Lansdale police Chief Ryan Devlin, at podium, presents a departmental unit commendation to Detectives Joel Greco and James Gray, Officers Rick McCarrick and James Thompson, Detective Jim McVeigh, Officer Dave Pelzer and Sergeant Amanda North during the departmental award ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Lansdale Borough Police Department)
Officers recognized for helping lost child, animals, weapons case and more
An animal rescue, a downtown fight, a lost child, a high-profile weapons case, and much more.
Lansdale’s police officers have seen it all over the past year, and earned high honors, as police Chief Ryan Devlin outlined during the department’s annual awards ceremony last week.
“For me, this is one of the highlights of the year,” said Devlin.
“Tonight, we come together to celebrate not just individual excellence, but the collective strength and unity of our police department,” he said.
During the Jan. 21 council meeting, the department’s officers and support staff were joined by family and friends in a packed council chamber room as Devlin, for the first time as the town’s head of police, recounted their efforts and highlights of the past year.
First came an honor for the town’s fire police, members of the Fairmount and North Penn Fire Companies, who help with traffic control at fire calls, town events, and other emergencies: “Without them, our events we have, would not be the success that we have today,” Devlin said.
Iron Officers keep streaks alive
Next up came commendations for sergeants Jeff Mallozzi and Jim McVeigh and Officers Corey Pfister and Daniel Talbot for earning the department’s Iron Officer award, given to those who miss no time during the year: “These gentlemen have not missed a day of work in 2025,” Devlin said.
The department’s support staff employee of the year award was chosen by officers and presented to Heather Dyson, who was chosen based on “outstanding performance, superior dedication, positive attitude with the job through the past year,” Devlin said.
“Heather has a special way of lifting others up, always taking time to teach, guide, help, to help people grow in their roles. Her willingness to share her knowledge doesn’t just make others better, it makes our whole team stronger and more connected,” he said, reading feedback from colleagues who selected Dyson for the award.
Three honored for lifesaving efforts
A departmental lifesaving award went to support services clerk Heather Freiling, who was monitoring department surveillance cameras last August when she spotted an emergency.
“Patrol had locked up a subject in a cell. One of her roles is to watch the cameras: this person in the cell was slumped over at the door, didn’t seem right. She notified the patrol; the subject in the cell was overdosing,” said the chief.
“The patrol gave Narcan, took them to the hospital, that person’s OK, but because of her alertness, to what her job role was, she saved a life that day,” Devlin said.
Officers Hazel Bundy and Richard Schenk earned lifesavings awards for their own emergency response, when police fielded a call last March for a suicidal subject at a local apartment complex: “I watched the body cam video, they did a fantastic job.”
“They get to the apartment, the subject is standing in his bathtub, full of water, holding a toaster, ready to commit suicide. They deescalated the situation, Officer Bundy unplugged the toaster, talked him out of the tub, got him the help that he needed, saved a life that day by deescalating the situation,” Devlin said.
Units recognized for investigations
A unit citation went to police sergeant Amanda North, officers Dave Pelzer, Rick McCarrick, and James Thompson, and Detectives McVeigh, Joel Greco and James Gray, for responding last September to the Lansdale train station for a report of a fight in progress.
“They arrived on scene, the subjects fled in totally different directions. Sergeant North located one of the individuals, stopped that individual. As she was talking to him, she noticed an extended magazine with ammunition protruding through his pocket, on his outer jacket,” Devlin said.
“Officers Pelzer and McCarrick recovered a firearm from another subject at a secondary location. Both subjects, who were juveniles, were arrested for firearms violations, and other related charges,” he said; McVeigh, Greco and Gray assisted at the scene by conducting interviews with victims and suspects, “and it was discovered that it wasn’t a fight, it was a robbery.”
Detective Christian Gregory and Officer John Eirenhofer were then honored with a commendation for their actions last Feb. 28, when police received a report of a stolen vehicle. The next day, Eirenhofer recovered the vehicle as Gregory continued the investigation.
