So Dormont is now down TWO active officers over this silliness? This is unacceptable and ludicrous. What is it going to take, an innocent law abiding citizen in need of an officer to be injured or worse to get this council and manager to wake up and get off this personal vendetta and childishness? I think if one citizen suffers due to the lack of police protection that each and every council member be held personally responsible along with the boro manager for fostering this outlandish situation. Dont you people live in this boro? What if you or a loved one are the one that needs an officer? Enough! Its time perhaps for the citizens to explore their own legal venues in our own best interest.

I am at a loss for words. One officer is on leave (medical, I assume), and now we have two sergeants on paid administrative leave. WHAT IS GOING ON???? Borough management and council have already jerked around the fire dept (and lost), and are plowing their way through the police dept (verdict is still out but not looking to good for manager and council). Look out Public Works, if trends continue then you are NEXT!!!

I'm curious, exactly what and who does it take to decide to suspend an officer? Is it voted on by council, is there a special meeting, is it decided by Gino?

So they do, Mr. Costanzo...so they do. Sad, that. What a conglomerate of fools.

I'm case ur forgetting dormont is a square mile how many police officers do they need!!!!!!

Mr. Conner:

Dormont has 9,000 residents in that "square mile" land does not generate calls people do. We also have too many bars, two very busy roads and we border the city. We need every officer we have.

Mr Connor do you actually live in Dormont? It may be "a square mile" as you put it but it is a very densely populated area. Have you ever frequented the area around Potomac Avenue in the evenings to observe the transient "riff raff" that hangs out around there? I no longer feel safe around there in the evenings and at night. I used to go out any time of day or night and now worry but that has changed. As I have pointed out I hope someone doesnt find themselves in need of an officer and there is not one available. As recently as last year we had 2 gentlemen almost murdered by a burgler if you will recall. In broad daylight no less. Its not the quantity but the quality, sir. Again, its "not a big deal" until something tragic occurs.

I bet this is helping the current over use of officer overtime situation....good work Mr. Rizza...good work.

Dan, investigate this one. When Sergeant Ross was put on adminstrative leave today he was told to leave the premises. This left one officer on duty ALONE ! TO ANSWER A DOMESTIC CALL. OF ALL CALLS FOR AN OFFICER TO ANSWER THEY ARE THE MOST DEADLY. And yes I called the Dormont police station to confirm this when I heard the news. You may also want to know that 4 council members, Malka, Lusardi, Lehman and Schmitt(former girlfriend of Mr. Rizza) have called for an internal investigation of the police dept. They have put themselves in charge of it. They have excluded all other council members who have not shown support foir Mr. Rizza. Gee does that smells of a rat and some big fat lawsuits.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This whole thing is crazy. I understand that when on OFFICIAL BOROUGH BUSINESS that Gino Rizza should be able to enter thru that door. However, it's my understanding he was on PERSONAL business for a parking ticket he was disputing. At that point, he becomes just like any other citizen that gets a ticket. And on that note, why does he feel he doesn't have to pay it? If he was parked illegally, then he should have to pay it. Man up Gino...you were wrong!

Jeff,

This is copied from the Dormont Borough Code:

ARTICLE V
Removals, Suspensions and Reductions in Rank
§ 8-44. Grounds.
No person employed as police officer or fire apparatus operator shall be suspended, removed or
reduced in rank, except for the following reasons:
A. Physical or mental disability affecting his or her ability to keep in service.
B. Neglect or violation of any official duty.
C. Violation of any law of this commonwealth which provides that such a violation
constitutes a felony.
D. Inefficiency, neglect, intemperance, disobedience of orders or conduct unbecoming a
public servant.
E. Intoxication while on duty.
F. Participating in the conduct of any political or election campaign, otherwise than to
exercise his or her own right to suffrage.
§ 8-45. Removal prohibited for religious or other reasons.
A person so employed as a police officer or fire apparatus operator shall not be removed for

§ 8-49. Interim suspension of accused.
The Council may suspend any person against whom charges are made without pay pending the
determination of the charges against him or her.

great job Gino way to cost the boro more money. Kudos to Seargent Burke and Chief Ross. You should go on a vacation courtesy of Rizza,McMeans and certain council members you deserve it having to put up with all the harassment. I can't wait till November.

