Salisbury Township has offered employment to two new police officer candidates.

If hired, the Salisbury Township Police Department would increase to 19 full-time officers, including Chief of Police Allen W. Stiles.

Made conditional offers were Noah LoPresti and Curtis Ziegler.

Township Commissioner Debra Brinton made the motion, seconded by Commissioner President James A. Brown, to make the offers to LoPresti and Ziegler. The motion was approved by a 4-0 vote, with one commissioner absent.

The vote took place following a brief executive session to discuss the personnel hires soon after the start of the March 9 board meeting in the township municipal building.

The names of the candidates were chosen from an eligibility list presented to Brown by Archie Hartzell, chairperson of the township Police Civil Service Commission.

Hiring of two additional officers was approved by township commissioners and funded in the 2016 budget. The hiring of additional officers was not approved for the 2017 budget.

“On behalf of Civil Service Commission members, we really want to thank the Salisbury Police Department for putting together their candidates,” Hartzell said.

The township Police Civil Service Commission, in addition to Hartzell, includes Samuel Darrohn, vice chairperson-secretary; Andrew Katz; Ken Wied, alternate and Atty. Jeffrey Dimmich, counsel.

After the March 9 meeting, Stiles told a reporter for The Press the officer candidates would only be hired after each passes a psychological test and a physical test.

LoPresti is a part-time police officer for the Borough of Fountain Hill and a part-time officer for the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office.

He is a graduate of the Allentown Police Academy, a Marine Corps veteran and a Nazareth Area High School graduate.

Ziegler is a part-time officer for the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office.

He is a graduate of the Allentown Police Academy, an Army veteran and a William Allen High School graduate.

According to the Salisbury Township website, the Police Civil Service Commission regulates and oversees the rules established by the Police Civil Service Commission and the board of commissioners.

The township Police Civil Service Commission is responsible for testing for new applicants within the police department, testing for promotions within the police department and hearing grievances filed by police department personnel if unresolved at appropriately-taken grievance procedure levels.