RESPONSE TO INFERENCES OF POSSIBLE IMPROPRIETY

A Statement by Abington Township Police Chief Bill Kelly

Comments from Twitter accounts inferred possible impropriety by Chalfont Police Chief Karl Knott while he was a Lieutenant for Abington Township Police Department. We are in the process of investigating those inferences and, to date, have found absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing.  Furthermore, we now know that the suggestion that then-Lieutenant Knott allowed his daughter to “kick down a door” at the scene of a police raid is untrue. We can say with certainty that this did not happen.

I have had the privilege to work with Karl Knott for nearly 29 years. During my years of service with Chief Knott, I developed a sincere respect for him, his ethics, and his principles. I have always known him to possess an exceptional degree of discipline and commitment.  Chief Knott is well-respected by members of our Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. He was selected for several prestigious national assignments during his tenure with Abington, and I enthusiastically recommended him for the position as Chief of Police with Chalfont.  I am now proud to have him as a colleague.

Nevertheless, as all of my officers know, my commitment to the integrity of our Police Department surpasses all friendships or personal loyalty. As in the past, we will thoroughly and impartially investigate any allegations of wrong-doing made against Abington officers during their service with our Police Department.