[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 14 (Thursday, January 25, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E77-E78]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING NEW HOPE BOROUGH CHIEF MICHAEL V. CUMMINGS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 25, 2024

  Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
exceptional constituent from my district, Chief Michael V. Cummings of 
New Hope Borough Police Department who is retiring after over 45 years 
of dedicated service as a law enforcement officer.
  Michael was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, but moved to 
Warminster, Pennsylvania in 1971 where he has remained ever since. He 
graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 
Sociology with a concentration in Criminology. After graduation he 
began his career in 1977 with the Doylestown Borough Police Department 
where he remained for over 30 years.
  During his tenure with Doylestown Borough, he held the ranks of 
Patrol Officer, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, and Lieutenant. 
Michael Cummings during his tenure in Doylestown Borough had many 
notable accomplishments. As a patrol officer Michael was instrumental 
in forming what was to become a three dog K-9 unit. Michael, along with 
his police K-9 Bergey, went a step further and trained to compete at a 
regional and national level with the United States Police Canine 
Association.
  As a sergeant, Michael was trained as a polygraph operator. In that 
capacity he served many police departments in providing testing for 
both criminal cases and new police hires. Michael Cummings was one of 
the first Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Instructors in Bucks 
County teaching the anti-drug curriculum to 6th graders in the 
elementary schools in the Borough.
  Michael was also the supervisor of the Doylestown Borough Detective 
unit. He supervised the more serious cases that occurred in the 
Borough. One of these cases resulted in the arrest of a Columbian 
national and the seizure of 102 kilos of cocaine, hundreds of thousands 
of dollars confiscated, and property forfeitures Michael was awarded a 
commendation from the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police 
Department as well as other local and state authorities for his work on 
this case. In addition, Michael was awarded the Delaware Valley 
Association of Police Professionals Officer of the year as the Bucks 
County recipient.
  The Central Bucks County Region realized a need for a special 
response team for the handling of critical incidents. Michael Cummings 
was trained as a Negotiator and was appointed by the members of the 
executive Board to supervise the Crisis Negotiation Team servicing 20 
municipalities in the Central and Upper Bucks region of the county.
  In 2009 Michael became Police Chief of New Hope Borough. In his 15 
years as chief he led numerous initiatives to better the force and 
community as a whole. He worked with the Borough Council to replace an 
aging fleet of patrol vehicles and upgraded equipment to include Mobile 
Date Terminals, greatly enhancing effectiveness in the field.
  Chief Cummings standardized and streamlined hid department in 
numerous ways during his tenure. He set out to issue every officer the 
same side arm replacing an inefficient and disjointed system of 
different manufacturers and models. He was successful in obtaining 
funds to purchase Glock pistols that have since been upgraded to 
include red dot sights and mounted lights.
  The record system for the Parking Enforcement Department was 
unorganized. Chief Cummings was able to work with a parking enforcement 
company to install software that made it possible to track all tickets 
and automatically send out letters to violators. When many of the 
parking tickets were discovered to be unreadable, Chief Cummings 
obtained handheld parking devices that took pictures. The error rate 
went to zero as the registration plates could be verified by pictures. 
He was also tasked with the implementation of a new parking system that 
used kiosks and a parking application. This new parking system has 
resulted in an increase in parking revenue.
  Faced with the cost of looking up vehicle registrations becoming cost 
prohibitive, Cummings was able to install a Mobile Data Terminal 
connected to the Bucks County Radio Center in the station. Now vehicle 
registrations from all over the country can be accessed not only in a 
timely fashion but without cost.
  Chief Cummings championed de-escalation during his tenure. He made 
sure that all full-time New Hope Borough Officers received 40-hour 
Crisis Intervention Training. In 2022 a body cam program was instituted 
with the help of a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and 
Delinquency (P.C.C.D.). He was able to obtain another PA P.C.C.D. grant 
to replace and outdated records management system. In 2023 the New Hope 
Borough Police Department became an PA accredited police department. To 
date, only 19 boroughs in the state have obtained this designation.

[[Page E78]]

  Chief Cummings is not only the Police Chief but the Emergency 
Management Coordinator for New Hope Borough. He was appointed by the 
Borough Council and the Governor to this position. In this role he has 
been involved in all the floods, winter storms and hurricanes since 
2010. His expertise allowed him to work with the New Hope Solebury 
District Superintendent to develop a multi-faceted response program to 
deal with any threat that could be presented at the school district 
buildings. Officers, School Staff and Emergency responders were all 
involved and trained.
  Chief Cummings has served as the head of the Central Bucks Crisis 
Negotiators Team Leader, the President of the Bucks County Chiefs 
Association, and the President of the Delaware Valley Hostage 
Negotiators Association. Despite numerous leadership positions, Michael 
attends all events. He oversees all operational plans for 5K races, 
parades, festivals, protests, and other large gatherings.
  Chief Cummings is proud of his work as a liaison to the LGBQTA+ 
community and enjoys a strong affiliation with New Hope Celebrates the 
Umbrella organization. He has supervised the annual Pride Celebration 
in New Hope culminating in a parade that draws 10,000 people. Michael's 
expertise and dedication to public safety has resulted in 15 incident 
free years of celebration.
  I am eternally grateful to Chief Cummings for the life of committed 
service he has given to our community, district, and country. His 
selfless example is a beacon of civic stewardship for the next 
generations of law enforcement to emulate. Michael's proficiency and 
devotion will be sorely missed, but I am excited for his entry into 
this new chapter and wish him nothing but the best in his future 
endeavors.

                          ____________________