Chester County police chief to head international group

Worldwide travel was not on the radar of the fledgling Chester County police officer in the mid-'60s.

In fact, Michael J. Carroll, West Goshen Township's police chief for the last 21 years, had no inkling that his decision to stay in a scenic, suburban locale would generate jet lag decades later.

On Wednesday, at a conference in Denver, Carroll will be sworn in as head of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a nonprofit, 106-year-old organization that promotes professionalism in global policing. He will serve a one-year term.

Forty-three years after taking his first police job in Tredyffrin Township, Carroll, 66, will continue an odyssey that began in 2003 - right after he completed a term as president of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

"I was asked to run for sixth vice president of the IACP," Carroll said, explaining that the position is a prelude to the presidency, with six years of preparation including travel to such diverse places as Estonia and Brazil.

"I've been given a wonderful opportunity, and I plan to take full advantage of it."

Innovations such as the FBI Identification Division and the Uniform Crime Records system can trace their origins to the IACP, which conducts seminars and creates publications on issues ranging from preventing school violence to employing military veterans, according to its Web site.

State Police Col. Frank E. Pawlowski said it was gratifying to see "one of our own leading the IACP," which he called the world's "preeminent" international law enforcement organization.

"Chester County has every reason to be proud of Mike's accomplishments, and I am certainly looking forward to being present in Denver as he assumes this prestigious responsibility," Pawlowski said.

Added Chester County District Attorney Joseph W. Carroll (no relation): "Some people become leaders because that's their job. Others, like Mike, get the job because they're leaders."

Being a full-time police chief is a requirement for the job, Michael Carroll said. That means a supportive employer is equally imperative. Although the avuncular chief will remain on the West Goshen payroll, he estimated that 30 percent of his work time would be spent in far-flung venues.

"I'm very fortunate to have a superb staff. Things run very smoothly when I'm not there," he said, adding that the Internet keeps him connected.

Carroll, a father of four and grandfather of 11, traces his start in law enforcement to his military service from 1961 to '65. Inspired by an uncle who was a detective in Chester, Carroll served in the Air Force Presidential Honor Guard, participating in the funeral of President John F. Kennedy.

Since then, his achievements include graduating from the FBI Academy, heading the Chester County Police Chiefs Association and the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and being inducted into the International Police Association Hall of Fame.

Those who know the sometimes-outspoken Carroll, whose jobs have included supervisory positions in West Whiteland Township and the county detectives, think the IACP position is a perfect fit for his tenacity and passion.

Acting Chester County Chief Detective Jim Vito said he recalled working for Carroll on a "particularly frustrating unsolved homicide" in the early 1980s.

"He was determined to keep the detectives working on a lead that most of us considered a dead end. He drove us crazy," Vito recalled. "But the case suddenly broke, and there it was: He had been leading us in the right direction the whole time."

As IACP head, Carroll said, he planned to promote two initiatives: improving police safety training and reemphasizing personal contact in policing.

"Our training has not evolved with" the escalating violence that officers face, Carroll said. He wants to revamp the police academy's courses so that officers learn skills such as shooting while in motion, using vehicles as a shield, and recognizing the signs that a perpetrator could turn violent.

He contends that because personal contact has decreased, the tremendous advances in resources such as DNA and fingerprint databases have not led to an increase in solving crimes.

"We've emphasized technology and deemphasized personal partnerships," Carroll said. "Some police departments now have community-policing units. We need the whole department to be community-oriented."

In his personal life, Carroll is contentedly police-oriented. One of his two sons, Michael, a West Goshen police sergeant, garnered awards for his response to a hotel shoot-out in the summer of 2008.

Carroll's wife, Donna, is a nearly 30-year Chester County detective. She plans to take early retirement in November and accompany her husband on his travels.

About 100 countries belong to the association, Michael Carroll said.

"Sometimes they learn from us," he said, "and sometimes we learn from them."

In Estonia, which splintered from the Soviet Union in 1991, Carroll said, he assisted officials in creating a police force "using a democratic model."

In Taiwan, officers were grappling with a surge in bike thefts.

"That would be considered relatively minor here, but it's their primary mode of transportation," he said, adding that the country's advanced technology prompted a solution. "They're now putting tracking devices on the bikes."

Carroll enjoys playing golf, he said, to escape the pressures of the job. But he conceded that even his golf partners were likely to be in law enforcement.

"I do not remember a time that I did not want to be a police officer," Carroll said. "I am living my dream."