Latrobe police force switches to 12-hour shifts; 5 officers get promotions

Latrobe police switched to 12-hour shifts this month, after the departure of a veteran sergeant and the promotion of three patrol officers.

Police Chief Richard Bosco said the change to two daily 12-hour shifts, from three eight-hour ones, will make filling shifts easier when some officers are on vacation.

Bosco said it’s also “a quality-of-life move for the officers. They’re very happy with the extra days off.”

While a shift has increased in length by 50%, each officer now will be eligible for 186 days off each year.

With a minimum of two officers to be on duty for each shift, Bosco said, “I only need four people to cover 24 hours instead of six people.”

Bosco said one daytime shift could be filled by himself, the department captain or one of two school resource officers who are assigned to Greater Latrobe Senior High and the Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School on the Adelphoi campus.

The recent retirement resignation of Sgt. Ronald Keslar, a 24-year veteran of the Latrobe force, has reduced the department’s roster to 16 officers. Bosco said he’s hoping by next year to restore the complement to 17.

A Unity resident and native of Melcroft, Fayette County, Keslar began the next phase of his career on Feb. 3, becoming one of three detectives working with the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office.

During his time at Latrobe, Keslar worked with a local DUI task force. In Somerset County, he said, he’ll be involved with drug task force investigations.

“My basic job there is to support all the municipal (police) departments,” he said.

The move means Keslar no longer will be working midnight shifts or responding to car crashes.

“It seems like you know when it’s time to go,” he said of his career move.

This month, city council voted to promote its remaining sergeant, Michael Wigand, to the rank of lieutenant. Also, four patrol officers — Michelle Preston, Matthew Reeves, Sean Grosso and Jacob Cholock — were promoted to corporals.

According to Bosco, each of the corporals will oversee a squad of a few other officers.

Bosco has said his goal is to prepare officers with the training and mentoring they need to be able to move up to the next level in the department command structure.

He said the four corporals are taking the place of two sergeants in the department hierarchy and said there will be no resulting increase in cost to the city.