Letter to the Editor, From the Editor
Excerpts (in block quotes) in this story were taken from the Bradford Era.
The main point that was being discussed in this article was that the temporary holding cell, in the Bradford City Police Station, is an issue to the dispatch change, because it will no longer be available to other local police agencies, including the township police departments, and the state police.
Riel felt that he needed to clarify things. In previous interviews and speeches, Riel claimed that a dispatch change would save up to $250,000 per year. Now he says this:
“I said it costs $250,000 a year to have” the officers at the dispatch desk, but “I never said we would save that” by changing the dispatch to the 911 Center. “You save a modest amount through reduced utility bills. I don’t think it will be any grand amount.”
So basically, the dispatch switch will save on the city’s electric bill, and a few long distance phone bills.
Riel also says:
“If the officers are out on the street, they should be generating revenue,” the mayor said.
I must have missed something. Police aren’t hired to enforce laws? They are actually hired to collect revenue? I thought they were there to provide public safety and keep chaos from ensuing.
When asked about the relation between the dispatch switch, and two officers being laid off, bringing the total police shortage to 4, Riel said:
“they were laid off because concessions weren’t granted,”
Maybe it’s just me, but with $34,000 saved in workers compensation insurance premiums, and the rest of the departments making such “HUGE” concessions, added with the raise in taxes, and the raise in garbage rates, couldn’t they have worked the officer’s salaries out of all of that revenue?
I’d like to point out, that at the same meeting that all of this was voted on, a new fireman was approved to be hired. Emphasis has been put on the fact that he is not a new fireman, that he is replacing a resigned fireman. This fireman that was hired, was not a laid off employee, he will need trained, and provided with gear. There’s a few thousand extra. Well, this last year, an officer retired. No replacement was hired for him. An officer was laid off, no replacement for him. 2 officers positions are being completely eliminated, because the city cannot afford the officer. Are there more fires than crimes?
Not too long ago, Riel was the center of an article relating to the state police patrolling Bradford for DUI’s. Riel expressed his distaste for the officers being in Bradford. I think he may have said something along the lines of Bradford not being in the state police jurisdiction. Don’t quote me on that part, as I cannot find the old article right now, but either way, he had a problem with more police being in Bradford. I strongly believe this is just an extenuation of his hatred for police, and it begs the question, why does he want the police out of Bradford so badly?
4 Comments
I was able to find 2 articles from the ERA that I had archived relating to the PSP’s activities in Bradford.
I have attacheded them for your review, and conclusions…
The SHO
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009 4:05 AM EDT
Riel, Cummins say State Police overstepping their bounds
Two municipal officials believe the Pennsylvania State Police have overstepped their bounds in dealing with local residents, and have gone so far to say the actions of some troopers border on harassment.
Bradford City Mayor Tom Riel and Bradford Township Supervisor Chairman Don Cummins spoke with The Era Tuesday about concerns that they say are keeping residents home at night, afraid of being pulled over without reason. Both men made it abundantly clear that their problems lie in the means the troopers are using, not in the fact that the troopers are enforcing the law.
“They have an ‘ends justify the means’ mentality,” Riel said.
His concern is that he feels the troopers are pulling over vehicles randomly, without probable cause, to see if they can catch someone who is driving under the influence of alcohol.
“Nobody wants a dangerous drunk driver on the road,” Riel said. “In achieving those arrests, they are trampling on people’s personal freedoms. They’ve pulled over countless people who have done nothing wrong while fishing for people with booze on their breath.”
Cummins said his concern was more that the township has a full-time police force which taxpayers fund for half-a-million dollars each year.
“How many people do we need patrolling?” Cummins asked. “We’re in a recession. Do we need to keep hammering our people for little violations? They’re ticketing for frivolous offenses. There’s no discretion. No compassion. No understanding. Everything is a ticketable offense.
“I’m concerned with people who abuse their power and authority,” Cummins said.
The Era contacted the Troop C headquarters in Punxsutawney for comments, but neither Troop Commander Capt. Kimberly Leemhuis nor Kane station commander Sgt. Jeffrey Wilson were available for immediate comment.
Riel said he’s heard from city police officers and from many city residents who have had enough.
