Mayor Defends Controversial Television Decision

In a document titled "TV; It's Not Just Entertainment Anymore," Nazareth Mayor Fred Daugherty Jr. has offered his insight into the Nazareth Borough Police Department -- an issue that since a borough employee was instructed by the mayor to disconnect the cable on Jan. 20.

For Daugherty, the television "is just a symbol of a much deeper and flawed system of providing police service to a borough."

The mayor goes on to note -- in the document sent to Nazareth Patch -- that "the police officers do not see themselves as employees of Nazareth Borough, but rather as employees of an association and union which contracts with the borough for police services."

Nazareth Patch has learned that Daugherty would not allow Police Chief Thomas Trachta -- or the rest of the police force -- to speak to an NBC 10 Philadelphia reporter Tuesday afternoon about the controversy surrounding the department.

The mayor did, however, make a statement from , according to The Express-Times.

Trachta previously said the television was used for training purposes and so his officers can stay up to date on news and weather that may affect the borough.

The mayor, however, said he has heard rumors of officers from Nazareth and other departments watching the television for entertainment.

Councilman Charles Donello made the at Monday night's meeting, but the motion died for the lack of a second.

"The placement and presence of a television in the Nazareth Borough Police Department in and of itself is not at issue," Daugherty writes. "It merely represents, and by the nature of the discussion, masks the real issue."

Daugherty's letter -- in full -- is located to the right of this article.

Due to rising operating costs, the mayor has long been an advocate for disbanding the Nazareth Borough Police Department. In June 2011, Daugherty to buy coverage from .

Six months later, Daugherty , saying, "It has become patently clear that contracting police services from Colonial Regional Police will not happen. I stand by my recommendation that it would be the best alternative to what we now have, but because of several reasons I am withdrawing my recommendation.”

Our question to you, the readers of Nazareth Patch: What would you like to see happen to the Nazareth Borough Police Department?