Nazareth Police Chief Asks for New Chairs, Creates Debate

When the is in limbo, purchasing new chairs becomes a debatable -- and sometimes comical -- topic.

According to Thomas Trachta, chief of , officers have been using chairs left behind by a previous tenant.

“Many of these chairs are broken and need to be replaced,” Trachta said at Monday’s Police Committee meeting. “I met with Frank Maurek, chairman of [the] Public Property [Committee], and he said we need to know the direction of the police department before making a purchase.”

Maurek, who attended Monday's meeting, added that he also advised Trachta to ask the Police Committee since the money would be coming out of the department’s budget.

“Yes, there are broken chairs -- approximately five or six,” Maurek said.

Trachta told committee members that each chair would cost about $100 and that he would like 12, but six chairs is doable. He also asked that the chairs not have arms because the officers’ utility belts get caught, causing the arms to break.

“Then we’re going to need seat belts,” Police Committee chairman Larry Stoudt joked.

If you pick up a chair in the interview room, according to Maurek, the arms come loose.

“A police officer is going to fall off the chair, and we’re going to have another one on workers’ compensation,” Maurek said, adding later that he doesn’t know the status of the police department, but if 12 chairs are purchased and they're not needed in the long run, they can always be auctioned.

Borough Council president Dan Chiavaroli wondered if 12 chairs are too many. He also made a reference to -- some borough officials, including , favor eliminating Nazareth's force and contracting services from Colonial Regional.

“We’re talking about three -- maybe four -- officers in the building at one time,” Chiavaroli said. “When you look at Colonial [Regional Police], not everybody has a devoted space. It’s a shared space.”

When including the interview room, Chiavaroli and Stoudt agreed that six chairs should be suffice.

The Police Committee agreed to approve the purchase of six chairs for the police department.

The committee will not meet in December.