Greensburg enlists state association to help select new police chief, hires 2 patrolmen

Greensburg officials are enlisting outside help as the city looks for a new police chief.

Its former chief, Shawn Denning, 41, of Delmont, resigned Jan. 24 when he was arrested on drug charges.

“We were all blindsided by this,” Mayor Robb Bell said of Denning’s arrest on federal charges of acting as a go-between for drug purchases. “Nobody had any idea this was going on. We immediately took steps to create higher oversight than we already have.”

Council will pay $3,200 plus expenses to the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association for guidance as the city picks a new chief.

Council this week hired two patrolmen to fill vacancies resulting from recent and pending departures from the police ranks.

“It was an unfortunate situation, but, at this point in time, I look at it as an opportunity where we can make things better. With the help of other agencies, we can be better,” Bell said. “We’re doing everything we can possibly think of. Every stone that seems like it needs turned, we turn it, we look at it and we look for a solution.

“One guy is not going to ruin the effectiveness of this department. I don’t care what anybody says, it’s a really, really good police department.”

Three candidates submitted resumes by the March 9 deadline in their bids to succeed Denning as the Greensburg police force’s top officer.

Bell said the association will provide two representatives to review the resumes, interview the applicants March 28 and make recommendations that the mayor will discuss with council members. He said he would like council to be ready to hire a new chief at its April meeting.

“My feeling was police work has evolved so much, I just don’t know that we know the follow-up questions to ask,” Bell said. “So I wanted to go professionally,” with “highly respected” law enforcement veterans.

New patrolmen hired

The new patrolmen council hired were picked from the three top candidates.

Joining the department are Johnstown-area resident Austin Pennington, a military veteran who most recently has served for three years on Johns­town’s police force, and Tyler Mathias of Greensburg, who earned a degree in criminology from Saint Vincent College in 2019 and has been working in corrections.

Mathias is a 2015 graduate of Greensburg Salem High School.

“They tested very high in the civil service test, and they interviewed very well,” Bell said of the new patrolmen who were sworn in at Monday’s meeting. “Their background checks were just stellar.”

The pair will fill positions in the police department opened up by the recent resignation of Officer Shawn Miller and the suspension of Officer Regina McAtee, a veteran with more than 19 years on the force. Council on Monday also approved an agreement with McAtee covering the disciplinary move that will end with her retirement July 15.

Councilman Randy Finfrock has indicated McAtee’s suspension was a result of an undisclosed “personal” issue.

Citizen review board suggested

Resident Bob Errett questioned council about oversight of the police department in light of Denning’s arrest. He suggested the formation of a citizen police review board and volunteered to serve on such a panel.

Errett said such a board should include city leaders, business owners and representation from all types of people who live in the city.

“When something like this happens in a city like Greensburg, it gives us all a feeling of displacement,” Errett said of Denning’s arrest. “We have made so many positive steps in the last 25 to 30 years toward becoming a great place to live, work and thrive.”

Bell suggested city officials might consider an oversight committee after they select a police chief and complete other steps planned in the wake of Denning’s arrest.

“We’re open to anything at this point,” Bell said. “We’ve got to get through these other things first.”

City officials said they launched an internal investigation after the former chief’s arrest and asked Westmoreland County detectives to scrutinize the city’s police evidence room.

As a result, city Solicitor Zachary Kansler has said, security in the room will be beefed up with the addition of security cameras.

In addition to helping with the chief selection, the state chiefs association has been in talks with the city to conduct a proposed overall audit of the Greensburg police department, Bell said.

Denning is free on $250,000 unsecured bond as prosecutors have been given an extension until April 24 to file a related indictment against him.

His Pittsburgh attorney, Steven Townsend, has said the charges aren’t “reflective of Mr. Denning’s character or his history as a law enforcement officer.”