“They told one woman the light on her license plate was out. She looked and it wasn’t. They said, ‘Well, you swerved then.’ Another person failed four sobriety tests. They administered a breath test and found no alcohol,” Riel recounted. “They’ve told people they weren’t using their turn signals — when they were not turning.
“If you aren’t doing anything wrong and there’s nothing wrong with your car, the state police have no right to stop you,” Riel said. “Their way of thinking is they do have a right because ‘it’s a small price to pay when you look at the numbers we’re getting.’ The public was outraged when this went on a few years back in Corydon Township.”
The mayor said he has no problem when the state police pull someone over with legitimate cause.
“The problem I have is that they are fabricating reasons to pull people over. It is a violation of constitutional rights. The state police don’t believe people have them,” Riel said. “To think that members of the state police subscribe to that mentality is chilling.
“If people are not doing anything wrong, they shouldn’t be randomly pulled over because they are on the road late at night,” he said.
Riel said he contacted the state police commissioner’s office and was told the same thing he heard locally — the end justifies the means.
He then called Gov. Ed Rendell’s office and spoke to the public affairs liaison. He also brought the issue to the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union.
“I don’t think violating someone’s civil liberties is a small price,” Riel said. “It’s un-American. It’s unconstitutional. They are out there enforcing the law while breaking it at the same time.”
He and Cummins both said that for anyone, being pulled over by police is nerve-wracking. When it’s late at night, the lights atop a patrol car are flashing behind one’s vehicle and the trooper is coming up to the car carrying a gun, it’s scary, Riel said.
“This is about a reasonable expectation to drive down the road and not be harassed by the state police,” Riel said.
Cummins said an older woman in Bradford Township had spoken to him about a recent event when she was driving to church on a Sunday morning and a state police car was “tailgating” her.
“It’s a tactic,” Cummins said. And he says he’s seen troopers sitting near bars and restaurants waiting to stop patrons when they leave.
Cummins spoke to Wilson at the Kane barracks, who denied that happens.
“He said they have zero tolerance for that,” Cummins said. “I’ve witnessed it happening myself.”
Cummins said the Bradford Township and city police departments have very capable officers, and both departments are full-time. State police, he said, are to patrol areas where there is no police presence. He acknowledged that the officers all share a working cooperation, and added that he’s seeking for that cooperation to continue.
It’s the overlap in services that he believes is unnecessary.
Meanwhile, Foster Township representatives and police said there is no issue with state police in their township.
When contacted late Tuesday, state Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, said he has spoken with Riel, but has yet to hear any complaints from citizens regarding the actions of the state police. He said he does not get involved in law enforcement issues, but should anyone have a comment or complaint about any state agency, they can contact his office and he’ll make sure the complaint goes to the agency’s leadership.
Complaints can also be filed with the state police Internal Affairs Division with instructions on the state police Web site.
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Friday, August 21, 2009 4:05 AM EDT
Mayor talks with top officer about State Police presence
Frustrated with a perceived overbearing state police presence in the area, the mayor of Bradford has taken the problem to Pennsylvania’s top officer.
Bradford Mayor Tom Riel said he had an amicable conversion Thursday with Col. Frank Pawlowski, commissioner of the state police, about what he believes is an overstepping of boundaries in the city.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m satisfied,” he noted. “I’ll be satisfied when it stops.”
Riel had made the inquiry due to complaints from drivers about being tailgated or pulled over by state police without probable cause. The mayor believes officers are pulling vehicles over randomly to see if they can catch someone driving drunk.
He has made it clear that his problem lies not with the fact that officers are enforcing laws, but how they are doing so.
According to the mayor, Pawlowski will speak to Capt. Kimberly Leemhuis, a commander from the Troop C headquarters in Punxsutawney, and other state police leaders in the area about this issue.
“He assured me that he’s not of the mind they just have the right to pull anyone over,” Riel said. “They have to have probable cause.”
Last week, the mayor met with Kane station commander Sgt. Jeffrey Wilson and Leemhuis to first broach the issue. Riel said that during the meeting, he was told by police leaders that the heavy surveillance was a “small price to pay for the numbers we’re getting.”
Wilson was not available for comment Thursday.
Riel also took his case to the chief of staff for Gov. Ed Rendell on Wednesday.
