Welsh assumes sheriff’s association presidency

Posted by Press Release on July 23, 2009

Chester County Sheriff Carolyn Bunny Welsh was sworn-in as president of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association. The ceremony took place in Butler County Pennsylvania, at the 87th annual conference of the association,

In the 90-year history of the association, a female sheriff has never been elected to the top leadership position. “This is an historic moment for the sheriffs of Pennsylvania and the Sheriffs’ Association” said past state president Sheriff Bob Merski of Erie County.

Before administering the oath of office to Welsh, Superior Court Judge Joan Orie Melvin spoke of the honor of swearing in the first woman president. “I am extremely proud of Sheriff Welsh and all she has accomplished as Sheriff of Chester County. I am proud of her emergence as a leader of such an august body. It is a privilege to be part of this historic moment, and I am honored.”

Sheriff Craig Webre, past president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, said, “Sheriff Welsh leads with integrity and vision. She has a true commitment to the office of sheriff. She has earned the respect of the sheriffs across the state, and throughout the nation. She has distinguished herself from her first term in office when she was elected president of the class at the National Sheriffs’ Institute at the U.S. Department of Corrections in Longmont, Colorado.”

Welsh serves on the National Sheriffs’ Association Committee for Ethics, Education and Training. She has received numerous awards including the “Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award” from the National Center for Women in Policing. Welsh is a graduate of the FBI Leeds training program. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Police Association.

Welsh has served as sheriff of Chester County since 2000. She is the only female sheriff in the commonwealth and one of only 40 female sheriffs in the nation. There are 3,065 sheriffs in the United States.

Welsh said, “I am honored to serve the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association and to represent my fellow sheriffs across the Commonwealth. The sheriff is the only law enforcement official that is elected and answers directly to the people. I am proud of the rich and noble history of sheriffs dating back to the 1600s. Men appointed by the King of England to keep the peace. The honorable Office of the Sheriff remains as the Constitutional Office of the people by the people, and for the people.”