‘No quick fixes’: Hellertown releases its awaited police department review; interim chief steps down

HELLERTOWN, Pa. — A policy manual 20 years past its last regular update, excessive use of overtime to meet patrol needs, a “lax” chain of command, inadequate leadership training for supervisors, an overcrowded police facility.

Even reports of a no-confidence vote to come regarding the borough’s top law enforcement official: Mayor David Heintzelman.

These are just a few highlights from the 44-page, official organization review of the Hellertown Police Department, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

A special meeting on the matter is set to take place Monday, May 13, at 7 p.m. It's open to the public.

Interim chief steps down

Hellertown Council on Monday also unanimously approved the resignation of Interim Police Chief Dominick Fragano, who wrote to officials that he wanted to go back to his role as a patrolman.

“We thank you, Dominick, for your dedication to the department and your hard work during these past six months,” Heintzelman said.

“I personally would like to say that I have learned more about the department these past six months than I did [in] six years of being the mayor.”

The police department's collective bargaining unit held a unanimous vote of no-confidence in Fragano on Jan. 16, with an official vote announcement coming from a union official at a borough council meeting on Feb. 2.

Heintzelman has expressed “complete confidence” in Fragano as the interim chief.

Fragano was appointed to the position in October after the resignation of former Chief Robert Shupp, who was charged in the following months with stealing more than $122,000 from the borough.

'Doesn't paint a pretty picture'

Council President Thomas Rieger on Monday read a prepared statement on behalf of the panel, saying that officials have begun addressing “some of the leadership issues” within the report by advertising for a new chief of police.

But he said “policy matters,” filling out the ranks and broader scheduling of personnel, in the meantime, will take longer to address.

“The report, frankly, doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the department in its current state,” Rieger said.

“It is impossible to fix problems until you understand them fully, and this report allows borough council to more fully understand the problems within the police department. … There are no quick fixes here. There are also no easy answers.”

The report can be read in its entirety up above.

“We don’t view the release of this report as the conclusion of this process, but rather as the start of larger conversations with all of our key stakeholders, including the members of the police department, the borough administration and, most importantly, the residents of Hellertown,” Rieger said.

The data pool

Borough officials brought on PCPA in January following the news of the former chief.

The investigation, though, is centered around department operations, not specifically the former chief’s incurred charges.

All full-time and several part-time members of the department were interviewed, along with some council officials, other borough officials, Lower Saucon Township Police Chief Thomas Barndt, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta and borough Labor Attorney Jeffrey Stewart.

As of the time of the review, the department’s current ranks include nine full-time officers (interim chief, one detective and seven patrolmen), four part-time officers and one civilian employee serving as an administrative assistant.

The full-service agency has operates 24/7 — 12-hour shifts, three days on and three days off, normally with two officers at a time — serving 6,100 residents of Hellertown in a jurisdiction of about 1.6 square miles.

Full-time sworn department members are part of a collective bargaining unit, the Hellertown Regular Police Force, with a contract valid through Dec. 31, 2025.

'A slap in the face'

Police union members reportedly felt that Fragano’s interim appointment was “a slap in the face.”

“It is evident the Department has suffered from a lack of leadership for a period of years as the former Chief was essentially hands-off, creating a leadership vacuum,” the report reads.

“To their credit, two senior officers informally stepped up to perform duties that kept the department functioning at the street level.”

Inadequate leadership training was “deleterious” on the ability of the interim chief to carry out his job, the report reads.

“Officers were unhappy with the previous Chief, but he was allowed to remain in place despite his routine absence from work and lack of initiative,” PCPA reported.

“Officers felt they were better off with the two officers who stepped up in the previous Chief’s absence. … They feel the Mayor is more interested in optics than actually supporting the needs of the department. Officers stated the mayor told them he did not trust them.”

The report also reads Heintzelman confirmed “a similar statement” to assessors when questioned.

There's also been a “power struggle” mentioned between borough council, the mayor and the police department.

Adding to the ranks

As more of a long-term goal, PCPA recommended potentially adding four new supervisors to the mix, who could be in charge of two full-time officers each, to cut back on excessive use of overtime among the ranks.

One more patrolman added to the ranks also could do the department some good, the report reads.

The department has been in the red since at least 2021 in the following budgeting categories: overtime and holiday spending; part-time officers; part-time overtime and holidays; and compensatory time. See Page 18 of the report for exact figures.

The borough department could also consider reducing hours of coverage from 24 hours per day to half of that, PCPA reported.

If that ended up being the case, State Police personnel are also on call when needed, the report states, but help could also be sought by contracting a neighboring municipal agency.

“It is common for an outsourcing community to be dissatisfied with longer response time and non-dedicated public safety services within the community,” the report reads.

“Virtually all Police Departments and the State Police are stretched to provide services, and the likelihood of identifying an outsourced provider who can dedicate coverage in the Borough is slim.”

There also have been some reported instances of just one patrol officer available to work some or all of a shift alone, according to the report.

Outdated department policies

The report did “suggest” that the department’s policy manual template could’ve been obtained from an outside source and was never modified to outline the specific needs of the borough.

“In numerous areas, the existing Policy Manual is effectively disconnected from reality,” PCPA reported.

“Numerous sections relate to activities not practiced by Hellertown Police Department.

“ ... The Hellertown Police Department can face liability for maintaining outdated policies and procedures, especially if those policies and procedures result in harm or violations of individuals’ rights.”

For a rundown of police facilities and department community engagement, see Pages 21-25.