BY SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

Several members of the Upper Macungie Police Department attended the April 1 township supervisors’ meeting to celebrate the promotion of one of their fellow officers.

Police Chief Michael Sitoski announced the badge-pinning ceremony, for the promotion of Officer Donald Fregede to patrol sergeant.

“We’re here once again due to some movements in the police department, some vacancies we’ve had,” Sitoski said, noting the department was continuing to backfill positions and Fregede’s ceremony would complete the promotions.

A native of Honey Brook Township, Chester County, Fregede earned his Associate degree in criminal justice from Reading Community College and his Act 120 certification from the Reading Police Department in 2003.

He began his career in law enforcement as a corrections officer at the Berks County Prison, and also served as a patrol officer with the Reading Police Department.

Fregede began providing police service to Upper Macungie Township in 2005 when he was hired by the former Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department.

He has continued serving the community with its successor, the Upper Macungie Township Police Department.

“The ceremony to award and pin the police badge on an individual who has earned it has been a long-standing law enforcement community tradition,” Sitoski said.

“There are two times a badge is presented to an officer. The first is upon graduating the police academy; the second is upon being promoted, and both times are significant career accomplishments for the officer.”

Fregede’s wife, Jennifer, was invited to ceremonially pin on his police badge, and Sitoski presented the newly-promoted patrol sergeant with a certificate of promotion to enthusiastic applause from Fregede’s colleagues, audience members and members of the board.

“Thank you to the supervisors, the board, the chief,” Fregede said. “I will continue to do my best to serve the residents of Upper Macungie in my new role.”

Additionally, Police Lt. Peter Nickischer drew attention to information in the recent township newsletter regarding the department’s partnership with the Project Lifesaver program.

Nickischer said the program is designed to provide residents with cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism, dementia or Down syndrome with small, 1-ounce, battery-operated tracking devices worn like a watch, which can be used by emergency services or law enforcement to identify their location.

“This program is designed to save people who wander,” Nickischer said. “We’re very excited. This has been in the works for a little while, and we’ve trained our officers and gathered the equipment needed.”

Nickischer said the program is now live, and he encouraged any township residents who are a good match, or who may have family members who could benefit from Project Lifesaver, to contact him or Community Service Officer William Rohrbach by email or phone.

Residents enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a small personal transmitter around the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal.

If an enrolled client goes missing, the caregiver notifies the police department, and trained police officers respond to the wanderer’s area.

Most who wander are found within a few miles from home, and search times can be reduced from hours and days to minutes.

The transmitter has a 30-day-plus battery life that emits an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day.

To qualify for this program, applicants must be Upper Macungie Township residents.

To learn more about applying for this program, contact Nickischer at pnickischer@uppermac-pd.org, Rohrbach at wrohrbach@uppermac-pd.org or call 484-661-5911.

“I’d love to talk to you about it,” Nickischer said.