“Through physical and video evidence, Detective Gregory was able to identify a suspect, and on April 3rd of 2025 arrested the actor, of the vehicle theft,” Devlin said; that defendant later pleaded guilty.
Pfister and Officer Shannon Hauser received a citation of merit for their work last April responding to a report of a bank fraud in progress at a Citizens Bank branch.
“A suspect on location was attempting to impersonate an account holder, and wire $180,000 from the victim’s account. You quickly responded and detained the suspect, as he was attempting to flee. He was subsequently arrested for multiple felonies,” Devlin said.
Officer John Ruel received a merit citation for his work on Sept .18, when he recovered a stolen vehicle during a traffic stop on the 400 block of North Broad Street.
“Officer Ruel was on patrol when he observed a Ford F-350 with two dirt bikes, acting suspiciously at Main and Broad Street. Officer Ruel followed the vehicle. As he began to conduct a vehicle stop, the truck driver fled from the scene by getting out of the truck, jumped on one of the bikes, and they all took off together,” Delvin said. A check of the truck’s registration revealed it belonged to a resident on Perkiomen Avenue who did not know it was stolen, and the officer was able to return the vehicle and tools inside to the resident.
Pfister received a solo citation for his work on July 27, when a call came in for a reported burglary in progress on Vine Street in which a female resident was assaulted.
“In the commission of this burglary, an iPad was stolen, and was later tracked to various areas of West Main Street utilizing the ‘Find my phone’ feature,” Devlin said. Pfister remained with the victim and received location updates, then found the suspect at Wood and Madison Streets later that morning where he was taken into custody.
Greco earned his own citation for work in July 2024 when he responded to a female reporting rape allegations against a male relative that had occurred from 2016 to 2019, per the chief.
“After investigation, which took several months, an arrest was made against a perpetrator,” who pleaded guilty in April 2025, Devlin said.
Officer Drew Freed and Thompson were then cited for their work reuniting a lost four-year-old with his family on Feb. 28; as he spoke, Devlin showed a photo of the two officers holding the boy between them.
“The child was scared, unable to communicate any information to you. Recognizing there was a language barrier, you utilized a language line, and despite the cold you began walking hand-in-hand to try to locate where this child lived. After a short time, you were able to reunite the child with his family — good job,” Devlin said.
Greco earned a merit citation for work last September investigating an armed robbery and assault on the 200 block of East Main Street, which led to an arrest in October and multiple felony charges for the 17-year-old suspect.
“Most importantly, information obtained in your investigation resulted in a firearm being removed from a North Penn High School student, where the defendant was a student — you guys remember this? Here’s the man who solved that, right here,” Devlin said.
Sergeant Matt Erbele and Schenk earned a unit citation for saving the life of an injured cat last July, per the chief.
“You were called to Adrian Court, for a cat entangled in ornamental fencing. Sergeant Erbele and Officer Schenk formed a plan to rescue the cat, gently cutting them free and transporting them to a local veterinary treatment. And that cat’s OK,” said Devlin, before showing body camera video of the duo liberating the cat.
The chief presented a service time commemoration to police Lt. Adrienne Gori to mark 25 years with the department, saying she has been a massive help through the department’s recent change in leadership and his own further training and education.
Officer of the year
The final award marked another departmental tradition: chosen by the rest of the department, the 2025 Officer of the Year is Officer Karly Harney.
“Officer of the Year for 2025 is based on your devotion to duty, commitment to your fellow officers, and the Lansdale community, and your overall performance as a Lansdale police officer in 2025,” said the chief.
“Some comments about you: ‘She always goes above and beyond for every circumstance she has to deal with.’ ‘She is a great cop, super focused and always pleasant to work with.’ ‘Karly is a great officer, one of the best, and leads the department in arrests.’ ” Devlin said.
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