The Doylestown Township Police Department was authorized by the Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors at their meeting on December 30, 1969.

     On January 5, 1970, the Department is established with the hiring of Crawford P. Maxson as a part-time Chief of Police with 3 part-time police officers. Chief Maxson was paid $3.50 per hour with an allowance of 10 cents per mile to use his own car to patrol the 16.5 square miles for the 6,600 residents.

    In July 1971, Julian R. Shafer was appointed as the first full time Chief of Police in a part-time police department.

  In October 1974, Dale K. Wetherill was appointed Chief of Police of the first full time Doylestown Township Police Department.  

     In November 1977, Robert T. Cobb was hired as Chief of Police and he oversaw the development of the Police Department into a well trained experienced police department. A federally funded highway safety grant awarded to the department in March 1978 increased the size of the department to 12 police officers. The significance of this was to allow the minimum staffing of at least two police officers on duty in the Township 24 hours a day. 

     In January 1988, Stephen J. White was appointed Chief of Police. Chief White continues to serve our 17,000 residents with the 21 police officers. He had previously served as Acting Chief, Lieutenant, Sergeant and Police Officer after being hired in February 1974.