Former Greensburg cop pleads guilty to falsifying inspections, gets probation

A former Greensburg police officer pleaded guilty Friday to falsifying commercial truck inspections and will serve one year on probation.

Robert Shapiro II, 44, of Latrobe, joined Greensburg's police department in 2013. According to court records, in 2015 he was responsible for conducting full inspections of trucks that operated in the city. Police Chief Chad Zucco said Shapiro was fired after he was charged in early 2016.

Investigators said Shapiro submitted paperwork in which he claimed to have conducted full inspections. Truckers notified authorities that the officer was not doing complete inspections, police said.

A review of records and video from a dashboard camera in Shapiro's police car confirmed that at least six inspections were not fully completed, according to court records.

Shapiro was charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of tampering with public records.

In court on Friday, he pleaded guilty to one charge and prosecutors agreed to dismiss the 11 remaining offenses.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger imposed the terms of the negotiated plea bargain in which Shapiro will serve probation.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.