Millvale Mayor Brian Spoale's first responsibility, immediately following his own Jan. 2 installation, was swearing in Tim Komoroski as the borough's police chief.
Komoroski, 54, had served as Millvale's deputy chief since 2015. He replaces previous Chief Derek Miller, who resigned after becoming chief in 2008.
According to Spoales, Komoroski will earn $70,000 as chief.
Komoroski is requiring the department's six full-time and four part-time officers to complete four months of training in order to work unaccompanied. Education of the officers focuses on the handling of people with mental illnesses, basic auto accident investigation and Department of Homeland Security concerns. He also aims for his officers to earn certifications in patrol rifle training and standardized field sobriety testing.
He said that the program follows one he implemented as a Port Authority Police and Security Services Department sergeant.
“The end result is you end up with officers who are much more educated, more knowledgeable.”
“Chief Komoroski has the drive, knowledge and leadership skills to assemble a team of young officers to help lead Millvale's expanding community,” said Spoales. “Chief Komoroski is not someone who will sit and wait for the call. He is a leader whether it is dealing with an investigation or working with any of the community's citizens, organizations, events and expects his team to follow his example.”
The chief remembers growing up in Millvale when residents knew every officer by name. In order to return to that level of familiarity, he is requiring his employees to patrol on foot at least one hour per day.
Similarly, Officers Jennifer Harpur and Cody Alword spend designated time each week interacting with children at the Millvale Community Library and Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, respectively.
“The reason for that is we want children to approach us.” Komoroski said. “If they see us in that type of venue, they won't be afraid to approach us and to come up to tell you if something is wrong.”
As chief, he wants to continue addressing Millvale's opiate problem by collaborating with the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and other agencies to bring awareness to the issue.
“It's not necessarily just a crime, it's (addiction is) a disease. We have to combat it that way. Once again, with any crime we have to acknowledge the fact that it's there.”
Komoroski joined Millvale after dedicating 20 years of service at the Port Authority. During his tenure, he started a DUI enforcement unit, for which he earned the Law Enforcement Agency Directors Award twice.
“The ability and the success that I've had here — and we've had a lot of success here in the past almost three years — that came from many, many things I learned at the Port Authority. … The Port Authority and my chiefs there gave me a lot of the training and, you know, prepared me to do this job.”
Komoroski completed municipal police training academy at the Community College of Beaver County and studied at La Roche College. He is a certified field training officer and DHS educator.
He resides in Shaler with his wife, Saralynn, and has three children.
Erica Cebzanov is a Tribune-Review contributor.
