Former Kiski Township police say supervisors harassed them with false reprimand over dinner party

Three of the four Kiski Township police officers who quit this month said one of the reasons for their departure was an unfounded reprimand from supervisors about attending a graduation dinner party where alcohol was served.

Four township police officers and the police secretary resigned on July 7 and 8.

Most of the employees said they quit because of harassment by the township supervisors and a hostile work environment. The new township police chief is trying to rebuild the force while state police supplement police coverage.

Three Kiski Township police officers who resigned said township supervisors sent a letter of reprimand threatening their employment.

The complaint, which the supervisors later dropped, accused officers of drinking while in uniform or wearing township insignia at a post-Apollo-Ridge High School graduation dinner at a North Apollo restaurant on June 3.

On June 24, township solicitor Tim Miller, representing the supervisors, issued a reprimand to at least three police officers for drinking alcohol while in partial uniform or clothing with a Kiski Township Police logo at Stars Restaurant & Bar in North Apollo, according to a copy of the letter secured by the Tribune-Review.

The reprimand said police policy prohibits officers, on or off duty, from using “alcohol to excess thereby causing embarrassment to or bring criticism (and) disgrace.” The solicitor’s letter stated the officers could lose their job or face further discipline if they didn’t “refrain from such activity in the future.”

The police officers pressed for a review and details of the incident and asked their union, the United Steelworkers, to intervene, according to former Kiski Township police Sgt. Thomas Dessell.

In statements sent to Dessell, obtained by the Tribune-Review, one officer who was in uniform and on duty ate dinner and drank a nonalcoholic beverage. The other three officers said they weren’t wearing police uniforms and drank mostly either nonalcoholic beverages or just a few drinks.

“Any time a complaint is levied against someone, you have to do due diligence, and they did not. And they took action that was unjust and illegal, resulting in a grievance being filed,” Dessell said.

“This was an example of systematic harassment,” he said. “It made the officers leave. They were unjustly harassed.”

After the officers quit, Dessell received a July 19 letter from Supervisor Mike Bash and Township Secretary/Treasurer Patrick Bono, which was secured by the Tribune-Review.

The letter stated that the township had withdrawn the complaint because the incident “garnered no verifiable evidence.”

Supervisor Rich Frain said Wednesday he could not comment on the employee allegations and incidents.

Speaking for the entire board, Frain said, “The board cannot comment on personnel issues publicly. That’s a violation of the employees’ rights.”

Solicitor Tim Miller did not respond immediately for comment and was believed to be unavailable. Bono did not immediately respond to a phone message. Bash did not return calls for comment.

Three of the officers interviewed by the Tribune-Review were upset that the township didn’t investigate the incident before it decided to send letters of reprimand.

Former police Officer Alex Cherevka, who received a reprimand, said he did not violate the department’s policy and said the reprimand was harmful to his job and job prospects.

“These are serious accusations, as any officer would be concerned about any claim of alcohol consumption in uniform,” Cherevka said in a written statement to Dessell.

“These claims do make me concerned for not only my employment at Kiskiminetas Twp. Police (at the time), but also future opportunities should these claims be used against me,” he said.

Cherevka said he would have to explain the incident at job interviews: “I do believe it hurt my reputation and credibility as an officer.”

Dessell said the reprimand was part of his ongoing litigation with the township.

According to Dessell, he is in the process of filing a lawsuit against township officials, including Bono and supervisors Mike Bash, Frain, Chuck Rodnicki and Dylan Foster.

Officers speak out about resigning

Jason Loose, who quit the police department earlier in the month, said the township’s reprimand played a role in all of the police officers’ resignations.

“It wasn’t just that — it was a culmination,” Loose said. “There were specific incidents where I felt intimidated and bullied.”

Loose recalled an incident during a February 2020 police department meeting when he said Bash ordered officers in attendance to “avoid initiating a traffic stop for anyone who resides in the township.”

Loose said he felt “belittled and intimidated” by Bash when he stopped him speeding in the spring of 2021.

According to Loose’s account, Bash was driving 65 mph in a 45 mph zone on Route 56 near McKinstry Hill Road.

Loose said after he pulled over Bash, the supervisor told him he was not speeding.

“Bash reluctantly handed over his driver’s license and vehicle information while asking how long the stop was going to take because he was running late for a scheduled event,” Loose said in his statement.

When Loose returned to Bash’s truck with his documentation, Bash became irate, Loose said.

“How do you think this looks,” Loose said of Bash’s comments, “a township supervisor getting stopped by the cops. Everybody driving by knows what my truck looks like.”

Loose also accused Bash of removing Post-it notes in fall 2021 from surveillance cameras that prevented supervisors from viewing police office cameras during confidential investigations. When Bash removed the Post-it notes, Loose said Bash told him, “This is bull[expletive]. We have to find a way to get rid of Dessell.”

Loose also accused Frain of asking him to run the license plate of an unknown person who drove by a picket line and harassed union members and employees of ATI in Vandergrift.

Cherevka said he had multiple issues with the supervisors.

He said he was off duty and wore street clothes to the Apollo-Ridge High School graduation dinner. He said he ordered a Buffalo chicken sandwich and drank two alcoholic beverages.

“I was not intoxicated and did not act in a manner that would bring embarrassment to the township,” he said in his written statement to Dessell.

But in a meeting with Bash, Rodnicki and Bono after the reprimand, Cherevka said he asked them what he did to deserve the letter.

“I was informed that this was not really about me and had more to do with someone else in particular,” Cherevka said in his statement to Dessell.

“They informed me there will be a new chief in charge, and things are going to be changing very soon.”

Cherevka said he also had an issue with Bash telling him he has keys to the police department and can enter it at any time.

“Bash seems to believe he has the authority to enter the station as he pleases,” Cherevka said, “which concerns me due to the sensitivity and confidentiality of the information we work with as police officers.”