Vote made to fire police chief
By KAREN BITNER Echo Pilot

Greencastle will again be looking for a new police chief.

At their regular monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 4, Greencastle Borough Council members voted unanimously to fire Borough Police Chief Peter Mozurkevich the next day.

Councilman and public safety committee chairperson Paul Schemel made the motion to dismiss Mozurkevich following a lengthy executive session.

On Sept. 5, Schemel, Mayor Robert Eberly, Borough Manager Ken Myers and Councilman Christopher Gremm met with Mozurkevich who "tendered his resignation" at 7 a.m., according to a news release issued by the borough later that morning. The resignation, that was accepted by borough officials, made the firing unnecessary.

At the meeting the night before, Schemel proposed paying one month's severance pay to Mozurkevich and continuing his insurance benefits for the balance of the month of September, and council unanimously agreed to do so.

Council members decided to advertise for a new police chief at a salary of up to $55,000, commensurate with experience.

"I think council made the right decision for the town, and for the people," Mayor Robert Eberly said following the meeting.

"It's time to move ahead."

Council members said their reason for letting Mozurkevich go was largely that they felt he was not the right person for the job.

"It was not a good fit for the town," explained council president Charles Eckstine, adding, "His heart was never in Greencastle."

"We need somebody who's in love with Greencastle," added Schemel. "We also need someone with strong leadership skills."

Background

Mozurkevich was hired in October of 2005 after a period in which the department had no chief. At one point during the past two years all of the borough's fulltime officers left the department, and the town complemented the chief with parttime officers. The time period has also seen increased presence of police in the downtown area.

"In my whole career, I've worked in small towns, " said Mozurkevich in the fall of 2005 when he took over the reigns of the Greencastle Police Department as its chief.

"I like small town policing - I'm a strong proponent of community policing."

Mozurkevich was 48 and lived in Pine Grove when he was hired. Mozurkevich's contract required him to move within the borough within six months of beginning employment here. It's unclear whether that ever happened.

Mozurkevich graduated from Penn State in 1979 with a bachelors in law enforcement and corrections. While in college he worked part-time as a policeman in Schuylkill County, beginning in 1977. After graduating from Penn State, he attended the police academy at Harrisburg Area Community College before taking a position as a criminal investigator in Columbia County. Mozurkevich has also served as an Adult Parole and Probation Officer and as Assistant Chief of campus police for East Stroudsberg University in the Poconos, in Berks County, where he was a police officer for 11 years. Mozurkevich was promoted to sergeant and appointed night supervisor. He also did personnel background investigations for the federal government.

Mozurkevich has taught criminal justice in the associate's degree program at Thompson Institute in Harrisburg.

When Mozurkevich was hired he said he was especially glad that the job would allow him to be an active patrolman. "I don't like being a desk jockey," he said, adding that his goal was to use his education, training, and experience to work with the community. Mozurkevich said he wanted to emphasize training and education for the community, especially in the schools, on topics ranging from bike safety to drug awareness.

Mozurkevich has not commented on the council's actions and his resignation.