Let go of your egos....It seems to me that council has very large egos that are getting in the way of what the main objective is
of a council member. As I always thought you were to do what was in the best interest of the community. By demoting and suspending police officers in a department that is already short staffed is absurd!!! All you are doing is placing the citizens, other public safety agencies in Dormont, but mostly the men who are left on the streets alone to protect all. Bury the egos and do what's right for the citizens of Dormont. Your egos could get some hurt or god forbid killed. People mention rif-raf in Dormont, don't you think they know what's going on??? Dormont council, please bury your very large egos before something bad happens!!!!

DORMONT THE LAUGHING STALK OF THE SOUTH HILLS !
How proud we are to live here...NOT!

Agreed Mr Weisner. How long before the criminals realize that property is ripe for the picking in Dormont now that this mess is all over the news. Im very concerned for my property and for my elderly mother that also resides in Dormont. Too bad we cant directe the criminals to the properties of those responsible for this mess. Namely the council members and Mr. Rizza himself. Maybe I should put a sign on my car and on my home "criminals please go rob those responsible for our lack of a police presence". But then again you know what they say about Karma.

This is an absolute disgrace. Bryan, I'm with you. An outside investigative agency needs to be brought in at this point. A few council people, allied with a corrupt boro manager are now endangering our community as well as blowing our money.

Well I guess we know of one council member that the public cannot rely upon. Let me share an email response I received from Mr. Lehman to my request to get this situation under control.

" Leah, We did not ask for this confrontation but as a council that represents all of Dormont we have to make difficult decisions. It certainly would be easier for us to just cave in and throw our hands up and give in to these tactics but that is what got Dormont into the millage mess that we have. Previous councils were filled with people that didn't want to rock the boat. Did you know that your taxes were increased three times by the last two four-year council terms before we were elected? This happened because no one was watching the store.
I was elected to represent everybody in Dormont not just the ones that make the most noise.
Thanks for your e-mail,
Drew Lehman"
So..
I guess a big messy legal fight where the lawyers are the big money winners and again the taxpayers are the losers is the only way this is going to get sorted out after all. How is that saving us money Council???

We actually have 8593 residents, a decrease of 7.7% over just 10 years and the same amount of officers.

Obviously the 2 last people to comment do not understand this is not sbout taxes. Sounds like sour grapes from the primary. Sore losers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! November is around the corner.

I urge everyone to write our Senators and Representatives advising them and asking for their assistance. This has to stop. We need to stand up and make this stop. This borough is no longer safe and we are the laughing stock of Western PA due to these ridiculous shenanigans.

Mr. Keaney your smug attitude and disrespect for the police and disregard for the facts is exactly why you thankfully did not and will never be elected in Dormont. Thanks for the numbers correction though. I am now aware that Dormont has 8593 residents not 9000.

The good thing is that you and the council members who back Mr. Rizza and his antics continue to open your mouth and insert your foot for all to read and hear.

Just my opinion, everyone should have one and we should respect each others. Never claimed to have knowledge and wisdom of the inner workings of the Borough, but thank you for thinking highly of me. I was and am, however, willing to learn. Any of you bold enough to come out from behind your screen names?

I read these articles with circus music playing.

This is an excerpt from the Pennsylvania's Governor's Center for Local Government Services Borough Council Handbook.
"Borough councils are required to provide an opportunity for public comments at each advertised regular and special meeting. A 1998 amendment to the Sunshine Law requires that council must allow for public comment prior to taking official action".

