Frazer officials have unusual explanation for high police turnover

Frazer officials just might want to consider putting a revolving door on the police department's entrance.

In a department that has only two full-time officers and relies on part-timers to fill the ranks, it's become a routine occurrence for part-time officers to be hired in Frazer only to leave for other departments, usually for full-time jobs.

This week, the township supervisors accepted the resignations of five part-timers. Fortunately, they also were able to hire three new ones.

The turnover doesn't surprise Supervisor Lori Ziencik, also the township manager, who believes there is a major reason why other departments are scooping up the township's part-timers: the training they receive from Frazer police Chief Terry Kuhns.

“They know that when they hire one of our part-timers, they've been trained right,” she said. “He loves seeing these guys he's trained get full-time jobs. He's hands-on in teaching them.”

Kuhns has a wealth of experience to draw from in training young officers. He started his career as a part-time officer in Tarentum and Cranberry Township before being hired full-time by the Fox Chapel police department. He then worked for the New Kensington police department and subsequently worked 27 years as a Westmoreland County detective before retiring in 2013.

The same year, he was hired as only the second police chief in Frazer's history.

He admits that he enjoys teaching young officers, many of them fresh out of the police academy.

“I do,” Kuhns said. “It kind of refreshed me after retiring from the county, to have that chance to show these guys how to do things. I still enjoy it.”

Although there is satisfaction in seeing those officers move on to full-time jobs, there is a downside to it. Kuhns said he has had to spend a lot of time interviewing officers and then wading through required paperwork for the state when new ones are hired.

“This year's been particularly bad,” he said. “It seems like I have a high ratio of my part-time guys getting full-time jobs compared to other departments.

“Maybe I'm doing something right.”

Since July, six officers have left the department, four of them for full-time positions. Two of them were hired by the city of Pittsburgh, one was hired by New Kensington and the fourth by Springdale Township. Two others, both of whom were hired in July, left to become part-time officers in Oakmont, which pays more than the $13.75 an hour starting salary in Frazer.

As a result, Officers Amber Price and Dalton Vanwhy, who have been with the department for about 18 months, have been granted pay raises to $15.50 an hour as senior officers.

Kuhns admits that wages can be a factor in officers leaving.

“We're discussing addressing that at budget time,” Kuhns said. “I would put us at the lower end of the Allegheny Valley police departments.”

He said it all depends on what an officer is looking for after graduating from the academy. Some want or need to make a higher wage. Others are willing to accept less pay for the opportunity to learn from Kuhns.

Another contributing factor to the turnover, according to Kuhns, is that larger departments such as Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania State Police ended hiring freezes and are looking to bolster their ranks.

Within the last two years, he said, Frazer has had five officers hired in Pittsburgh and he expects to lose another to the state police. In addition, Kuhns said two others are on the short list to fill full-time positions at other departments.

“At the present time, I have to do my best with the situation as it exists right now,” Kuhns said.

Tom Yerace is a freelance writer.