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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Two members of city council said they support an independent review of the police department as tensions mount between the chief and union officials disciplined after an internal investigation into Facebook posts that allegedly disclosed confidential information.</p><p>Council Chairwoman Beth Gilbert and Councilman Bill Barrett, a former city police chief, said they are researching what outside agency or organization can be brought in under council&#8217;s city charter-designated investigative powers.</p><p>&#8220;My intention and plan is to introduce a resolution for an independent investigation of the department at the next council meeting,&#8221; Gilbert said in an email Monday.</p><p>Investigation has criminal connotations, Barrett said, and for that reason he preferred that an agency that specializes in police management conduct an evaluation or assessment of the department &#8220;from all angles.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I think that that might be something that&#8217;s more in order,&#8221; Barrett said Monday.</p><p>They agreed the working relationship has worsened between the union and the police administration since Mayor Tony George appointed her the first female chief of the department upon his taking office in 2016.</p><p>The union representing approximately 80 patrol officer, detectives, sergeants and lieutenants has questioned Lendacky&#8217;s qualifications and ability to run the mostly male department. It has filed a number of unfair labor practices and grievances against the department. The chief&#8217;s gender hasn&#8217;t been an issue to the union that said its members have had female supervisors in other police departments, the military and the private sector.</p><p>Gilbert and Barrett reacted to reports of Sgt. Phil Myers, president of the Wilkes-Barre Police Benevolent Association, and vice president Officer Dan Duffy, a former Scranton police chief, being disciplined for social media posts in April. The PBA on its Facebook page Friday confirmed the unnamed discipline it labeled &#8220;retaliatory, anti-union actions&#8221; by the city.</p><p>The posts discussed a department directive from Commander of Operations Ron Foy on accessing data from reports whose end result &#8220;made Officers (sic) jobs more dangerous and has made them less competent in their patrol duties. The posts also said, &#8220;There is strong evidence that (Chief Marcella Lendacky) has altered police reports.&#8221;</p><p>In May, the city notified Myers and Duffy that they were the subjects of an internal investigation that could lead to discipline with the potential of termination. The union filed an unfair labor practice that month that said the actions taken by Myers and Duffy were protected as elected PBA officials and furthermore, the Facebook posts &#8220;did not compromise any confidential information concerning the City police department.&#8221;</p><p>The city responded in July asking for dismissal of the PBA&#8217;s case. In its filing, the city turned the PBA&#8217;s claim of low morale in the department against the union.</p><p>The city said the April Facebook posts &#8220;adversely affect the moral and efficiency of the City&#8217;s Police Department which constitutes a violation of the City&#8217;s &#8216;Code of Conduct.&#8217;&#8221; In addition, it said the posts &#8220;have a tendency to destroy public respect for the City&#8217;s Police Department and confidence in the operation of its services which constitutes a violation&#8221; of the city&#8217;s Code of Conduct.&#8221;</p><p>The union had conducted an anonymous survey last year that described a toxic environment under Lendacky and Foy. In December, Myers presented the survey to city council asking for an independent investigation of the department. Gilbert, who was not chairwoman at the time, said she supported an investigation, but it did not come before council for a vote.</p><p>But Gilbert and Barrett agreed the time is right to look at the department.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of things have gone on far too long,&#8221; Barrett said.</p><p>Gilbert said there&#8217;s a concern for public safety.</p><p>&#8220;In my opinion, all parties involved should welcome an investigation,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If everything is on the up and up, then we can move on. If it is not, however, then we can seek to rectify it for the sake of our residents and our police department.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre City Council Chairwoman Beth Gilbert says she will call for an independent investigation of the Wilkes-Barre Police Department at the next council meeting. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_citycouncil01-1-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre City Council Chairwoman Beth Gilbert says she will call for an independent investigation of the Wilkes-Barre Police Department at the next council meeting. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Bill-Barrett-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barrett </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Bill-Barrett-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Barrett </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre council members call for review of police after officers’ discipline