Just hours after my column hit the streets in the Reading Eagle I received a call from Reading police Chief Bill Heim reporting that the impasse in the K-9/FOP flap had been reached.
I'm convinced Heim and Mayor Tom McMahon decided to swallow their pride and do the right thing because it was obvious the police union wasn't going to live by their word.
Reading Eagle Reporter Don Spatz wrote the following story because I was on vacation.
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=147508
Reading police to keep K-9 unit; dog handlers reassigned
By Don Spatz
Reading Eagle
Reading police Chief William M. Heim on Thursday broke a two-month impasse over the future of the city's K-9 squad, offering K-9 jobs to four patrolmen in accordance with an arbitrator's ruling.
However, the complex decision means current K-9 Officer Joshua Faust could lose his job as a handler and his dog, Rocky.
The chief and the officers union, the Fraternal Order of Police, have been fighting over what qualifications the six dog handlers need. Three are trained, and three teams have been on the job since last fall.
The FOP had insisted seniority alone be used to choose handlers. Heim wanted additional qualifications to apply.
The three current K-9 officers have remained on duty despite the battle. Heim's decision means they lose their jobs as dog handlers.
However, two of them - Officers Andrew Winters and Jason Linderman - get the jobs back based on seniority.
But Faust, the third K-9 officer, loses the job unless one of the new appointees fails to make the grade.
Heim would not comment on what happens to Faust's dog. He said that will be handled later.
In addition to Winters and Linderman, Heim offered K-9 posts to Officers Brian Rogers, Eric Goudy, Ron Miko and Hector Santiago. The four new officers will have to be trained.
Ironically, Santiago, Linderman and Faust were hired the same day and have the same seniority.
In such cases, the contract says older officers are more senior. Among the three, Faust is the youngest.
In making the offers, Heim passed over another applicant with more seniority, as Heim said the contract allows him to do. He declined to name that officer or say why he was passed over.
The FOP did not return calls seeking comment.
Heim and the FOP have been battling over what qualifications K-9 officers should have.
An arbitrator ruled that unless they agree otherwise, the written contract applies. It specifies seniority, plus brief psychological and physical agility tests, as the only qualifications.
Failing to reach agreement with the FOP, Heim decided in May to disband the unit rather than giving in to seniority alone.
That sparked the beginning of a court battle with the Berks County Community Foundation, which wants back the $361,000 in grant money it provided for training and vehicles.
Foundation President Kevin K. Murphy said he was pleased with Thursday's decision.
"Once we get formal notice, we'll ask the court to withdraw the petition," he said.
Heim said the written contract uses the wording "qualified applicants," allowing him to keep the minimum qualifications for future hires.
Among them, he said, are that applicants must have three years on the job, agree to stay in the unit for four years, have a spouse (and a landlord, if renting) that agrees to the dog and have a suitable place to exercise the dog.
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