PIKE COUNTY, PA — The Lackawaxen Township Board of Supervisors hosted Brian Vennie, the newly appointed sheriff of Pike County, at its meeting on Monday, April 21. 

“I’m just coming around to visit all the townships, let them know there’s a new sheriff in town,” Vennie said, the joke inspiring general laughter in his audience. “And [I’m here to] let everybody know what the sheriff’s department can do for you.”

Vennie was sworn in as Pike County’s appointed sheriff on February 18, coming to the office with 30-plus years of law enforcement experience. 

The Pike County Sheriff’s Office provides license-to-carry or concealed-carry permits, and issues around 7,000 permits a year, Vennie said. He said the office can give license-to-carry permits to people who have an active permit in another state, even if they aren’t full-time Pennsylvania residents. 

The sheriff’s office also has child-car seat technicians, who can work with the county’s townships at events to make sure residents’ car seats are properly installed, and it runs active shooter training as well, he said. 

The office connects with the community through its Facebook page, “Pike County Sheriff’s Office, PA,” and through a Crimewatch website, at pike.crimewatchpa.com. Vennie said the office mostly posts positive things on Facebook, and hosts more of its “cop stuff” on the Crimewatch website. Residents of the county can also register their home security cameras on the Crimewatch website, so they can assist in police investigations, he said. 

Vennie emphasized his Pike County roots, saying he’s a sixth- or seventh-generation resident and a graduate of Wallenpaupack High School. 

“Obviously, my interests are in the community in Pike County… [I’m a] local guy,” he said. “You need anything, feel free to call the office [and] leave me a message, and we’ll do what we can to help you out.”