By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

A number of guests, family members and fellow police officers attended the South Whitehall commissioners Aug. 4 meeting to celebrate the promotion of four of the police department’s officers.

After a motion to proceed with adoption of civil service eligibility lists for lieutenant and sergeant positions was quickly approved by the board, it was time for the promotions to begin.

“This is a great evening for the South Whitehall Township Police Department,” Police Chief Glen Dorney said, before reading out each promotion resolution.

The first resolution requested the appointment of Eric Kleintop to the position of lieutenant.

A 2007 graduate of Parkland High School, Kleintop earned a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Temple University in 2011.

He was hired by the South Whitehall Township Police Department in August 2013, and was promoted to sergeant in November 2018.

Dorney noted Kleintop has been a member of the Lehigh County Municipal Emergency Response Team and a field training officer for the past six years, and was also serving as the lead firearms instructor for the department.

Next, a resolution was heard to appoint Colin Beaumont to sergeant.

Dorney noted Beaumont was a fellow alumnus of Nazareth Area High School, graduating in 2008.

He earned an Associate degree in criminal justice from Northampton Community College.

Beaumont joined the U.S. Army in 2008 and earned the rank of sergeant before his discharge.

He was a member of the Military Police Corps and served in Afghanistan, where he received a Purple Heart in 2011 for injuries sustained in combat.

Beaumont was hired by the South Whitehall Police Department in July 2015 and became one of the department’s K-9 officers in 2016, where he currently serves with his partner, K-9 Kyra.

He has also been a field training officer since 2018 and serves as one of the department’s firearms instructors.

Dorney then presented the board with a resolution to promote Jason Grozier to the rank of sergeant.

A 2000 graduate of Parkland High School, Grozier earned an Associate degree in criminal justice and police sciences from Frederick Community College in Maryland.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2000 to 2008, earning the rank of staff sergeant. He also served as trooper with the Maryland State Police before being hired by South Whitehall in January 2011.

Grozier worked in the patrol division before becoming the department’s community liaison officer in August 2019.

Dorney said Grozier teaches the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program to students, educates the community on Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, and conducts the assessments of their homes and property for residents.

Grozier also organizes and runs the police department’s Youth Law Enforcement Academy Program and Citizens Police Academy, along with a number of other community events.

Last but not least, the final promotion resolution called for the appointment of Timothy Shoudt to the position of sergeant.

A 1994 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, Shoudt attended Warren County Community College, both in New Jersey.

He worked as a correctional officer in the Northampton County Prison for eight years before being hired by the South Whitehall Township Police Department in February 2007.

Shoudt served eight years in the department’s patrol division before transferring to the criminal investigations division, where he has served as a detective for the last six years.

Dorney said Shoudt has assisted with Lehigh County’s Officer David M. Petzold Digital Forensics Laboratory at DeSales University for the last 10 years.

Every promotion request was unanimously and enthusiastically approved by commissioners, and each officer was joined by their significant other or family to be ceremonially pinned while receiving hearty rounds of applause from the audience.

“Well, this was a very exciting evening for the police department, and I have to say all of you are shining stars,” board President Christina “Tori” Morgan said after the promotions were completed.

“Congratulations to everybody.”