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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

State Police Study Trashes Nazareth Borough Council

It only took a year. In August 2014, Nazareth Borough Council finally received a state study of its police department. a year after it was requested. It's the second one they've had done. An earlier report, prepared by investigator Dan Monek, was too critical. So the Borough officially denied it existed at all. Those denials are refuted in a civil rights lawsuit filed by Officer Stephen Schleig, who specifically refers to that investigation and asserts that borough officials buried it. This study, like the Monek report, portrays a top heavy police department struggling under a bizarre chief and a meddling Mayor and Council. Which is exactly what I've been saying. It will be difficult to deny the existence of this report. I have a copy as a result of a right-to-know request filed with Pennsylvania's DCED (Department of Community and Economic Development). You can read it yourself below.

Some of the points made?

* "[T]ension between the police department and Borough Council seems to have escalated when Chief Trachta was appointed ... .." - There's a shocker.

* "Many Mayors feel the Chief is a professional law enforcement officer and leave the day-to-day operations of the department in his/her hands. This was not and is not happening in Nazareth Borough." - That leaves us with a Mayor, who is after all a carwash salesman, explaining why it's a bad idea to release a description of a missing child. "We can't just blindly give out a description when things are still unfolding," Mayor Strye, a carwash salesman, told The Morning Call last year in the middle of missing child investigation that turned out to be a hoax. He should have left that to police.

* "Micromanaging is taking place in many areas, such as budgeting and discipline. Disciplining some of the officers seems to have gotten sidetracked."  - In the two meetings i attended last year there were more executive sessions than in any of the larger municipalities I cover combined. I recall hearing that there were seven matters in one meeting that related to the police department alone. That is simply insane, and I really am concerned that borough fathers want to keep a tight grip on the police department because of fears that police enforcement could lead to a disruption of the social clubs. As this report notes, there are ten social clubs in Nazareth. Mayor Carl Strye was President at one of them for approximately thirty years. Larry Stoudt is a steward or bartender at another of these social clubs and was placed on ARD after being charged criminally with attempting to use police resources to determine the identity of a state police informant at one of these clubs. There are allegations of skimming and drug activity at these clubs as well. Police should be under no obligation to disclose their operations to Council members or the Mayor.  

* "Some of the Borough Officials commented over the cost of litigation. One official said that legal fees are $400,000 and they used to be $40,000. Another said that $1.3 million dollars has been spent in arbitration costs since 2008. All this activity, which has nothing to do with actual police work, has resulted in confusion and tension for everyone." - This is a direct result of micromanagement as well as a police chief who is out-of-control

* "The Chief received a new contract with no increase in pay plus a deduction for health care benefits. It also might be noted that the Deputy Chief, who was hired part time is making $40 per hour versus the salary of the Full Time Chief, who makes a salary of approximately $33 per hour.The Chief’s salary is not at issue here but the Mayor and Council are certainly sending a message. However, the Chief does not appear to be deterred in any way from running the day-to-day operations of the Nazareth Police Department." - You don't have to read too much between the lines here. Borough Council obviously has no regard for Chief Thomas Trachta, and pay him $7 per hour less than Deputy Chief Randy Miller. They would prefer that he go away. Yet incredily,they gave him a new contract.

* There is one officer patrol between the hours of 0300 and 0600, 0300-0900 on some mornings and 2200-0900 Saturday nights into Sunday morning. There should be two officers working on all shifts for officer safety reasons." - They won't do this because they are trying their best to crush the FT force, which is union.

* "During the on-site interviews there were a few comments made regarding officers spending a lot of time in certain areas of the Borough. Two locations that were mentioned were the Fire Department and the athletic fields in the area of the parochial school. If this appears to be a problem it should be brought to the attention of the Chief so the matter can be addressed with the officers." - These concerns were probably expressed out of a desire to keep cops away from the Vigilance and Holy Family Social Clubs.



17 comments:

Anonymous said...

What are today's "Cupcake" specials?

UNT said...

wow, one comment. THought this would go viral.

Sunsetpicnic said...

Bernie,

Good story. I just wish there was some way to make these officials more accountable including the elected officials. How can this town continue to conduct it's business in this manner? The clubs need to go, along with the people that run them. The Mayor is the key to keeping these clubs safe from prosecution. The police have their own issues but how can they protect this town when you have someone in authority always giving a heads up? How do they keep getting away with this kind of governing? Officials know, but turn their heads the other way. Larry Stoudt didn't deserve what he got, when he tried to stand up to the establishment, look where he ended up. Is it fear that makes the players of this town go along with the unethical practices that plague it? This town used to be a nice place to raise a family, Do you see all of the for sale signs? People cannot afford to live here anymore. The taxes keep going up to pay for all of the mistakes that have been made and it doesn't look like there is any relief in sight due to the price for bad government. I hate what this town has become.

