Saying goodbye is even harder when the officerâs career is cut short by a health condition.
After nearly 28 years in law enforcement, Officer Wendell Metzler retired from the New Holland Police Department on March 23. Itâs sooner than he would have liked, a circumstance forced by his 2018 diagnosis of stage 4 melanoma, which had progressed to a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2020.
âI was forced to officially retire at 20 years of service instead of my anticipated 25 years due to declining health,â Metzler says.
New Holland police Chief Bill Leighty says itâs difficult to see Metzler, 52, leave the force.
âItâs always a loss when a member of our police family leaves, but especially in Wendellâs case whose career was cut short by disease,â Leighty says.
Lancaster-county
Pennsylvania
United-states
East-earl
Netherlands
Ephrata
New-holland
Leola
Holland
Wendell-metzler
Keith-greiner
Bryan-forbes