Was this followed in the case of suspension of these officers? Do we as the public have any recourse to rein in an "out of control" council? Any real lawyers care to chime in?

Are you kidding me, the GPS units were removed?? Contrary to what speculations and/or accusations being made pertaining to the GPS units, they were installed for the safety of the DPD - why would someone want to jeopardize the safety of his fellow officers - what gives???

Wow, this just gets worse and worse. I live right outside of Dormont, but right now I am glad I don't live in Dormont. With crime rates going crazy because of the horrid economy, I can't believe the borough of Dormont is basically unprotected. I would imagine should a situation arise Mt. Lebanon or The City of Pittsburgh would be asked to help, but that will have to be paid for I'm sure. Dormont is in a quandry for sure. I hope something gets worked out soon.

To all the burglars out there and Joyce :)
IMHO>>>> I dont think even the police would say that "Dormont is basically unprotected " right now....
so if any burglars are reading the Patch ..... I seriously wouldn't try anything! :D

Let's all sing along (to the tune of Lola)...Dormont gets what Dormont wants.

Dormont elected this council. They ran to save the pool and to save the taxpayers money (as the police dept. is the largest portion of the budget guess where the attempted savings come from?). They hired an inexperienced manager and have subsequently proven their time in office hasn't helped their inexperience fade as they all took office without any experience in governance.

Per the PA Code for Boroughs, public safety falls under the jurisdiction of the Mayor. When council suspends or disciplines a public safety officer it is on the recommendation of the Police Chief and/or the Mayor. It used to work that way in Dormont but this group either doesn't know how or understand how government works. If they are getting legal advice to the contrary it might be to keep the legal fees rolling in (oh my, that's the charge they levied at the last solicitor).

Rules are rules. Residents are expected to follow them so should everyone else. Rizza should parked illegally-- pay the ticket. Rizza entered the PD through a door he shouldn't have (by the way, shouldn't this door be secured better or does he have a key?)-- accept the punishment. Lloyd ordered Ross to disable the GPS units (without appropriate authority?)-- so accept the punishment. People here are so biased. If the tables were turned and Rizza ordered the GPS units to be disabled, the same people that cheered Ross/Lloyd for giving the order would now be yelping about police safety. Rules are supposed to be objective and uniformly enforced for a reason...

Dan,

Is that a direct quote? Gino's attorney is appealing the ticket on "principal". So we are going to pay for Gino, His attorney, and any overtime from the officer that wrote this ticket as a matter of "principal". That is a waist of taxpayer money and very hypocritical considering he (Gino) has issue with police overtime and what principal is he speaking of? Don't dare give the borough administration a parking ticket? He admitted he parked there and should not have...even if it was only for a short while. Is it appropriate for a person to park in a handicap spot even if it is only for a minute...Come on man!

Dan agreed it is not the crime of the century for sure, but to quote a certain attnorney, is it not a matter of "principal" when your on the backs of others to follow rules to the letter you better be prepared to do so yourself! Do as I do! Be a true leader!

It takes two to tango!

Oh, my. I seem to have contracted typoitis from the comment section. I meant principle, not principal.

All I have to say is November is just around the corner. Maggio and his bosom buddy, Rizza need to go.

The police and fire department do so much and suspending two officers while one is off sick how are they going to safe money now with all the overtime to cover all these shifts.

Rizza has been nothing but a problem since day one and needs to go. How is it he can "try" to get his parking ticket taken care of on Borough time while working... Isn't that going against some rules, and wasn't it him and the members of council that kept going after the Mayor for throwing away tickets. Doesn't make sense.

Some ideas for peaceful protest: Continue parking in Mr. Rizza's reserved parking spot. Email members of council, and Gino, with positive stories and praise for the Dormont PD. All the members' addresses, email, and phone numbers are available online. Bombard them with your support for the police here. Please, no hate mail. Also, make sure to let our officers know how much their service means to us. Boycott the pool, since that was what got these goons elected in the first place. Pass the word on to your neighbors. And be sure to sit in on borough council meetings. It isn't enough to complain here. Overwhelm them with positivity directed toward our police dept.

