Although it might have been a mere matter of formality, Sharpsville finally has a police chief.

Council on Wednesday unanimously named Keith Falasco as the department's chief, five months after he was appointed interim chief.

Last month council noted it would like to remove the "interim" part from Falasco's title, but had to wait until he took and passed a non-competitive civil service test. Council said Falasco did, thus making his ascension to chief official.

Falasco, 47, of Greenville, had been serving as interim chief since the resignation of Bruce Rosa on May 31.

He is a 1974 Sharon High graduate and earned a degree in police science from Beaver County Community College in 1991. He began his law enforcement career as a member of the Coast Guard, serving in Pittsburgh from 1982-87.

Falasco then left the Coast Guard to attend Ross Leffler School of Conservation in Harrisburg while at the same time serving as a part-time patrolman in Sharpsville.