Former Upper Gwynedd Police Chief Freed dies
The community has lost a
longtime public servant.
Robert A. Freed, former chief of the
Upper Gwynedd Police Department,
died Thursday night.
Freed, 68, served 35 years with the
department and 12 as chief before
retiring in January 2008.
“It’s a big loss for the community,”
said James Santi, a township
commissioner. “Mr. Freed did a very
good job as chief. I feel very sorry
for his family.”
Freed, a 1959 graduate of North Penn
High School and a Lansdale resident,
helped computerize the department,
according to Santi.
Freed also taught classes in
forensic science.
“He served the township very, very
well,” Santi said.
Hired as a patrolman with the
department in 1972, Freed worked his
way through the ranks before being
appointed chief in 1996, according
to township Manager Len Perrone.
“Chief Freed was a friend to the
township who was dedicated to a lot
of causes,” Perrone said. “He was a
hard worker who had a heart of gold.
He is going to be missed.”
A fellow in the American Academy of
Forensic Sciences and charter member
of the International Homicide
Association, Freed served as
president of the Montgomery County
Chiefs of Police Association and was
chair of its executive board in
2003-2004.
As an adjunct instructor at
Montgomery County Community College,
he taught an Introduction to
Forensic Science class.
Occasionally Freed touched base with
his successor, David Duffy,
according to Santi.
“Chief Freed had a lot of friends
kept within the department,” Santi
said.
Duffy called his predecessor very
accommodating and helpful.
“When I came here in 2008, Chief
Freed was very gracious in helping
me make a smooth transition,” Duffy
said.
A past member of the Fairmount Fire
Company, Freed’s civic involvement
included serving on The Reporter’s
citizen advisory board in 2007.
Earlier this year, Lansdale Borough
Council officially dedicated the
borough seal Freed made more than 20
years earlier.
An avid woodworker, Freed had
collected an impressive collection
of tools, according to Santi.
“His woodwork was nothing but art,”
Perrone said.
Freed is survived by his wife
Sylvia, sons Allen and Jason, and
sister Ardene Vencius.
The family will greet friends
Friday, Sept. 10, between 6 nd 9
p.m. at the Central Schwenkfelder
Church, 2111 Valley Forge Road,
Worcester Township.
On Saturday, Sept. 11, the family
will also greet friends from 9 to
10:30 a.m. prior to the 11 a.m.
funeral service.