SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon, Sr. and SEPTA General Manager Joseph M. Casey have announced Thomas Nestel III, formerly Chief of Police of Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania, will join the SEPTA organization as Chief of Police on Monday, August 20, 2012.
As the new Chief of the SEPTA Transit Police Department, Nestel, a fourth generation police officer, will blend the career of his paternal grandfather who was a PTC trolley supervisor with that of his maternal grandfather, a Philadelphia police officer. Chief Nestel began his career in law enforcement in 1982 as a Patrol Officer with the SEPTA Transit Police, before becoming a member of the Philadelphia Police Department where he dedicated more than 22 years and attained the rank of Staff Inspector. He served in the 14th, 25th, 26th and 35th Districts, Highway Patrol, Northwest Detectives, Internal Affairs, Narcotics, and Intelligence. He earned 24 commendations for Merit, Heroism and Bravery.
“Chief Nestel is a distinguished professional with 30 years of experience who brings a wealth of law enforcement experience, knowledge and educational training to the SEPTA Transit Police Department,” said GM Casey. “We are thrilled to welcome him ‘back home’ to the SEPTA team.”
Chief Nestel holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Chestnut Hill College, and Master’s Degrees in Public Safety, National Security Studies, and Criminology from Saint Joseph’s University, the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and University of Pennsylvania, respectively. He is presently working on his dissertation to complete a Doctorate in Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Chief Nestel and his family live in Northeast Philadelphia.