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Arrest Made In Vehicular Deaths 
Nanticoke: A N.y. Is Charged After 2 Were Killed In A Crash In A Car He Was
Driving.

By KASIA KOPEC kkopec@leader.net
 Saturday, January 10, 2004 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE - Mayor Tom Leighton named two new police captains and
announced the reappointment of two others on Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The newly promoted officers are Wayne Cooney, who takes over as captain of
detectives, and Donald Crane, who will be captain of patrol. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Crane fills the spot left vacant when former Capt. Tom Merlie retired in
February. Cooney's new post is that vacated by Gerry Dessoye when he was
promoted to police chief. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Laralee Riemensnyder and Tom Unvarsky were reappointed to captain of crime
prevention and training and captain of operations, respectively. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dessoye said he is confident all four captains will aid him in his efforts
to reinvigorate the force. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``They come from a variety of backgrounds and bring with them a very
impressive amount of experience,'' Dessoye said. ``I'm looking forward to
working with them to combat the city's drug problems and to improve morale
among our officers.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cooney's duties will include supervising detectives and managing narcotics
and homicide investigations. He also will serve as a liaison between the
department and other law enforcement agencies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A 32-year veteran of the city's force, Cooney, 54, resides in the Heights
section with his wife, Ines. The couple has two grown children. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crane, 52, has been with the department for 28 years. He will oversee
patrol officers and manage day-to-day operations of the patrol division. He
lives in the Parsons section with his wife, Kathy, and daughter, Sarah. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Riemensnyder, 54, a 30-year veteran, will continue to coordinate the city's
crime watch programs as well as training for department employees. She will
retain her grant writing responsibilities. She resides in South Wilkes-Barre
with her husband, Robert, and son, Bobby. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Unvarsky will continue overseeing police records and maintaining crime
statistics. He has been with the department 33 years and has been captain for
the past three. He resides in Parsons with his wife, Patty, and has three
grown sons. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In a statement announcing the administrative changes, Leighton said he
expects all four captains to work closely with the new chief to develop a
comprehensive plan to fight crime in the city. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Residents ... will once again feel safe in their homes and on the streets
(and) drug dealers will get moved out of the city of Wilkes-Barre to make room
for good, hard-working families,'' Leighton said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kasia Kopec, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7436. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 CUTLINE: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/S. JOHN WILKIN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton named two new police captains and
reappointed two others Friday. The administration includes, left to right,
Wayne Cooney, captain of detectives; Laralee Riemensnyder, captain of crime
prevention and training; Chief Gerry Dessoye; Tom Unvarsky, captain of
operations; and Donald Crane, captain of patrol. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

W-b Police Changes Mayor Names Cooney, Crane New Captains With The Appointments, Tom Leighton Says A Campaign Against Crime Is Planned.