Mifflinburg names longtime sergeant Tracy Fetterman as new police chief

Mifflinburg turned to a familiar face for its next police chief, elevating longtime sergeant Tracy Fetterman as the borough looks for steady leadership after a winter of change inside the department.

Fetterman’s path to the top job is rooted in law enforcement and in family influence. He drew inspiration from his grandfather and other mentors as he stepped into leadership of the Mifflinburg Borough Police Department, a role that now puts him in charge of a force serving about 3,473 people in a borough of just 1.8 square miles.

The appointment came after Mifflinburg Borough Council unanimously offered Fetterman the vacant chief position on March 19, with the offer contingent on his acceptance and review of the employment agreement by the borough’s labor attorney. Borough President Beverly Hackenberg said Fetterman had been with the department for 23 years, had recently been appointed sergeant, had taken numerous management classes and was continuing his education.

That continuity matters after Jeffrey Hackenburg resigned in February 2026 to take a part-time public safety specialist role with Lexipol consulting. He had been reappointed chief in January and received a 5 percent raise before stepping down, leaving Fetterman to serve as interim chief before being named permanently to the post. Fetterman also spent nearly three years as a Union County Sheriff’s deputy before joining the borough force, giving him experience beyond Mifflinburg’s streets.

The new chief inherits a department that is not just changing leadership, but also changing tools. In 2025, Mifflinburg police received a $146,000 state grant for four body-worn cameras and three automated license plate readers under a 10-year vendor contract with Axon. Those purchases raise the stakes for the department’s day-to-day accountability, from traffic stops to investigations, and they give Fetterman more technology to manage as he settles into the job.

For residents, the first months of Fetterman’s tenure will likely be judged less by ceremony than by whether the department feels stable, visible and responsive. In a small borough where police decisions are noticed quickly and word travels fast, the new chief’s task is to keep the command structure steady, put the new technology to use and maintain the close relationships that shape policing in Mifflinburg and the wider Susquehanna River Valley.