POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFF

                                                  

POLICE CHIEF:

  • CHIEF JOHN PHILLIPS

    Chief Phillips joined the Wyomissing Police Department in October of 1997 after working for a year in the West Reading Police Department and with troubled youth in Montgomery County. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2014, and promoted to Chief in 2021. Chief Phillips is a graduate of the Wyomissing Area High School and Kutztown University, and is a former member of the Army Reserve. Chief Phillips has specialized as an evidence technician, field training officer, firearms instructor, less lethal use of force instructor, and chemical agent instructor. Chief Phillips is a founding member of the Berks County Emergency Response Team (BCERT). He has served as a team member of the tactical element, and promoted to assistant team leader, and eventually team leader. He now serves as part of the command element for BCERT.

    Chief Phillips currently resides here in the Borough with his wife and son. When not on duty Chief Phillips enjoys being outdoors.

    Email: Jphillips@wyopd.org

SUPERVISORS:

  • SERGEANT BARRY W. MOYER

    SGT. Moyer joined the Wyomissing Police Department in July of 2005. With his dad serving in the Air Force, he grew up in different areas of the country as well as Germany. SGT. Moyer earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Pensacola Christian College and started his law enforcement career as a Probation/Parole Officer. SGT. Moyer has specialized in Bicycle Patrol, Evidence Technician, Field Training Officer, Defensive Tactics/Handcuffing Instructor, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2019.

    When not working, SGT. Moyer enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.

    Email: Bmoyer@wyopd.org

  • SERGEANT PETER PURCELL

    SGT. Purcell has been with the Wyomissing Police Department since July of 1998. Sergeant Purcell started with the department as a police dispatcher. He was appointed to Police Officer in July of 2002. Sergeant Purcell is a 1993 graduate of Wyomissing High School and Reading Area Community College. He was promoted to sergeant in 2015.

    SGT. Purcell served as the department’s Traffic Enforcement Officer from 2006 until 2012. Sergeant Purcell currently serves on the Berks County District Attorney’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team.

    Email: Ppurcell@wyopd.org

  • SERGEANT RICHARD F. KARSTIEN

    SGT. Karstien was born and raised in Philadelphia, and from age 9, wanted to be a soldier in the Army and a Police Officer. He joined the U.S Army Reserves before graduating High School, and he attended Philadelphia Community College, earning an associate’s degree before moving on to West Chester University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 1992. SGT. Karstien attended the Delaware County Police Academy in 1994 after being hired by the Coatesville City Police Department. He was assigned to the Community Police Division after initial training. SGT. Karstien was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve in 1996 with the rank of sergeant. He was hired by the Wyomissing Police Department in 1996. He earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Kutztown University in 2006 and started teaching Criminal Justice classes at Reading Area Community College. He realized that he enjoyed teaching because he could excite the students about the challenges of a law enforcement career.

    In 2007 SGT. Karstien had the opportunity to try out for the newly formed Berks County Emergency Response Team (SWAT). He was a founding member of the team and was on the team as an assistant team leader for 14 years. At the Wyomissing Police Department, he is currently assigned to patrol as a Sergeant and is a certified Red Cross CPR and first aid instructor along with being a firearms instructor and range master

    Email: Richard F. Karstien

CRIMINIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT:

CRIME SCENE EVIDENCE UNIT:

  • ABOUT

    The Wyomissing Police Department, since 1994 has had highly trained and experienced unit of officer known as the Special Services Unit. These officers respond to incidents requiring multiple pieces of equipment, or very specialized equipment, or where an extended time will be needed to complete a crime scene. These officers are training in documenting incidents through photography, videoing, or sketching, and the identification, collection, and preservation of evidence. To stay current with technology and related practices the unit trains in-house during the year, but also attends outside educational conferences. Officers are certified as Crime Scene Technicians through the International Association for Identification and Harrisburg Area Community College.

    The unit currently consists of Sergeant Barry Moyer, and Officers Matthew Henne, and Scott Schaeffer.

    Today with all the forensic style television programs, so many victims have come to expect that a police department have a forensic unit to gather that crucial piece of evidence to solve their crime. As well jurors expect police to collect evidence to prove their cases in court. However, the identification, collection, and preservation of evidence are a meticulous portion of the job of a unit member because of the importance of such evidence. But there is more after the identification, collection, and preservation of evidence; it is the scientific analysis of that evidence, which takes months and maybe a year until results are learned.

     

    In 1994, the special services unit originally worked out of a trunk of patrol car with a wooden chest of limited equipment and exposed to all weather conditions. In 1998, a 1988 Ford Econoline was a converted from a retired ambulance.

    A customized unit was purchased and delivered in July 2008. This unit is equipped with photography, tools, safety, collection equipment all of which officers will need when they arrive on scene to properly and efficiently complete their tasks. This portability saves time and equipment of the officers and allows for a clean, dry, safe working and storage environment, which the collection of evidence requires.

    The Special Services Unit processes the incidents such as burglaries, robberies, thefts, serious accidents, stolen/ recovered vehicles. The goals of the Special Service units are to document, collect evidence, process evidence in house, or send for a forensic laboratory either at the Berks County Forensic Service Unit or the Pennsylvania State Police Regional Laboratory System to aid our criminal investigators in solving crime.

PATROL DIVISION:

SPECIALIZED SERVICES:

  • STAFF

    The Police Department can boast of numerous officers who have an abundance of talent and expertise in specialized fields. These specialized fields are as follows:

    Bicycle Patrol – SGT. Moyer, SGT. Karstien, Officers McIntyre and Cavallo, and Criminal Investigator Quinter

    Crime Prevention – SGT. Moyer, and Criminal Investigators Garipoli and Anders

    Commercial Vehicle Inspector – Officer Borman-Parker

    Accident Reconstruction – SGT. Purcell and Officer Engelman

    Range Master – Chief Phillips and SGT. Karstien

    Crime Scene Unit / Evidence Technicians –  SGT. Moyer, and Officers Henne and Schaeffer

    Youth Aid Panel – Officers Ney and Henne

    Special Weapons and Less Lethal Use of Force – Chief Phillips and Officer Cavallo

    BCERT Negotiators – Officer Ney and Criminal Investigator Quinter

    BCERT Tactical – Officers Klatt and Cavallo

    BCERT Command Element – Chief Phillips