Kingston police official’s retirement short-lived

KINGSTON — No Florida beaches for Dan Hunsinger.

Hunsinger, 50, retired as assistant police chief in Kingston on Thursday — only to take over as police chief in Forty Fort.

The commute from home to work is about the same. The two police departments are a bit more than a mile apart.

Forty Fort is a neighboring municipality with a much smaller police force and about one-third of Kingston’s population of 13,000 residents.

“I was hired on March 4 in Forty Fort and will be sworn in on April 1,” Hunsinger said. “I’m actually going to start tomorrow to clean up the office.”

Hunsinger graduated from West Side Vocational-Technical School in 1981 and the Lackawanna College Police Academy in December 1986. He worked as a police officer for several West Side municipalities before being hired in Kingston in December 1989.

Hunsinger rose through the ranks, becoming assistant police chief in November 2011, in charge of the patrol and criminal investigation unit.

“I’m looking forward to new challenges,” he said. “There will be changes, but all the changes will be positive. Hopefully, we can get more equipment and modernize the department.”

Hunsinger is a member of many law enforcement organizations, including the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, Terrorism Task Force, Criminal Justice Advisory Board and Chiefs of Police Association.