Department that Scott met fellow officer Rodney Bronson, who is now Pleasant Valley’s chief of police. Scott said Bronson reached out to him to see if he would be interested in returning to police work. Scott said he did feel tugged to it.

“It’s a good feeling to be back, but I’m happy that I’m still in the schools. I like schools. I like the environment,” he said.

Scott said that it takes a special person to be an officer in the school system because you’re dealing with lots of children and lots of varying factors.

“One day you’re dealing with a student that something’s going on at home. That’s why I say about being a resource officer, you have to be special, because a kid could have something going on at home. Did they eat? Are they being mentally or physically abused? Did their grandfather pass away? You can’t put an officer in the school unless they really want to be there,” he said.

Scott officially started his new job on Nov. 24, 2025, and he was impressed by the school district’s Security Department.

“They go above and beyond here to make sure that we have the correct communication, and we do the right thing,” he said. “They make sure that every student that walks into the school shouldn’t have to worry about their safety.”

Scott explained that the school district has seven armed police officers who are sworn in and have full police powers on school property, buses and at school events. The school district also has security officers that patrol all of the schools 24/7.

“We are literally putting out the effort to have someone here all the time. It’s all about safety,” he said.

Scott continues to live in Bethlehem and has two grown children and four grandchildren.