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Outdoors with Tom Venesky: Is Pennsylvania ready for another predator?

Misericordia to host week-long MLK celebration

<p>Wilkes-Barre, we may have a problem.</p><p>Apparently, some city police officers don&#8217;t like their soon-to-be-boss Lt. Marcella Lendacky, who will become Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s first female police chief in March when current chief Robert Hughes retires.</p><p>If there&#8217;s a revolt at the city&#8217;s police station, new city Mayor Tony George won&#8217;t be able to say he wasn&#8217;t warned. He&#8217;s only been in office one week and the honeymoon is already over.</p><p>In an anonymous letter sent to the Times Leader, some officers told George that appointing Lendacky &#8220;would be detrimental to the police department and the city.&#8221; To the victor go the spoils, so George appointed her anyway and called the letter &#8220;cowardly.&#8221; Lendacky admitted she contributed $500 to George&#8217;s campaign but, hey, that&#8217;s how the game is played. You want to get ahead, you donate to those running for office and hope they win.</p><p>The letter alleged Lendacky has strained relations with other police departments and indicated she is not up to the job. Some have said the same about George. Only time will tell whether either of them will prove the cynics wrong.</p><p>By the way, Chief Lendacky&#8217;s resume speaks for itself. She joined the city police force in 1989, the TL reported. She was repeatedly promoted and was the first woman officer to become lieutenant. She said she&#8217;s committed to revisiting the city&#8217;s unsolved murders and being proactive in using statistics and analyses to fight crime. Sounds pretty good so far.</p><p>The disgruntled cops who penned the letter said, &#8220;If promoted, she will ruin the morale of the police department and it will cause many officers to turn against the administration. We believe many officers will bring issues with her public, which will make us all look bad.&#8221;</p><p>All? Whatever could that mean?</p><p>Here&#8217;s what I say: Bring it on, officers. Speak out now or forever hold your peace. Otherwise, some may conclude you simply don&#8217;t relish taking orders from a female boss. If your concerns are justified, and you are truly concerned about the welfare of the city or there is someone in the ranks more qualified to be police chief, come forward and speak up.</p><p>Then again, you run the risk of running afoul of Chief Lendacky. You know what that means &#8212; you may be assigned indefinitely to the Sherman Hills beat.</p><p>I understand where these cops are coming from. As a former reporter, I&#8217;m aware some anonymous tips are justified. The person wants to provide important information but fears retribution if his identity is revealed.</p><p>Maybe these police officers do have legitimate concerns but consider it counter-productive to alienate their new boss. However, they have alienated the big chief in City Hall in charge of all of them, Mayor George.</p><p>Unfortunately, they now find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place.</p><p>George said of their letter, &#8220;If you&#8217;re afraid to sign it, that&#8217;s a cowardly way of doing things. That&#8217;s how much they&#8217;re afraid of Chief Lendacky getting into position.&#8221; I couldn&#8217;t agree more. It&#8217;s easy to take pot shots at someone while under the cloak of anonymity.</p><p>Perhaps it would have been wise of Mayor George, a former top cop himself, to investigate the apparent dissension within police headquarters and try to quell a gathering storm before it becomes a tsunami.</p><p>Maybe these police officers&#8217; complaints are nothing more than a tempest in a teapot, and they simply cannot bear the thought that, for the first time in their lives, they will report to a woman. If that&#8217;s the case, they need to get with the times and accept the fact that women have come a long way, baby.</p><p>Acting Chief Lendacky said of the controversy, &#8220;It&#8217;s absolute nonsense.&#8221; She expects pushback and is used to it. &#8220;I look forward to it. I enjoy it.&#8221; I&#8217;m not sure why anyone looks forward to resistance, but to each his own.</p><p>She also graciously said she hopes &#8220;with the fine officers that I know we have, that we can all work together.&#8221; Judging by this initial resistance to her appointment, that may not be the case. This is a new start for the city and, hopefully, the rank and file within the police force will give Lendacky a chance.</p><p>The city of Wilkes-Barre has turned a corner. Not only does it have a new mayor after 12 years of the Tom Leighton administration; it also has its first-ever female police chief.</p><p>If the officers who penned the anonymous letter choose to remain in hiding, allow their concerns to fester unabated and refuse to cooperate with their professional significant other, so be it.</p><p>To Police Chief Marcella Lendacky &#8212; you go, girl!</p><style>
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Zeroing In: It’s a new day in Wilkes-Barre City but will the rank and file support a female police chief?