Questions remain about police chief’s citizenship
The California Borough Police Department is relying heavily upon its dozen or so part-time officers to fill shifts normally covered by three of the borough’s five full-time police officers. The borough council a week ago placed acting chief Tracy Hudak Vitale on paid administrative leave pending completion of an investigation by the state police certification agency into whether or not Vitale is a U.S. citizen.
According to her attorney, Charles LoPresti, Vitale was adopted in Germany at the age of 3 by U.S. citizens who were serving in the U.S. military at the time.
Questions as to whether that adoption was properly recorded in the United States and whether Vitale is a U.S. citizen were raised earlier this summer, starting an inquiry into her citizenship by the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission. All police officers in Pennsylvania must be U.S. citizens.
Jack Lewis of the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission said placing Vitale on leave was strictly a local decision.
“MPOETC does not have a position on this matter. It is strictly up to the employer to decide what actions should be taken. There is no specific timetable on when MPOETC will respond,” Lewis stated.
Anita Moore of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services northeast office said information on individual cases is confidential, it can take up to six months to obtain replacement citizenship documentation.
U.S. Rep. Mark Critz’s office staff said his office has been contacted to look into the matter. The office issued the following statement Wednesday:
“It is the obligation of this office to respond to any request when it concerns the function of a federal agency,” Critz, D-Johnstown, said. “Immigration issues fall under this category, and when a request is made to look into issues we take great pride in doing that job well. It is not the function of any congressional office to award or take away citizenship. It is the intent of this office to work toward finding the truth and making certain all government agencies do their jobs.
“It is not now, nor will it ever be, the role of this office to decide for local elected officials how they staff their offices or police departments. Such power rightly belongs to those put in office by the good people of California, PA.”
Council President Sheila Chambers, who voted against placing Vitale on administrative leave, said Vitale is the victim of a group of citizens who have been trying to remove her from office. Chambers said keeping Vitale on the force during the investigation into her citizenship did not open the borough to any additional liability.
“Our lawyer told us we were not liable. We did not issue her the card that made her a police officer, MPOETC did,” Chambers said. “She has conducted herself as an officer with valor for years. I certainly am willing to stand right beside her and take my chances.”
Meanwhile, the borough is getting by with two full-time officers and 12 or 13 part-time officers, according to Mayor Casey Durdines.
At full complement, the borough has five full-time officers, but currently two are on workers’ compensation and Vitale is on administrative leave.
“We certainly miss having the extra officer, but we’re getting through it,” Durdines said.
The police chief handles scheduling duties in the California police department and there are no provisions in the police contract for a member of the rank and file to be named officer in charge.
“The schedule was already made. We are having an issue filling Vitale’s shift, but we are trying to use the part-time officers,” Durdines said.
Durdines said he was not in favor of placing Vitale on administrative leave and would have favored having her restricted to handling office duties until the matter of her citizenship is resolved. Vitale is also the borough’s only K-9 handler, taking the borough’s police dog, Argo, off the streets as well.