Anonymous said...

Sunsetpicnic, Safe from prosecution???? Every club in town has been busted, most of them several times. Also FYI when these clubs are raided, its NEVER by local police, its by State police/liquor control enforcement and to the best of my knowledge, they do not involve the local police, so there really can't be a "heads up". Unethical practices, I'm sure there is plenty of that as there is in every small town/township. But with all that is going on in Nazareth, the private social clubs are NOT the problem. There are many bigger issues that are killing Nazareth. The taxes are going up but the majority of the rise in taxes is the out of control spending of the school board.

Anonymous said...

@4:12 - Nobody really gives a shit about small town / small minded Nazareth...

Bernie O'Hare said...

Though state police liquor enforcement try to keep local police out of the loop, they find out. Even I do. Why 10 clubs in Nazareth? Why 38 in Zbethlehem?

Sunsetpicnic said...

@ 8:07, as Bernie stated " Why 10 clubs in Nazareth?" If you look at the Nazareth Borough Police Study page 31, I find this line interesting:
There were 27 alcohol related, DUI, Underage drinking and public
drunkenness recorded in 2014 compared to 16 the previous year.
The private clubs are a problem and if you look in the parking lots of these clubs on any given evening you see a hell of a lot of cars parked there for hours at a time. I find it interesting that there aren't more DUI's given out in a year with 10 Social Clubs in the area. Why aren't the Nazareth Police involved? Don't you think when you spend a few hours in a club you are a risk when you get behind the wheel? Out of the 27 alcohol related incidents how many were club related? Do the police look the other way knowing that intoxicated people are getting behind the wheel of a car that by law shouldn't? Do you think the taxpaying citizen's of Nazareth deserve this risk? Is some governing body of Nazareth influencing and deterring the police department to leave the clubs and the people that frequent them alone? Why aren't the Nazareth Police Department more involved? 10 Clubs? Think about what you are saying. How much bigger of an issue can there be in Nazareth compared to this? And I never even mentioned the gambling.

Anonymous said...

FT = FIRE TRACHTA
FT = FIRE TRACHTA
FT = FIRE TRACHTA
FT = FIRE TRACHTA
FT = FIRE TRACHTA
FT = FIRE TRACHTA
FT = FIRE TRACHTA

Anonymous said...

Looks like the PLCB just posted the fines for East Lawn Social Club when they were raided in January. $550.00 is all they were sanctioned. They can make that money back in one night. Bobby Recker has to have a big smile on his face knowing his club can break the law and continue business as usual without any repercussions. Seems like the clubs have the upper hand now and will continue to do so until the laws are changed.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how someone came up with 10 "clubs " in Nazareth???? The Jacksonian, the legion, the VFW, Holy Family , the Vigilance Hose. Thats 5 not 10. Even if you throw in East Lawn social club (which isn't in Nazareth) that would make 6, where are the other 4/5? @11:10 i agree 13 actual DUI arrest is low
(I got that number here http://ucr.psp.state.pa.us/ibi_apps/WFServlet?IBIF_ex=RUREP01&MAPAREA=48),
it may have something to do with during that time frame, the borough of Nazareth was mostly covered by State police during many weekends and they do not do routine patrols. Just a guess, but either way, i agree, thats a low number of DUI arrests.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I did not write the report and don't know how the figures were obtained. I think you may have a point. The fact is most people do not drink in bars but at clubs in Nazareth.

Anonymous said...

Bernie- is it possible to post the first investigation by Dan Monek, since it was paid with taxpayer dollars? In regards to the second study, why is there no record of all the calls PA state police covered while no Nazareth borough officer was on duty. It seems this would alter the results of the study. Thank you.

Bernie O'Hare said...

My understanding is Nazareth refused to pay for the Minek report bc it would not support their anti-cop sentiments. The study that does exist shows a police department whose cops are getting it done despite all the drama from the Chief, Council and Mayor.

Anonymous said...

Yep and all the cops protecting town are no longer employees of Nazareth except one and he sits at the ambulance all the time. And lahovski wasn't active at the time

Anonymous said...

Troxell, You need to learn how to correctly write a sentence.

Anonymous said...

The Dan Monek report was to fry an Officer. When the report did not go in favor of Chief Cup Cake and Deputy Dip Shit, Council included, they canned it. And that is a fact that will sure come out at one of the many pending lawsuits.

Anonymous said...

It,s all who you know in Nazareth. Better have 4 eyes when they leave the hose on Friday night. Lot of drunks leaving from there.