Arnold police department goes without officer-in-charge, Mayor Santucci handling administrative work

Arnold Officer Rob Haus said he recently decided to step down as the city’s top cop and return as patrolman due to compensation and title disputes with the city.

“If I’m not going to get paid for the job, I’m not going to do the job,” Haus said Wednesday evening.

The law enforcement veteran has worked for Arnold for eight years.

He served as officer-in-charge since police Chief Josh Stanga was placed on administrative leave in August.

“I did what we needed to get done and trying to maintain the status quo of the department, and trying to maintain morale and retention,” Haus said about his time in charge.

He said he reached out to the city several times about pay raises and job title changes, but nothing materialized.

Haus also worked as the city’s interim police chief between former Chief Eric Doutt’s retirement Jan. 1, 2024 and Stanga’s hiring in February of that year.

Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci will be handling administrative responsibilities for the city’s police department until a new leader is selected.

Santucci acknowledged Haus stepped down because there was a disagreement over pay rates and job title. Haus was doing the work that a full-time chief position would require, Santucci said, but the city couldn’t accommodate a pay raise or a job title change.

“I totally understand,” Santucci said. “He did a great job, and we really appreciate him.”

She made the announcement at a recent council meeting.

Council has not appointed a new officer-in-charge.

“So, right now, all of the administrative issues in the police department, I am handling,” Santucci said.

For now, she’s handling payroll and scheduling, and officers report to her.

Having previously served as the city’s first female police chief, Santucci said she knows what she’s doing, but she hopes the change doesn’t last long.

“It’s a little difficult,” she said. “Usually, things go through the chain of command, but (the officers) are missing that step because they don’t have that management position.”

The department has six full-time officers, including Haus, and two part-timers.

Former chief’s legal troubles

Stanga, 42, was charged with five misdemeanor counts, including theft, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence and related offenses in connection with what state investigators described as a sting operation to gauge the chief’s integrity.

A trial on those charges is pending.

Stanga was charged after he responded in August to a report of a stolen vehicle left at Arnold’s Union Cemetery, where investigators left $278 in bills banded together in the cup holder of the vehicle’s center console and another $35 on the passenger seat as well as eight fake oxycodone pills, authorities said.

Haus was appointed to the officer-in-charge position because he had been at the department longer than any other officer and had the knowledge and skills to handle the job, Santucci said.

She said council is waiting to see the outcome of Stanga’s situation before making any leadership changes. If his trial is extended for too long, she said, council is prepared to discuss a change.

“I’m going to try to do my best until the outcome of Chief Stanga’s situation,” Santucci said. “We’re really trying hard to be solid. … We’ll continue to move forward and do the best we can.”