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Scranton Police Chief David Elliott, right, speaks about his resignation during a press conference at City Hall Wednesday morning. At left is Sgt. Daniel Duffy, who will become the city's next chief on September 8.
GO LACKAWANNA PHOTO / CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES

Gerard Hetman
ghetman@golackawanna.com

From the earliest days of Mayor Chris Doherty’s administration, Police Chief David Elliott was a familiar face in the passages of city hall and police headquarters.

Now, after more than eight years as the city’s top cop, Elliott has decided to move on and pass the torch to a new leader for the department.

In a news conference this morning at Scranton City Hall, Doherty announced that Sergeant Daniel Duffy has been selected to take over the position of Police Chief for the City of Scranton. The move comes after Elliott, a veteran of the police force since 1993, decided to leave the department to pursue private sector employment.

The mayor spoke highly of the work Elliott had supervised to modernize various aspects of the police department and praised Duffy’s dedication and commitment in his 12 years with the department.

“Under Chief Elliott, our department has been proactive in many aspects, such as implementing new software and technology, beginning saturation patrols in our neighborhoods, and revamping our drug unit," Doherty said.

“Sergeant Duffy has come up through our system…he has been very proactive. The best officers always stand out in all of the departments they work in, and Sergeant Duffy has always done that,” he added

Having held the position of chief of police since January 2002, Elliott is one of the last remaining members of Doherty’s original cabinet.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Elliott said he first discussed his intention of eventually leaving the department with Doherty in March.

“I have a few possible opportunities...nothing concrete yet,” Elliott, 41, said of his future. “When I was first appointed to the job, I planned to be here eight years.

“In my time here, I have tried to be a big proponent of crime prevention, and also of police training. We sent officers from the department several hundred times to several dozen different schools for various police training. We didn’t have that in the past.”

A lifelong resident of Scranton and a 1992 graduate of West Scranton High School, Duffy began his career in law enforcement as a patrol officer in several Luzerne County boroughs, working from 1995 to 1998 with police departments in Dupont, Laflin, and Warrior Run.

After joining the Scranton Police Department in 1998, he held various positions, including narcotics investigator, patrol sergeant, and acting detective. He has also served as commander of the department’s COPS unit, and currently works as the department’s Special Duty PACE Sergeant.

A graduate of Lackawanna College with an associate degree in criminal justice, Duffy is currently pursuing a bachelors degree in criminal justice at Keystone College.

Duffy also served as an infantryman in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, from 1995 to 2001, attaining the rank of specialist.

“It is a great honor to have this position, and I intend to build upon the foundation that Chief Elliott has laid here as head of the department,” Duffy, 35, said of his plans as chief. “I will use the opportunity to work with Chief Elliot to our advantage to go through and review each section of the department before taking over.

“I am a mission-oriented person, and will dedicate myself 150% to the task at hand. As a resident, I am very happy with the work that Chief Elliott has done as head of our department. In my career, I have worked on the streets with our other officers, and I intend to be a presence on the streets as chief.”

According to Doherty, Duffy was one of three candidates from within the department to interview for the position of chief. He will assume the job on September 8, before which time Duffy will work with Elliott to prepare for his role as head of the department.