State Police Capt. Tapped as New W. Pottsgrove Chief

Submitted Photo

Joseph Sokolofski, left, takes the oath of office administered by Magisterial District Judge Scott Palladino, right. Holding the Bible is officer-in-charge, Det. Tim Roeder.

A former state police barracks commander has been hired as the township's new police chief.

Joseph Sokolofski was sworn in at the Aug. 4 commissioners meeting.

He replaces the late Matthew Stofflet, who died unexpectedly in December, and the commissioners agreed to a three-year contract with a starting salary is $110,000 a year, according to Township Manager Scott Hutt.

In the next two years, Sokologski will receive a 3 percent raise each year, according to the terms of his contract said Hutt.

Sokolofski was selected from among 37 candidates identified by Safe City Solutions, a firm hired by the township to conduct a search, according to Hutt.

The search was conducted from January to June and Safe City was paid $7,750 by the township.

Sokolofski recently retired as the commander of Troop M, the Bethlehem-based state police barracks which he commanded since March of 2020.

For the two years prior to that, Sokolofski was the director of the drug law enforcement division, part of the bureau of criminal investigation.

For four years prior to that he was the criminal investigation section commander at the Bethlehem barracks.

Sokolofski earned an associates degree in criminal justice at Luzerne County Community College and a BA in organizational leadership from Penn State.

He holds several certifications, including several from the FBI academy.