State College officially welcomed the new leader of its police department on Monday.
Joseph Merrill was sworn in as the borough’s ninth police chief on Monday morning at the State College Municipal Building, taking the oath from District Judge Don Hahn. He succeeds Chief John Gardner, who retired at the end of December after nine years in the position and 35 with the department.
Merrill is a 20-year veteran of the Altoona Police Department, where he was chief since 2021. A Centre Region native, he is a graduate of State College Area High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in crime, law and justice from Penn State in 2005.
“It was always somewhere I wanted to come back home to,” Merrill said. “The timing of it worked out because I had the opportunity to retire after 20 years of service with Altoona as this position was coming open. So it was always my desire to continue my law enforcement career back in my hometown.”
Since beginning his law enforcement career in Altoona, Merrill has taken on a variety of roles. Those included patrolman, patrol supervisor, tactical response team member, internal affairs investigator and training program leader.
He was appointed deputy chief in 2020 before ascending to the department’s top role the following spring. He also served as interim city manager for Altoona for several months in 2024.
While they have their differences, Altoona and State College are similar in key ways when it comes to policing, Merrill said.
“Obviously the call type and call volume is different but what is the same is both are filled with community members that care about … their police department and they care about their employees,” Merrill said. “So both communities are very active and communicate well with their police department. So I see that as a very good thing.”
Since his appointment to the position in November, Merrill has worked with Gardner and other department staff on the transition and will continue to do so throughout January, he said.
Gardner was an advocate for community-oriented policing throughout his tenure, something Merrill said he plans to continue.
“I want to continue the good work that this department and the men and women there already do, but also continue to find ways to grow,” he said. “And that is certainly one area that I know this community cares about, so therefore it is a priority of the police department and will continue to be a priority for the police department.”
In addition to his bachelor’s degree, Merrill has earned a master’s degree in criminal justice policy and administration from the Penn State World Campus and graduated from the Northwestern University Police Staff and Command School. He’s also been active in educating and training others as an instructor on a variety of law enforcement topics around the state, including for the Sheriff and the Deputy Sheriff Training Program operated by the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute.
“Chief Merrill has a strong belief that any leader has a responsibility to always be furthering their training and education,” Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said.
Mayor Ezra Nanes said he met Merrill during the hiring process and came away with “a great impression.”
“We talked for a while and I asked Joe about his approach to policing and his views on the role and I walked away from that conversation feeling like he would be a great chief if he was the one that our manager selected,” Nanes said. “So when I learned that he was selected, I thought, well, this is great. I think he’s going to be a terrific chief for the borough.”
