Captain Ben Hackett

Captain Ben Hackett is patrol Captain for the City of Bethlehem Police Department. His 149 Officers protect a city of over 80,000 permanent residents and the flood of students from 2 universities. Captain Hackett has been with the Bethlehem Police for over 18 years and spent much of that time working in Patrol and as a Crisis Negotiator. He has spent time as an accident reconstructionist, Detective, Internal Affairs investigator and even the City’s dog catcher. Prior to becoming a Police Officer, Captain Hackett served in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer and also as a deck officer on overseas oil tankers in the U.S. Merchant Marine. A graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Captain Hackett spent the majority of his early professional life on the open seas until the calling to become a Police Officer became too strong to ignore. During his pre-employment interview he was asked the obligatory question, “Why do you want to be a Police Officer?” Captain Hackett, then recruit Hackett, answered simply “I just want to help people.” When told that is how most candidates answer that question and prompted to explain what made him different, Recruit Hackett answered truthfully, “because I actually mean it.”