Dengar, Im not quite sure how to take your remarks about looting the Cogo's. Do you think there isnt crime in Dormont? Maybe you should discuss this issue with the woman who was the victim of a home invasion on Espy Avenue last night and the officers who were assaulted in the apprehension of the suspects. Thank God we had officers available to reach her in time. Remember when SECONDS count help is only MINUTES away. Again, I hope it doesnt come down to a tragedy to get this council and Mr. Rizza to wake up to the damage they have done to the public safety and welfare of this community.

There are far more determinants of public safety than police officers per capita. Poverty, education, economy, population density, income inequality, budget, officers' workload, crime rates, geography and type of policing service are necessary considerations to strike a proper balance. If everyone was required to extensively research all of these factors before making a conclusion there would be very few comments on this matter. Opinions are always based on two things (education and experience). I wish objectivity were one of those two things.

If you read the code, it does give council the power to hire, fire, suspend, etc. police officers. And it does state
48-16. Effect on Mayor's powers.
Subject only to the provisions set forth above, the duties of the Mayor to oversee the police
force as provided in the applicable sections of the Borough Code shall not be deemed
diminished.

Seems like a political power struggle going on!

One way to help stop this garbage from happening is to vote out the council members who seem thinks they own the borough!

Like I said earlier, have the Mayor, and every council person and borough manager for the last 36 + years been reading the code incorrectly? I guess as one person stated here, the courts will have to decide who wins this power struggle because right now, we are all losing. People's health is being affect, their families are being hurt and their professional careers are in jeopardy. Is it worth it people? Is it worth it?

Jeff, well said!!!!

I was out last night and ran into friends on two seperate occasions, neither of whom live in Dormont. One basically laughed at the pathetic state of affairs in our town and the other urged me to move, NOW, before it gets any worse here. Our absolute embarrasment of leadership and the problems that they have created has now been in every news paper, local web site, and news channel in Pittsburgh.

I serve Dormont in a public service capacity and I decided to do this to help the residents of a community I "was" proud to call home. More and more every day I realize that my choice to serve might have been a grave mistake, but I keep in mind our residents who actually care and rely on us. Those who are supposed to be "leading" this community do so with so much mis-direction, spite, angst, personal political agandas, and basic disregard for common sense, that I know now that the best place for my family and I is no longer in Dormont.

To those on Capital Hill, a.k.a. 1444 Hillsdale Ave, give yourselves a hand. Well Done!

Lee, if your comments are directed to me, no I never wanted the borough manager's job nor do I think I ever wanted him fired. You must have me mistaken with someone else. I did say above "People's health is being affect, their families are being hurt and their professional careers are in jeopardy" I was not specific about who, police, council or management but again I have to ask, is all the crap that is going on with this power grab worth it? What will be the end results? Truth is that everyone now and I mean everyone, is acting like children. Let's bring in an outside mediator, have everyone sit down together and work out the issues. That may be easier said than done but I would prefer they work out their issues in private rather than in the press or with lawyers.

"Nobody likes change, and it's been so many years where the only thing that changed ... was a revolving door of managers," said Councilman John Maggio. But he added: "Mr. Rizza could be a little bit more personable in his dealings. He shares some of the blame in all of this."

Read more: Personality clash boils over in Dormont - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_741641.html#ixzz1PSbvAxjR

"Gino's ... not warm and fuzzy. He's not going to try and make people feel good about this."

Read more: Personality clash boils over in Dormont - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_741641.html#ixzz1PScsnyYE

The employees of Dormont must be glad to know they are respected and appreciated.

"The employees are talking about terrible working conditions in the borough, but nobody wants to leave," Councilman Drew Lehman said. "They know there'd be a line out the door, all the way down to the Liberty Tubes, with people willing to replace them."

