Fired police chief suing Shickshinny Berwick man claims hostile workplace By Kristin Baver - Press Enterprise Writer Published: April 12, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHICKSHINNY — Shickshinny’s top cop Brian Morris endured years of harassment from council members who called him “useless” and routinely humiliated him in public before ultimately firing him earlier this year, according to his lawsuit. While Morris, Berwick, was busting methamphetamine labs, his elected bosses were arguing that the officer-in-charge needed to spend less time on crime and more time writing parking tickets, according to litigation filed this week. During the 2011 Lee flood, Morris worked around-the-clock for two days, breaking only for short naps, but was never paid for the work, he claims. Another time, the borough allegedly withheld his pay after mistakenly issuing two checks for the same week. Late last year, his time card was at the heart of another clash that resulted in a five-day suspension because Morris had scrawled his start time after forgetting to punch in. At the time, even other council members publicly decried the suspension as a cover-up for deeper issues. The hostile work environment, often playing out dramatically during public meetings and at least once resulting in a call to State Police to quell riled residents, caused Morris “great anxiety and humiliation,” according to the suit. Morris and wife Paula name the borough, council members Joseph “Barry” Noss, Michael Steeber, James Wido, Rosalie Whitebread, and former secretary Melissa Weber in their complaint. It was filed in federal court by attorney Franklin Kepner Jr., Berwick. ‘You should be fired’ The abuse allegedly started as soon as Morris was hired in 2010. According to court papers: Councilman Steeber called Morris “worthless” at a public meeting, and complained Morris spent too much time on crime investigations; “he wanted (Morris) to write parking tickets.” Councilman Noss made several claims Morris wasn’t doing his job, even circulating a letter criticizing Morris during the 2013 election. Noss also frequently referred to the top cop as a “thief.” When another officer wrote a $300 parking ticket that wasn’t supported by borough law, Morris reduced the fine to $15 as a compromise. “You cost this borough $300,” Noss screamed. “... You should be fired.” During the Lee flood in 2011, Noss and Steeber chastised Morris for getting involved in borough business when he called Mayor Beverly Moore to the town’s garage because there was oil floating in the basement causing environmental concerns. Instead of addressing the problem, Steeber started to yell. “You’re going to cost us thousands in fines,” he allegedly told Morris. “We don’t need DEP poking around.” ‘Liar’ The disputes heated up in the fall, when Noss called Morris “useless” during a meeting and alleged the officer was a “liar.” Morris was in turn suspended for five days, after he forgot to punch in and instead hand-wrote his start time one day, officials said at the time. Morris wasn’t offered an appeal or the chance to have a hearing on the matter. That later triggered an apology from Steeber, who said Morris should have been entitled to a hearing. Morris’ suspension illuminated the fact he was being treated differently than other employees, the suit says. For instance, a streets worker didn’t use the clock to log his hours, but he wasn’t suspended or fired. Councilman Noss and other officials would also refuse to accept Morris’ police reports at council meetings, without providing a reason, and did not pay for the ammunition Morris needed to qualify with his police weapon each year. But council showed no such hostility to Officer Keith Shackles, accepting his reports and purchasing his ammunition for the test. On Jan. 6, Steeber, Wido, and Whitebread fired Morris “without any hearing and without any justification.” Morris’ suit is asking a court to grant him over $75,000 in damages, including lost wages. He referred comments to his attorney, who could not be reached Friday afternoon. None of the defendants could be reached for comment. Kristin Baver can be reached at 570-387-1234 ext. 1310 or [email protected]
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 14:57:55 +0000
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