Trail appointed Norristown police chief in narrow vote

 There’s a new leader in law enforcement in the municipality of Norristown as council members formally appointed Lansdale Police Chief Michael Trail for the job.

The decision was not unanimous: Trail was approved by 4-1 vote with two abstentions at the Tuesday evening council work session.

“It was an honor to be appointed as chief of police for the municipality of Norristown, and I am looking forward to working with the community, elected officials and officers over the next few years to bring positive and impactful change to the community by reducing crime and serving those in need through the formation of trusted relationships with the community we serve,” Trail told MediaNews Group Wednesday morning.

The municipality has been without a permanent police chief for eight months following the departure of former Chief Jacqueline Bailey-Davis. Lt. James Angelucci has been serving as interim chief during the search process for her replacement. Angelucci will ascend to the department’s deputy chief position on Nov. 3 after council members voted in a 5-2 vote Tuesday to approve the promotion. Trail will also start Nov. 3.

    Norristown Municipal Administrator Leonard Lightner, center, makes remarks during an Aug. 19 Norristown Municipal Council work session at Municipal Hall. Also pictured is Councilwoman Natalie Colson and Solicitor Patrick Hitchens, right. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
  

Trail’s appointment fills the department’s third vacancy in three years. Bailey-Davis, was selected in December 2023 and sworn in as the municipality’s first Black female police chief. She left the position after 11 months, following a tenuous relationship with the administration.More than 50 candidates expressed interest in the position as municipal leadership conducted interviews in the spring, later narrowing the pool to an eventual three-person short list.

Along with Trail, 54, of Lansdale, Mark Benjamin, 57, of Fairfield Township, New Jersey, a Norristown native and retired captain of the Atlantic City Police Department; and Richard Clowser, 56, of Harleysville, former deputy chief of the Norristown Police Department and current New Britain Township police chief, were the finalists who participated in two question-and-answer public panel sessions last month with area residents.

The municipality previously solicited input from area residents in a survey related to the police chief search. Community, communication and transparency were the main concerns from survey respondents as officials strived to invite community participation into proceedings.

“It’s really important you have a say in the future of the police department,” Trail said last month.

Trail has served as the police chief in Lansdale for the last eight years. He assumed the leadership role in April 2018 after former Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre retired.

    Lansdale Police Chief Michael Trail, center, sits in the audience of an Aug. 19 Norristown Municipal Council work session. Also pictured, from left, is Norristown Public Works Director Thomas Odenigbo and Interim Police Chief James Angelucci. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
  

Trail’s professional journey began in his native Bucks County. He shared a previous anecdote about a conversation with a Newtown Township police officer that piqued his interest in law enforcement. Trail attended the University of Pittsburgh in the early 1990s and worked in suburban Pittsburgh policing.

After graduating, he moved to Baltimore to work as a patrol officer with the Baltimore Police Department. After a short spell in the private sector working as a stockbroker, Trail returned to law enforcement and came to Montgomery County in 2002, where he joined the force in Lansdale.

Norristown Municipal Council President Rebecca Smith emphasized the importance of Trail’s tenure as a police chief as she applauded his community-minded approach.

“All of our residents deserve a chief with all the experience to do the job well. Chief Trail has all of that,” she told MediaNews Group. “In addition, Chief Trail was able to point to his successes in Lansdale in terms of being a community builder, in terms of addressing lots of community needs that are similar to needs in Norristown, such as building mental health co-responder models, mental health hubs, recognizing that not every issue that the police are called upon is a policing issue, and building the systems to address that humanely.”

Some dissent

While Councilwoman Mydera Robinson acknowledged Trail’s qualifications, he was not her first choice, as noted in her dissenting vote. Robinson underscored the need to use her voice as an elected representative to echo concerns from those “feeling disenfranchised and excluded from the process.”

“Ultimately, we live in a community where policing is important for our own safety, and for our own care,” Robinson told MediaNews Group. “But also for the communities that are here, and the relationship that we have with our police officers and our leadership is vitally important.

“Representation is important, nuance, cultural competency is important, and also the voice of the community is important,” she continued. “There was an outcry from the community for a candidate, and I think that it’s remiss to ignore that, and to say that doesn’t hold weight and … value, while we may have shared some sentiments and maybe disagreed on other sentiments.”

    Norristown Municipal Councilman Dustin Queenan, second from left, speaks ahead of a vote to appoint a new police chief on Aug. 19, 2025. Also pictured, from left, is Norristown Councilman Will McCoy, President Rebecca Smith and Vice President Rashaad Bates. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
  

The roll call vote registered Smith, Vice President Rashaad Bates, as well as council members Natalie Colson and Will McCoy in favor of Trail’s appointment, and Robinson voting against. Council members Jasmine Griffen and Dustin Queenan abstained, citing some information was not provided leading up to the vote.

“So just like all Norristonians, I’m excited about the opportunities, the possibilities,” Queenan told MediaNews Group following the vote. “One thing I’m definitely going to do … is make sure I introduce him to my district and constituents and try to bridge that gap right away so he can understand the needs, the wants.”

There were tense moments as someone in the audience was heard shouting “this is [expletive]” from the audience. The man, later identified as Norristown resident Albert Johnson, noted demographic differences between Lansdale and Norristown with respect to police force and crime rates.

The chief is responsible for overseeing a $16.3 million operational budget with “approximately 60 officers and dozens more professional staff,” a municipal spokesperson said last week. The municipality had 36,075 residents as of July 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Johnson shared his reservations concerning Trail with MediaNews Group following the meeting, skeptical “if in fact he can actually handle what Norristown does.”

“I want to work with the man,” Johnson said, adding that “I just hope that he works with the public here in Norristown.”

This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com