Cochraton’s new police chief enjoys change | News

COCHRANTON – In search of variety, David Villotti found it in Cochranton.

“It’s a little different than what I’m used to,” Villotti said with a smile.

Villotti, 53, who has decades of experience in law enforcement in western Pennsylvania, became Cochranton’s new police chief on July 1.

Villotti comes to Cochranton from the Butler City Police Department, where he served as a lieutenant for the past five years. In Butler, Villotti started as a patrol officer in 2007 and rose through the ranks on the 24-member police force.

In February, Cochranton’s then-Police Chief Heather Beachy submitted her resignation, effective March 22, as she will be leaving to take another position with the North Carolina Police Department.

“I got to a point in my career where I wanted to slow down,” Villotti said of his move to Cochranton. “I wanted the position of a small-town boss — that was the only reason I wanted to retire (from Butler). I didn’t want to be the boss of a big city.”

In Cochranton, Villotti leads the five-person department. He is looking forward to a somewhat slower pace, since Cochranton has only 1,100 residents, compared to 13,500 in Butler.

“In the summer, there are 40 to 60 calls per shift (in Butler), which is the equivalent of two months here,” Villotti said, noting that in Cochranton, there were only 76 police calls in total in the first three months of 2024. The majority of those calls were traffic-related stops, he said.

As a lieutenant in Butler, Villotti was a shift supervisor and patrolled the streets with his colleagues.

“But I haven’t lost that part,” Villotti said with a chuckle. “I haven’t forgotten how to do police or patrol work.”

Villotti said he likes the atmosphere of Cochranton’s small community.

“Everyone was very open and friendly,” he said. “People often wave at me in a friendly manner.”

Villotti got to know the businesses and people in the district and also introduced himself to other police officers and officials in the area.

One of his first goals as boss is to increase computer use within the department.

“There’s less paperwork and you can do more with software on the computer,” he said. “Information can be stored much faster and easier. You can also share information between departments much faster.”