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WILKES-BARRE — The head of the Wilkes-Barre Police Benevolent Association and its vice president, a former Scranton chief, face suspensions for posting on the union’s Facebook page and other issues, according to several insiders.
Anonymous sources who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to make public comments identified the officers as PBA president Sgt. Phil Myers and vice president Dan Duffy, who joined the department in 2014.
Calls left with Myers and Duffy were not returned Friday.
The union has been at odds with Chief Marcella Lendacky and Mayor Tony George, who appointed her to run the mostly male department in March 2016. The PBA has questioned Lendacky’s qualifications and leadership ability through public statements to city council and internally through an anonymous survey of members who responded they have no confidence in her.
“I can’t comment on personnel matters,” Lendacky said when reached by phone at police headquarters Friday.
The mayor also said he couldn’t comment. However, he added the officers can speak; if they did, George said he would be available for rebuttal.
‘Jobs more dangerous’
Quotes and links about leadership and what distinguishes effective leaders from ineffective ones are regularly posted on the union’s Facebook page. A post from April 17 prompted an internal investigation. Afterward, Myers said he was unaware of an investigation and was unclear if the probe was about the PBA posting its concerns on Facebook or the public disclosure of a departmental order.
The PBA’s post specifically named the chief and Commander of Patrol Ronald Foy and criticized them for a directive that prohibited the officers from accessing report data that had previously been available on the department’s record management system. Police officers depend upon the information to prevent and solve crimes, the post said. But the directive disregards that, the April post stated.
“Commander Ronald Foy has officially made his Officers (sic) jobs more dangerous, and has made them less competent in their patrol duties,” the post said.
It also was critical of Lendacky, stating she removed the names of officers from the reports posted on the department’s Facebook page.
“There is strong evidence that the Chief herself has altered police reports previously, and when this was learned, she removed persons (Supervisors) who were once privy from the audit trail,” the post alleged.
It went on to call for city council to conduct an independent investigation of the department.