Police Chiefs in our area range from the precarious to the ludicrous.
First, it was Chief Mark “Full Auto” Kessler of Gilberton. He likes his guns and got his 15 minutes of fame producing videos of himself cursing and shooting. Gilberton was smart enough to pay him off and disband his one-man police force. Kessler is pretty much done in law enforcement and his planned reality show is deader than his career.
Now, Nazareth has provided humorous entertainment in the form of Chief Thomas “Stickies” Trachta.
Trachta must see an opening to be the next small town police chief that can get national coverage. He’s done much to get noticed by the national networks and one can only wonder, will it be enough? What else does he have up his long armed sleeve?
First, as reported by blogger Bernie O’Hare, Chief Trachta had a homeless woman brought before a Judge on a charge of harassment. According to O’Hare’s account, the case was weak, at best. The woman named Rosie was poorly defended and the Judge ultimately gave Rosie a slap on the wrist, in the way of a $100 fine. Not much of a fine for us, but to a homeless woman…
No big deal about a homeless woman that Trachta seemed determined to run in, right? Nobody but O’Hare seemed to notice, but there were actually others who saw Thomas Trachta as the retired NY bully cop, that so many in Nazareth believe him to be.
Small stickers began being seen in Nazareth.
Approximately 2″ square, they had a large “FT”, with the words, “Fire Trachta” printed within a circle. According to reports, these stickers were found on signs, benches, mailboxes, borough hall, and “even trees.”
Chief Trachta threw the full weight of his mighty police force into finding these sticky terrorists – those who besmirch his good name! It took him a week, but he got the master mind and the cohorts who “harassed” him. Harassment being one of the many charges he filed against these adhesive applying purveyors of filth. The other charges are criminal mischief, scattering rubbish, and disorderly conduct.
Now, for most small town cops – even those who are the subject of the stickers – they wouldn’t clog the courts with what is basically a personal matter and one’s pride being hurt.
Once found out, it would have been far better to sit the perps down, tell them they are busted, that they have 48 hours to remove every sticker from borough property, and that next time stickers are seen they will be charged.
Not Trachta.
He had them do a perp walk after notifying the local papers that he found his criminals. Then walked 3 young men in belt and shackles to be taken before a Judge. The Judge set a bail, ordered them to drug testing, and even had one removed from his brother’s apartment (with whom he lived) because the brother had the printer that was used to make the stickers. Apparently, the Judge thought it too great a temptation to be near that same printer.
Local papers took their pictures of the young men and Chief Trachta mistakenly thought his subliminal message of, Don’t fuck with me, would see him praised by those he serves. He even gave what he must have thought was a great couple of lines to the press.
“The NBPD will investigate all crimes committed within Nazareth and do everything legally possible to bring the perpetrator to justice no matter how little or big the crime is,” the chief said. “We enforce all the laws and if you break the law there is a pretty good chance you’ll be arrested.”
Trachta’s hoped for accolades haven’t come. In fact, his tough-on-crimes-involving-me policy may find him and the Nazareth Council answering questions from a public that sees a lot of wasted time, money, and manpower in a personal vendetta, when there are larger and more pressing problems to be addressed. His attempt to make three young men look embarrassed and unworthy of respect has backfired on him.
Comments on both the Lehigh Valley Live and Morning Call websites that have run the Trachta story are overwhelmingly against Trachta’s actions and apparent overkill in his pursuit for “justice.”
In the end, it may be that it wasn’t the 2″ stickers that gets Trachta fired, but Trachta’s reaction to them.
Nobody likes a bully that abuses his position of authority.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