Read more: Personality clash boils over in Dormont - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_741641.html#ixzz1PSeVzz4s

Ralf Zawischa was suspended today by Mayor Lloyd. Post-Gazette broke it a half hour ago.

What? Now Ralph too? Enough is enough!

Council members, Mayor Lloyd and Mr. Rizza, I will speak for myself but based on numerous comments, I would guess there are other residents of Dormont that would implore you to agree to reinstate these three officers, remove the GPS units for now and resolve this issue by sitting down to discuss what the reason is for the GPS units, the reason for Mr. Rizza being cited for being in a secured police area, and what compromise can be reached regarding both.

This turmoil is doing nothing constructive in terms of the morale of the employees or the sense of security of the residents and now, opening our community up to potential litigation from the first person who is injured because there wasn't enough manpower in our police department.

If it's true the goal of Council and Mr. Rizza is to save this community money, I think all of us would be hard pressed to understand how placing three police officers on paid leave and having to pay other officers OT to maintain coverage, is saving our community money.

PLEASE resolve this before someone truly gets hurt...and I'm not just talking about egos.

If this is not official oppresion I don't know what is!!! I sure hope it is worth it to Lehman, Malka, Lusardi & Schmitt (FORMER GIRLFRIEND OF MR. RIZZA/WHILE ON COUNCIL I MIGHT ADD) There is a few old sayings that apply here , be careful what you wish for,you get what you give and what goes around comes around. This will come back to haunt you all in more ways than you ll ever imagine and it will impact your families negatively just as your actions have for these individuals families.. I t is far from over. Now comes all of the lawsuits that the boro taxpayers will pay for. Mr. Rizza and Mr. McMeans and Lusardi will all be out of a job come January and will have left a trail of disaster and debt for the new council to try and get out from under. GOD HELP US ALL!!!!!

Educating the watchdog: is that a threat? Grow up. I dated Gino for a few months Well over a year ago. I am now engaged to a wonderful man (also an attorney) and will be married this fall. By the way, he also agrees with the borough manager and council. What are you not seeing? The police and mayor were wrong and not understanding the law!!!!!! Council and Gino and Isn are doing the best for this borough than anyone in the last 15 years. Quit with your hysterical threats and move on.

Ms Schmidt since you are obviously reading what the residents are saying here, could you please explain if this particular council are doing such a wonderful job why are you and Mr. Rizza systematically dismantling our police department? And please dont quote me financial figures. As a taxpayer and resident Im very concerned as to what the plan is to protect the citizens when you and your friends are finished kicking all of the fine gentlemen of the Dormont Police to the curb?

Not sure what happened to the article about Chief Ross expecting to be fired Friday at 4pm at the boro bldg. Being updated? Patch getting cold feet? I don't know. Want to make sure the info is out there though. Be at the boro building at 4pm if you can to support the chief.

To Dan Nephin. You said "this isn't child -rape". Does that mean that we can over look some wrong doings based on the severity of their actions. If you shoot someone and only graze them, isn't it still a crime?? The issue here is that Rizza entered the building, not for Dormont borough business, but for his own personal business?? Can any of us do that? The answer is to vote out everyone you can in Novermber beccause the new council will learn from this one, we hope...This is a time for ALL voters to get out and voice your opinion. If you don't vote, don't complain...

Dan...you stated earlier no one complained about Gino parking there. Why does there have to be a complaint? If he parked there, he was wrong. So anyone should park anywhere, as long as no one complains? You say you are not defending him, but clearly you did.

Ms. Williams, it is not the point that no one complained it was the point that Ross said someone called in and no one did.

You can read the posting located at:

http://dormont-brookline.patch.com/articles/dormont-manager-attorney-trespass-charge-utterly-ridiculous

"Sgt. Phil Ross said someone notified police about a vehicle parked in a LifeSpan spot."