Mayor, Police Chief Clash Over Change to Duty Roster

Nazareth's mayor and police chief , this time over a new schedule for the borough's police officers.

Mayor Fred Daugherty Jr. wants Police Chief Thomas Trachta to adjust shifts by one hour, but Trachta asked the mayor to reconsider. The chief is "concerned" because -- among other reasons -- several officers feel the change violates their contracts.

What remains unclear is why the mayor wishes to change the schedule. To that, the mayor said, "Show up to the [Police Committee] meeting tonight. There probably will be a lengthy discussion about the schedule."

The borough's Police Committee will meet at 7 p.m. in .

According to documents obtained by Patch, Daugherty sent Trachta a letter on Jan. 16 about the new schedule, which would go into effect on Feb. 1.

The standard 12-hour shifts would change to:

• 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., instead of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., instead of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

However, on the last page of a full-time officer’s contract, section 15 -- of which the mayor may or may not be in violation -- deals with scheduling:

A Scheduling Committee shall be established to deal with scheduling issues. The Committee shall be made up of equal representation by the police and the borough. The Committee shall be established on or before June 30, 2006 and shall consider the matter of alternate scheduling system.

In 2009, according to court documents, the borough was found in violation of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act by changing its police officers' 12-hour shift schedule to an eight-hour rotating shift schedule -- without the Scheduling Committee first bargaining with the Nazareth Borough Police Association.

Concerning the current dispute, a Scheduling Committee has not met with the Nazareth Borough Police Association to discuss the mayor's changes.

Trachta explained to Daugherty that the hours currently in place also take "into consideration that most of our employees are part time and work elsewhere.”

The department's three full-time officers all work for multiple departments, according to Trachta. Out of the 10 part-time officers, eight work for other departments and one works a security job.

After receiving the Jan. 16 letter, Trachta asked the mayor to reconsider the new schedule. The mayor replied in a Jan 19 letter, “Your request for reconsideration of the ordered schedule changes is hereby denied.”

Daugherty then goes on to cite The Pennsylvania Borough Code:

The mayor of the borough shall have full charge and control of the chief of police and the police force, and he shall direct the time during which, the place where and the manner in which, the chief of police and the police force shall perform their duties, except that council shall fix and determine the total weekly hours of employment that shall apply to the policemen.

According to Daugherty, he is "well within my authority to implement the changes I ordered in the schedule. The changes will stand as delivered to you and you will carry them out without further question or comment."

Daugherty ended his letter by saying, "My direct order to you: Implement the changes to the shifts."

The operating costs of the borough’s police department -- and escalating insurance costs mainly due to workers' compensation claims -- has been the driving factor in the and contract services from .

In December, to buy coverage from Colonial Regional after a full year went by without any negotiations.

All of the letters between Daugherty and Trachta were sent to Police Committee chairman Jack Herbst and borough solicitor .