The mayor isn’t alone in the struggle. He and Bradford Township Supervisor Chairman Don Cummins have both openly criticized the methods they say are used by state police during patrols.
Cummins’ criticism has steered more toward the fact that both Bradford City and Bradford Township have their own police forces which are capable of handling themselves. His township has a full-time police force which taxpayers fund for $500,000 a year.
“How many people do we need patrolling?” Cummins said Tuesday. “They’re ticketing for frivolous offenses.”
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When I first read about closing the station and moving all the calls – both administrative and emergency – to the 911 Center, I had posted in a blog elsewhere that it will now cost the County more money – as they then would have to bring in 1 or 2 more people to handle the additional workload at the 911 Call Center.
And now it is apparent that it will.
So what is (perceived) to be saved by the city will be additional expanse to the County, which still will ultimately cost the taxpayer. I keep hearing all the costs will be covered by a “private donation” yet – there is no disclosure.
You know – just like the mystery miracle land donation to the fire department….
Notice how quickly the extra firefighter was hired – amidst losing 4 police officers?
Notice how the firehouse issue went out with a wimper, the fire chief is still driving his old chiefs car, right?
And of course now anything that affects the workforce at the fire station will be widely publicized by the media.
Nice to know we have more houses burning down, than the amount of crime that is being dealt to the police department days, nights and weekends…
How much crap are we expected to swallow?
Read on – from today’s article in the Era:
Reil stated: “They are certainly not going to be able to drop off their prisoners and have the city baby-sit. For liability reasons the city will no longer allow the township police to drop off prisoners and leave.”
“Maybe we will look into an ordinance to charge people who have to be in the holding cell to offset an officer not being out on the street.” the mayor also added.
This tells me that both Foster and Bradford Townships will either have to take a prisoner to Smethport, or they will have to provide manning to babysit the prisoner if they are in the city’s holding cell.
And just how do they expect to get blood out of a turnip?
The police station will now need needs 8 video cameras, and someone paid to keep an eye on them….
“If the officers are out on the street, they should be generating revenue,” the mayor said.
Nice to know he wants Bradford to generate income by being a police state – as long as it’s not a PSP officer…(read my previous posting)
From what I heard before the mayor stating – ” all the other counties are doing it, why aren’t we?” to now saying:
“It’s one of the issues that will be discussed next week when we have that meeting with the 911 center,
That is something that will have to be worked out with the townships”
The Mayor is clueless, and now backpedaling…
“I said it costs $250,000 a year to have” the officers at the dispatch desk, but I never said we would save that” by changing the dispatch to the 911 Center. “You save a modest amount through reduced utility bills. I don’t think it will be any grand amount.”
So, it again begs a few simple questions:
Did the citizens of the City of Bradford suddenly change their minds, and decide to scale back (read: Close) the downtown station?
Do the township police support the Mayor’s plan to scale back (read: Close) the downtown station?
And Finally:
Just what is to be gained by scaling back (read: Closing) the downtown station?
As I muddle through all the jibberish I am hearing from the Mayor (and his cronies), I have yet to hear one concrete reason for going ahead with this closure.
And it’s obvious he will plod ahead with his agenda, despite public outcry.
Just how does this save taxpayer money?
Does the Mayor really give a damn about the City of Bradford and how they feel?
The SHO
No he does not care what you have to say. Officer Lucco said once and I do not quote, but his statement referred to a dictatorship. Do you not recall all the negative signs about the police, all the ridiculous conspiracy theories. As a taxpayer I am not only outraged but embarrassed that such a man could have fooled us and been elected to office. Look at the money he has cost the city with his signs, the strip club and lord knows what else. I am confident that the City Police will continue to serve this community to the best of their ability even when the head of their department continues to try and demoralize and destroy them. I believe these rogue officers in the Gestapo (as the mayor has called them) will take time from their conspiracies “To get Tom Riel” and continue to serve this community. Credit must be given to them for not only fighting crime but dealing with their department head. May God bless them!
The words he once spoke of exposing city government were lies, now he has become the master of secrecy.
It is only my hope that these rogue officers in the Gestapo continue to serve us as they have. I am sure they will take time from their conspiring “to get Tom Riel” and continue to do the job they have done for years and years. Don’t let this man bring you down, hold your heads high and let him self destruct.