Gettysburg Borough Council and Mayor Rita Frealing unanimously praised retiring Police Sgt. Larry Weikert while questioning whether to give him his department-issued gun during their meeting on Monday.
Weikert joined the borough staff in 1988 as a code enforcement officer and part-time patrol officer. The borough hired him as a full-time police officer in 2003 and a sergeant in 2016.
During a proclamation praising Weikert, Frealing noted that he served under four police chiefs and several interim chiefs. He also coordinated the borough’s special events, including its many parades.
“It is not an easy task to be a police officer and supervisor in this day and age,” Chief Robert Glenny said.
Council President Matthew Moon added that Weikert served his community as a volunteer firefighter in addition to his employment as a police officer. Weikert was department chief from 1996 to 2003, 2006 to 2007, and 2022 to 2023.
Weikert’s Gift
Everyone on the council praised Weikert, but they were divided on how to honor him.
Glenny requested that the council give Weikert his service weapon. The gun’s value is listed at $300 on the council agenda. Glenny noted that the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act allows qualified active, retired, or separated officers to carry a concealed firearm in the United States or its territories.
Responding to a question from Councilperson Judie Butterfield, Glenny confirmed the gift was not included in his 2024 budget. She suggested the department give Weikert his badge in a shadowbox, which Glenny confirmed they also did,
“I am not anti-firearm. I have a concealed carry permit. I am not packing tonight,” Butterfield said.
Councilpersons Patti Lawson and Alicia Sanders questioned whether the gift set a precedent. Councilperson Peter Bales countered by saying all future councils have the freedom to decide if they wish to make such a gift.
Sanders, Lawson, and Butterfield opposed giving Weikert his gun. Moon, Bales, and Councilperson Chris Berger supported Glenny’s recommendation. Councilperson Chad-Alan Carr was absent. Borough code states the mayor can only vote when council is deadlocked. Frealing supported the gift, so Weikert will receive his firearm.
Zoning Change
The council unanimously voted to allow libraries as a primary use in the borough’s institutional zone. The request ended months of discussion on the matter and opened the door for the Adams County Library System to move its Gettysburg branch to property currently owned by the United Lutheran Seminary or to any other institutional zone.
“This amendment is not council weighing in one way or the other on the idea of the library perhaps one day moving to a new location,” Moon said. “This is an investigation into what uses are allowed in the institutional zone.”
Featured image caption (left to right): Sanders, Frealing, Weikert, and Weikert’s wife Renee Weikert.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.
I think it is pure B/S to question presenting retiring Police Sgt. Larry Weikert his duty firearm on his retirement. This same firearm was issued to him to protect the the local citizens in the performance of his duties. It has long been standard practice for police officers to be presented their firearms on their retirement. Both on local, state, and federal law enforcement departments. This is a slap in the face to de-neigh this man a firearm that he carried day and night. It shows how liberal biases our the area has become. I hope our citizens remember to… Read more »