Officer Elifa Soto has served the Bristol Borough Police Department for more than 24 years. For a number of those years, he served as the borough’s top narcotics officer setting up undercover buy and busts.
His undercover skills were so sharp that he once arrested a man after years of recovery who never gave up the lifestyle at Burger King on Rt. 13 in 2013/14. In spite of living in the borough for years, the suspect did not recognize Soto as a police officer at all and sold him a lot of crack cocaine, according to court records.
On Monday night Bristol Borough Council promoted Patrolman Soto to Lieutenant as he was sworn in by District Judge Terrance Hughes.
Council had to first approve two motions to affect the promotion and did so unanimously on each motion
Chief of Police Joe Moors said the department needs to elevate the ranks with veteran officers becoming eligible to retire in 2026.
“The chain of command is one of the most essential elements of an effective police department,” Moors told council. “It establishes a clear structure of authority, responsibility and communication, ensuring that decisions are made efficiently and that accountability is maintained at every level.”
Moors said adding Soto to the command administrative structure will better link the department’s command staff with patrol officers and sergeants.
The role includes providing direct supervision while assisting the chief with administrative tasks and day to day operations.
Moors highlighted Soto’s bilingual skills — he is fluent in both English and Spanish — as a “critical asset in a diverse and growing community like ours” that supports collaborative operations with local, state and federal agencies.
Soto will be a working Lieutenant, officials noted.
“It’s very important that we have strong leadership,” Moors said. “And Officer Soto has assured me that he is not going anywhere anytime soon. He loves being here, he loves his community, and he continues to work, wants to work far into the future here.”
The department continues to grow and develop with the hiring of women and new part timers and recently adding a former Falls Twp Police officer to the roster.
“I am deeply honored to accept this position,” Soto said. “As a long-time and dedicated officer, I take pride in serving our community. I want to sincerely thank the mayor here, chief of police, the borough of council, for their trust and support.”
Council vice president Betty Rodriguez a serving member for more than two decades seconded the motion to approve Soto’s new employment agreement. She cited Bristol’s diversity as a key factor in the hiring.
“The fact that I’ve been here 22 years as the first Puerto Rican on this council is very important to me,” Rodriguez said. “To see us grow as a community and to be diverse is very important to me.”
Bristol Borough Council President Ralph DiGiuseppe said municipal leadership had been discussing adding the role for a year.
“He’s a good cop, community leader, and we’re gonna be proud to call him lieutenant,” DiGiuseppe said.
Soto has recently completed FBI leadership, command supervision, and executive training. He currently serves as both an active Bucks County Major Incident Response Team officer and as a sworn Bucks County Narcotics Detective.
Credit: Bristol Borough
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