New ‘officer in charge’ in Hellertown as residents weigh in on department disorder

HELLERTOWN, Pa. — One thing is certain of those who spoke at Hellertown’s community forum Monday regarding the borough’s recent police department review:

They want a police chief who truly understands the community dynamics.

Council officials reported the borough intends to close applications for the position at the end of the month, conduct interviews in June and have a new top cop named over the summer.

“Several qualified candidates” have already applied, according to borough council President Thomas Rieger.

In the meantime, Mayor David Heintzelman announced a new “officer in charge” in Det. Michael Dattilio.

“Officer Dattilio has served this department for a number of years, including as investigator the past several years,” Heintzelman said.

“He has the respect of the department, and I believe he can step into this difficult role and succeed.”

The former interim chief, Dominick Fragano, voluntarily stepped down on May 6, intending to return to his position as patrolman.

Robert Shupp served as department chief until October of last year, when he resigned from the role.

Shupp was later charged with stealing over $122,000 from the borough — among other offenses, such as theft and forgery — and awaits a preliminary court hearing set for later this month, according to council officials.

“[Shupp] doesn’t represent our police department,” Heintzelman said.

“I want our officers to know this community and I stand for and with [you] as we look towards a better future in a new chief.”

'Eye-opening'

The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association — the organization that also conducted the department review — has been brought on to assist borough council in conducting its search for a new chief.

Rieger described the 44-page PCPA review as “eye-opening,” and said council wanted to continue conversations with the department and community before any major changes.

The analysis cited several deficiencies: an outdated policy manual, excessive use of overtime, a “lax” chain of command and inadequate leadership training for supervisors.

If the borough was to follow PCPA’s recommendation of adding six full-time officers to its ranks, community taxpayers would bear the brunt of an estimated 35% increase in property taxes, Rieger said.

Rieger said PCPA reported this move to be “aspirational and not likely” — with any move ultimately having some sort of fiscal effect on the borough.

“The options include reducing services, contracting supplemental public safety resources from another municipality, relying on state police for services or investing in their department to achieve professional-grade quality service in the borough,” Rieger said.

“ … We are willing to explore all options. But I can assure you that we are committed to protecting the safety of our residents.”

Council’s Finance Committee Chair Andrew Hughes said the panel has been diligent in supporting the department as requested, including approving additional vehicles for the patrol fleet, increasing part-time wages, adjusting schedules and providing cash appreciation bonuses.

And while the PCPA review is essential for understanding part of the current situation, it is “not the complete picture,” Hughes said.

Community input

Twelve people attended Monday’s meeting in person, with over 70 tuning in to the livestream.

Robert Balum preceded Shupp as borough police chief, working in the role for 14 years.

Balum said he genuinely served for the good of the borough during his tenure, and it’s due time someone else took hold of the role with the same intentions.

“[Shupp] was my investigator, he did a good job — but he strayed from what he was supposed to do,” Balum said.

“I need a chief that’s going to work the road. He needs to work the road, not sit here and be an administrator. He has to be out with the community and see the community. And if we lose that, we lose our police department.”

Resident Bob Reitmeyer said that all the officers can do at this point is move forward — but they still need to be supported along the way.

That includes getting rid of any “bad apples” if need be.

“The previous chief had a fiduciary responsibility, as did the council, to do the right thing; we know that he had failed,” Reitmeyer said.

“I feel that the officers deserve better working conditions. I think it is the council’s responsibility to make sure that those needs are met and that they are prepared to handle the volume of traffic, the crime that may be in this community, and also to answer to the residents that more or less pay for the needs that they have.”

Another resident, Jason Prushinski, said consulting with Interim Chief Fragano with concerns over noisy neighbors and more was a “huge sigh of relief” for him and his wife.

But it wasn’t the same with borough police in the past, he added, when their complaints were “always made to feel small and unimportant.”

“We feel saddened and frustrated that we no do not have the same support, help and advice from [Fragano],” Prushinski said.

“We feel like we are starting over again, and we hope that the next chief of police will show us the same amount of respect that he demonstrated.”

Former council member Gail Nolf said she felt Fragano was unnecessarily “hammered” in the PCPA report, as he stepped into the position and did what he could with what he had.

Moving ahead, she said the community — including residents, council and the police force — deserve better in whoever its newest chief turns out to be.

“I would respectfully request that it’s not somebody in-house, that you look closely at people who are invested regionally and not necessarily somebody from California or Texas," Nolf said.