Jeannette to welcome new police chief next month

The city of Jeannette will have a new police chief on April 1.

Shannon Binda, 46, will replace Brad Shepler, who will remain on the force as a corporal, said Mayor Richard Jacobelli.

“I sent Brad a nice letter thanking him for his work over the years,” Jacobelli said.

Police officers in the city earn between $80,000 and $92,000, depending on their rank and seniority. Shepler earned about $80,000 as chief.

Under the Third Class City Code, the power to promote or demote a police chief rests with the mayor and does not require council ratification. The code requires that the new chief come from the police force ranks.

“My first request of the police officers was to submit a resume to allow me to evaluate and review their backgrounds,” Jacobelli said. “Performance is essential. Visibility and attitude to do the job played an important role in my decision. I have the utmost confidence Officer Shannon Binda will fulfill the role as chief.”

Binda, who has been a police officer for more than two decades, will be sworn in at the April council meeting, the mayor said.

Shepler, 49, was promoted to chief in 2010 by then-mayor Bob Carter. He could not be reached for comment.

Changes in police leadership are not uncommon in cities and boroughs in the state.

As mayor, Jacobelli oversees the police department, which has been criticized by business owners and residents in recent years for their lack of visibility. When Jacobelli took office in January, he said he planned to review the department's operation and moved his office next to the police chief's on the first floor of city hall.

The mayor said he wanted a “working chief” after council heard complaints that drug dealers were selling openly in residential areas. Business owners complained they never saw officers patrolling downtown when drugs were being sold.

A consultant hired by the state this year reported the 11-man force was doing a good job. But council eventually will have to decide how large a force the city can afford. It has been hit with excessive overtime costs and can't meet its annual contributions to the police pension fund.

In 2003, Binda was charged with accidently shooting a bald eagle that he mistook for a nesting turkey while hunting. He paid $4,000 in fines to the state and federal governments and lost his hunting license for three years.

Shepler was suspended without pay in 2006 for violating the city's residency requirement and demoted from lieutenant to patrolman. He successfully sued the city in federal court alleging his demotion was in retaliation for failing to support a candidate for mayor.

Richard Gazarik is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-830-6292 or rgazarik@tribweb.com.