Although he plans to remain on the Baldwin Township Board of Commissioners, Baldwin Township resident Bob Downey will resign as the chief of police at California University of Pennsylvania to become the newest chief of the Green Tree Borough Police Department on Jan. 14.

The Green Tree Council officially selected Downey, 56, on Monday night from a field of 41 applicants, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Baldwin Township residents elected Downey, a Democrat from Crestline Drive, to a four-year term on their board of commissioners in November 2011. Downey first joined the board as an appointee in May 2009 to fill a vacancy before being elected that fall to fill a two-year term.

He was born and raised in Pittsburgh's North Side area, but for over 20 years, he lived in Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood.

He graduated from North Catholic High School in 1974 and earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from La Roche College in 2001 and a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2006.

He has worked in law enforcement for over 30 years, having served in various capacities for the Allegheny County police until his retirement in 2008. He then served as the police chief at Slippery Rock University from August 2008 to August 2010 before taking that same position at California.

"I'm still committed to our community (Baldwin Township)," Downey said on Tuesday, "and look forward to serving both communities."

 ---

Follow the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch on Facebook and Twitter.

Sign up for the daily Baldwin-Whitehall newsletter.