Middlesex Township residents have a new face leading their police department — and for Chief Justin Bouch, the role is as much about building trust as it is about enforcing the law.
Bouch, who officially began his post on August 3, comes to the township with two decades of law enforcement experience across Allegheny County. His career began in Brackenridge, Tarentum, and West Deer Township before full-time service in Frazer and a 12-year run in Harrison Township, the town where he was born and raised. Along the way, he worked long hours for modest pay, gaining a perspective he says helps him connect with younger officers today.
But his story begins much earlier. Raised in a difficult home where police were frequent visitors, Bouch recalls that their presence made him feel safe. “That was what led me to my calling to become an officer,” he said.
Sports became another key outlet. A standout tri-athlete at Highlands High School, Bouch went on to quarterback at Edinboro University, where he led the team to three conference championships between 2003–2005 and was later inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame. “Leadership has always come naturally to me,” he said. “When you step into the huddle as a young kid with older men looking at you to lead — you learn quickly what responsibility feels like.”
After graduating with a degree in criminal justice, he traded the football field for the police academy at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. From the start, he approached the work with the same discipline and drive he carried as an athlete. He later went on to earn a master’s degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University, further shaping his approach to guiding others.
Now in Middlesex Township, Bouch acknowledges the steep learning curve of stepping into the chief’s office. “Every day I’m learning something new I haven’t seen in 20 years of patrol work,” he said. From state compliance systems to officer training records, the administrative side is a change — but one he embraces.
Just as important to him is community presence. He makes it a point to stop into local businesses, meet with school officials, and wave to children at bus stops. Bouch is also actively building relationships with surrounding police departments and schools. He recently had lunch with the chiefs of Adams and Mars Borough, along with the Mars School District director, to discuss how they can work together to support students.
Bouch also brings a personal sense of faith and family to his role. He and his wife are raising two children at home, while their oldest daughter is married, and they enjoy spending time with two grandchildren. A small “shield of faith” inside his vest reminds him daily of what anchors him.
Community service has also been a constant throughout his career. Through various police programs, he has often taken children shopping at Christmastime — something he says he looks forward to each year. “I was one of those kids growing up,” Bouch said, recalling how officers once took him shopping when his own family struggled. “It means a lot to me to give back in the same way.”
Residents have already responded warmly. Parents and children thank him at the bus stops, and business owners are beginning to see him as both protector and neighbor.
“I’ve never settled for mediocrity in my life, and I’m not going to start now,” Bouch said.
For Middlesex Township, that philosophy signals a new chapter in community policing — one built on presence, trust, and a quarterback’s instinct for leadership.