Lower Makefield Township Chief of Police Ken Coluzzi is calling it quits after 48 years in law enforcement, the last 24 of which he served Lower Makefield Township.
Lower Bucks Source reported Coluzzi and the township signed a separation agreement last month. The township and Coluzzi declined to comment publicly about the agreement at the time.
Deputy Chief of Police Robert Lewis issued a press release chronicling the retiring chief’s 48 years of law enforcement, highlighting investigations he led as a homicide commander for the Philadelphia Police Department.
Coluzzi, while with the Philadelphia Police Department, was part of the ‘Boy in the Box’ investigation. The outgoing chief spoke with 6ABC.com when the child was identified as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli in 2022.
The entirety of the release is below-with slight editing for AP Style. This publication decided to run it as is out of respect to the chief’s contributions to law enforcement throughout his career.
Ken Coluzzi began his career in policing in Philadelphia in 1978 and rose through the ranks. For many years, he was prominent in the media, highlighting many violent crimes and murder cases. During his long career, he oversaw some of the city’s highest profile investigations, such as the rape and brutal murder of Shannon Scheiber, the collapse of Pier34 Club Heat, the cold- blooded assassination of Philly Police officer Charles Knox, and the 1991 Murder of Cigna Employee on the JFK Parkway by Hahnemann Hospital Psychiatrist JeanClaude Pierre Hill, to name a few.
Some of Coluzzi’s Homicide Unit duties were heading the Special Investigations Unit and Fugitive Squad.
He was deputized as a United States Marshal for the apprehension of dangerous fugitives and later supervised the FBI Federal Fugitive Task Force.
During his career, he received numerous commendations including the prestigious award for bravery. He was also honored by the Chapel of the Four Chaplain’s for his unbiased service to the community.
On October 9, 2000, Coluzzi was appointed Chief of Police of the Lower Makefield Police Department. As Chief, he reorganized the police department and was responsible for Lower Makefield achieving Pennsylvania State accreditation status. Shortly after his appointment, the September 11th terrorist attack occurred taking the lives of 18 Bucks County and eight Lower Makefield residents.
Coluzzi and his officers were instrumental working with all the family members affected by the attack, and particularly the family of Lower Makefield resident, Victor Saracini, pilot of the United flight 175, by providing security as well as assisting them in identifying their loved ones.
In 2015, Coluzzi introduced Narcan, the opioid reversal drug, to his police officers and pushed for the adoption and use of Naloxone by each police agency in Bucks County. Since then, his officers administered Narcan on many occasions and have saved 42 lives thus far in Lower Makefield and countless individuals have been saved across the county.
He will especially miss his interactions with the community and all the friends and supporters he has acquired over his 24 years as the Chief of Lower Makefield.
Lewis and his staff said the following about retiring chief:
“For 24 years, Coluzzi’s vision and leadership has made the Lower Makefield Police Department a premier police agency. He’s led by example, never wavering in his personal or professional standards. The Chief’s endless dedication and selfless contributions to the community and the men and women of the LMT PD cannot be overstated. He’s left an indelible mark on our department and his legacy will live on beyond his years of service.”
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