Nazareth Detective to Take Position in Luzerne County

At Monday night's police committee meeting, Nazareth Police Chief Thomas Trachta alluded to the fact that may be offered a police chief's position in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area.

On Tuesday, Det. Fred Lahovski confirmed what Trachta didn’t directly say.

“They swore me in about two weeks ago,” Lahovski said about his move to the borough of Forty Fort, which has a population of about 4,600. “I have some time and some commitments in Nazareth, so I probably won’t be off the books until January.”

After almost four years as an officer in Nazareth, Lahovski will begin his duties as Chief of Police in Forty Fort in October.

“I’m sad,” Lahovski said about leaving. “Everywhere I go, I think I’m going to be there forever. You spend a lot of time getting a good rapport with the community. It’s not a takeover -- it’s an assimilation.”

When asked why he decided to move about an hour and a half north, Lahovski simply cited an opportunity that presented itself.

“I was fortunate enough that I had the specialties that this particular municipality was looking for, and they saw that I was a fit,” he said. “I was lucky. I was very fortunate.”

Lahovski said his emotions regarding his new position vary between excitement and apprehension.

“There’s a whole gambit of emotions you go through,” he said. “You’re excited, but you have some apprehension and there is some remorse. I was involved with a lot of good people in Nazareth.”

The Nazareth detective finished his conversation with Patch with a fitting “Freddy-ism.”

“If I touched one person for one moment in all of my efforts in Nazareth in a positive way, then everything was worthwhile,” he said. “There were good times, there were not so good times, but if I can accomplish easing one person’s day in a positive way -- it was all worth it.”