Nazareth mayor scolds chief over television in police department

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Nazareth’s mayor scolded the borough police chief for allowing police officers to watch television during their shifts.

In a Jan. 19 memo to Chief Thomas Trachta, Mayor Fred Daugherty said not only Nazareth police but police from other departments congregate there to watch television.


Daugherty tells the chief in the memo, “you have failed in your responsibilities in these matters.”

At tonight’s borough council police committee meeting, he said Trachta has an attitude and doesn't follow orders.

Trachta said he is rarely aware of the television ever being misused, but doesn't know what happens when he leaves for the evening. He said it was donated by an officer at no cost to the borough.

He said the television is for officers to be aware of major events occurring in the area and for training. In a Jan. 20 memo from Trachta to Daughterty, the chief said televisions are in other area police departments and have been in all the departments he’s worked at.

“This is the first time that a television has become an issue to this extent,” the chief wrote.

Daugherty called the television unauthorized department equipment, and said police need to be on patrol, not watching TV.

The television has since been removed by the borough council's public property committee. Committee chairman Larry Stoudt declined to comment on the matter.


Police Committee Chairman Jack Herbst said he’ll take the issue to the full borough council for consideration, but he didn’t agree with reconnecting the television.

“To me, it opens up much of an opportunity for abuse,” Herbst said.


Schedule changes

Police union President Frederick Lahovski disagrees with Daugherty’s plan, unveiled last week, to move the start times off officers’ shifts from 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

In a departmental memo, Daugherty said he wants to change the times to make it easier for the payroll clerk to track and calculate pay. An arbitrator ruled earlier this month that the borough must pay officers more money for working evening and night hours.

Lahovski said last week he believes the proposed shift changes violate the union’s April 2009 contract.

Trachta said in a second memo to Daugherty on Jan. 19 that officers were concerned over the one-hour time change, mostly because of scheduling conflicts with other jobs and family commitments. He asked the mayor to reconsider the proposal.

Daugherty rejected Trachta's request in another memo.

“Clearly I am well within my authority to implement the changes I ordered in the schedule,” Daughertly said in the memo. “The changes will stand as delivered to you and you will carry them out without further question or comment.”

Council members disagreed on whether Trachta can hire more full-time officers or the three additional part-time officers that the police committee endorsed in September. To date, he said only one officer has been hired.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nazareth/index.ssf/2012/01/nazareth_mayor_proposes_shift.html