Trending
A specially-assigned Northumberland County judge may decide on a change of the procedure to appoint police administration in the City of Williamsport.
A Commonwealth Court panel earlier this week ruled the city has been violating the Optional Third Class City Code by not following civil service procedure in filling positions above the rank of lieutenant, according to Pennlive.com.
This review by the three-judge panel came as a result of retired city police Lt. Fred V. Miller IV suing after being bypassed multiple times for promotions. Miller retired in August.
In the order, Northumberland County Senior Judge Charles H. Saylor is set to:
• Grant summary judgment in favor of Miller
• Declare that appointments and promotions to any position in the police department with the exception of chief, be made pursuant to civil service examination and eligibility requirements in the Third Class City Code.
• Order the current positions of captain and assistant chief positions filled in compliance with the civil service process. That might result in the replacement of individuals in those positions.
Mayor Derek Slaughter told Pennlive that he was unaware of the opinion and declined to comment. Historically, the city mayor has filled positions above the rank of lieutenant without civil service testing and the court ruling changes this procedure.
Currently, no assistant chief position exists in the bureau that has two captains, Aaron Levan and Michael Corter, who make up the police command staff along with Chief Justin Ottaviano.
Initially, Saylor dismissed Miller's action seeking removal of former Assistant Chief Jason Bolt and then Capt. Ottaviano. Bolt is an agent, or also known as a detective.
Miller's complaint, filed in 2023, also named former Capt. Joshua Bell and Slaughter as defendants with Bell voluntarily returning to his former rank of agent.
Saylor found the attempt to remove Bolt and Ottaviano was unwarranted and without justification, according to Pennlive.
In his ruling, Saylor considered the form of government under which the city operates, which has the mayor retain the power to promote a candidate.
The operative fact is that all of the appointees were promoted from within and already had run the gauntlet of civil service safeguards, he wrote, according to Pennlive.
Miller's appeal of that ruling is what the Commonwealth Court ruled on.