Greensburg hires new police chief, looks to rebuild trust after former chief's arrest

Charles Irvin said one of his tasks as Greensburg’s new police chief will be to restore the community’s trust in the department following the January arrest of his predecessor on federal drug charges.

City council on Monday unanimously approved promotion of Irvin, an 18-year veteran of the force, from detective sergeant, a rank he has held since 2021.

Irvin was sworn in to begin his new role Tuesday.

“I’ll be working together with the staff that’s already in place to rebuild trust among the community,” said Irvin, 53, of Hempfield. “I’ve been a police officer here in Greensburg for a long time.”

Irvin was selected from among three city officers who applied for the department’s top leadership role. Other applicants were Lt. W. Robert Jones and Sgt. Nick Rullo.

Mayor Robb Bell said Irvin received the highest score after the candidates were interviewed by three representatives from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. The city paid the association $3,200 plus expenses for its assistance.

“We had some good people who applied for the position, but he was the one who was highly recommended by the Chiefs of Police Association,” Bell said of Irvin. “We followed their recommendation.

“They had a pretty intense interviewing process, and they ranked them, based on their answers, for various categories, including decision-making.”

Bell believes Irvin is “a really good choice” for police chief. “He has a wealth of knowledge and experience, not only in our department but in the law enforcement community. He’s very well-respected.”

Council approved a three-year labor agreement with Irvin in his new role. In his first year, he will earn $131,743, including his base salary and additional pay based on his length of service with the department.

Irvin began his law enforcement career in Montgomery County, Md., serving there for six years before he joined Greensburg’s department, in 2005, as a patrol officer.

He spent 12 years as a K-9 officer handler and was promoted to patrol sergeant. He advanced to the rank of detective in 2016.

“I have had a blessed career working in all these different capacities,” Irvin said, “probably most notably as a K-9 officer, where I had the opportunity to go out and conduct demonstrations for all types of different civic groups and really got to know people.”

Irvin replaces Shawn Denning, who resigned after being arrested Jan. 24 on federal drug charges.

Denning is charged with aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine, aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute controlled drugs from about June 2021 through October 2022.

Investigators with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration obtained messages between a confidential source and Denning in which Denning is accused of connecting the source with out-of-state suppliers from whom the source purchased drugs, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Pittsburgh.

Denning also is accused of providing the source with menus and prices of available drugs, vouching for the drug suppliers and indicating he would vouch for the source with the suppliers so they would do business with the source.

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

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

Denning had served with the Greensburg department since 2008 and was promoted to chief in March 2022.

Donald Sarsfield has been serving as interim police chief. A 27-year veteran of the city department, Sarsfield was promoted from sergeant to captain in June.

City officials were “blindsided” by Denning’s arrest, Bell said.

“Nobody had any idea this was going on,” Bell said. “We immediately took steps to create higher oversight than we already have.”

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

The city decided to beef up security in the room with the addition of cameras, city Solicitor Zachary Kansler said.

As a follow-up to the internal probe, city officials have been considering an audit of the police department by an outside party, possibly by the Chiefs of Police Association.

“It’s in case we missed anything” in the internal investigation, “but I don’t think we did,” Bell said.

He said he wants Irvin to get acclimated to his new role before council decides whether to pursue an audit. Kansler indicated the procedure could cost $25,000.

The city in March settled a federal lawsuit brought by Jones, who claimed he was discriminated against after he previously applied for and was passed over for the chief’s job last year.

Jones, 51, who has served with the city department since 2002, claimed Denning, the person who was promoted to chief at that time, was younger and less qualified. Jones also claimed Sarsfield, subsequently promoted to captain, was less qualified for that position than was Jones, according to federal court filings.

After a January mediation session failed to resolve the case, Jones last month accepted a $35,000 settlement offered by the city. The city did not admit liability as part of the settlement.

Attorneys for the city denied the allegations in the suit. At the time of his hiring, Denning was the highest-ranking member of the department who applied for the chief’s job, they said in court filings.

Council already has hired a new officer to fill a pending vacancy on the department’s 27-member roster that will occur on July 15, with the retirement of veteran patrol Officer Regina McAtee.

Until then, McAtee remains suspended without pay. City officials have declined to specify the reason for the recent disciplinary move, but Councilman Randy Finfrock has said it was related to”a personal personnel issue.”

Kenneth J. Burke, 36, who has served as a police dog handler for the department, was placed on administrative leave without pay pending resolution of charges brought against him in July by county detectives. Burke is charged with harassment and simple assault. A strangulation charge was dismissed, according to online court records, which indicate a Westmoreland County Court trial in the case is scheduled for Aug. 7.

According to court papers, a woman accused Burke of placing her in a chokehold and throwing her on the ground in a bedroom of Burke’s home following a domestic dispute. The woman was able to escape, police said.