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By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES [email protected]
Saturday, June 29, 2002     Page: 9A

Luzerne County Detective Gary Capitano was recently surveying suspected
stolen tires at Spencer’s Junkyard and Used Autoparts in Hunlock Creek when
the rotted radiator hose gave out on his county-owned vehicle.
   
Antifreeze and engine coolant leaked out, and Capitano had to turn off the
vehicle, leaving him with no headlights to inspect tire serial numbers in the
dark.
    Capitano had to stop his investigating and borrow tools from the junkyard
owner – and suspect – to fix the 1994 Chevrolet Caprice, which has about
92,000 miles.
   
“I’m in the middle of nowhere with all this equipment in my car.
Fortunately the suspect allowed me to use his tools,” Capitano said. “It was
pretty embarrassing.”
   
And unsafe, say Capitano and other members of the county Detectives’
Association, which represents nine county detectives.
   
Capitano and Detectives Gary Sworen and Daniel Yursha spoke Friday so the
public understands why they asked District Attorney Dave Lupas to fight for
replacement vehicles.
   
Lupas said his requests have fallen on deaf ears. He pointed out that
detective cars frequently break down and one detective had to scramble to
regain control of his county vehicle when the steering column broke.
   
Commissioner Tom Makowski has said he wants to review funds before he
decides if there’s enough money to fund the expense, and he said it’s likely
no vehicles would be replaced until 2003. He also said he wants to study the
size of the detectives staff.
   
Board of Commissioners Chairman Tom Pizano said he was reviewing the budget
and waiting for Property and Supply Director Bill Burke to recommend a
solution.
   
“We don’t have the money budgeted, so it’s a matter of trying to find the
money. Bill Burke is working on this for awhile. I don’t know if he got
sidetracked.”
   
Pizano said all vehicles that don’t pass inspection or are unsafe should be
taken off the road. “I have a van with 140,000 miles on at home, and it works
fine,”
   
Capitano said the detective vehicles pass inspection because the county
spends money on costly repairs.
   
Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said he wants more information about
the type and cost of the vehicles before he would support the request. He also
wants to clarify the duties of county detectives to make sure downsized local
municipalities aren’t calling on detectives to be “supplemental police
officers.”
   
Capitano said there’s a liability issue because county-owned cars are used
to transport defendants, witnesses and victims.
   
“A lot of those victims are little children,” he said.
   
Other detectives have missed transmissions from wiretaps and people wearing
body wires because their county-owned cars can’t maintain contact through
cigarette lighters, Sworen said.
   
County detectives also are forced to borrow vehicles from other local law
enforcement officials to gather evidence or interview suspects outside the
area because their county-owned vehicles aren’t dependable enough to make the
trip.
   
The commissioners office has tossed out the possibility of eliminating or
reducing the number of county-owned vehicles for the nine detectives, but
Capitano, Sworen and Yursha say this would compromise investigations and
likely cost the county more.
   
Sworen said all detectives are on-call every hour, every day. They are
called out on weekends, holidays and nights based on their location and
sometimes specialty, such as accident reconstruction.
   
Sworen said mileage reimbursement “would be astronomical,” and the county
would have to figure out how to insure transported witnesses and victims.
Detectives’ personal vehicles are not equipped to transport these people.
   
Capitano said investigations could be compromised if detectives had to
drive to the courthouse and coordinate with security to obtain a vehicle from
the county’s fleet.
   
For example, Capitano said he keeps his car stocked with tape measures, a
measuring device on wheels, paints to mark measurements at accident scenes,
accident reports and evidence collection kits.
   
Detectives say they assist all 67 county police departments investigating
crimes and deaths. They also handle all thefts, assaults and other crimes on
county property, including the prison and courthouse.
   
Capitano said commissioners have always responded to their needs.
   
“We’re just requesting adequate, safe equipment for us to do our job,” he
said.