A former Greensburg police detective is seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor.

Jerry Vernail, 60, said he was motivated to run for the office after the recent arrest of the force’s police chief by federal investigators, which makes the third city officer charged with a crime since 2016. One of the duties of mayor is being in charge of public safety and the police department, Vernail said.

“It is time to restore the integrity of the department and regain the confidence of the community,” he said.

Vernail has lived in Greensburg for 27 years and started his 37-year law enforcement career in Irwin. There, he volunteered with the borough fire department.

Between 1994 and 2015, Vernail worked as a Greensburg police officer and detective. During that time, he was involved in several high-profile investigations and arrests related to homicides and narcotics.

After retiring from the force, Vernail worked as an agent with the state attorney general’s office where he investigated drug and public corruption cases. He is retired.

Vernail and wife Barbara Rowe Vernail have two adult children who are police officers. He continues work with law enforcement as a member of the of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 56 and the Westmoreland County Law Enforcement Officers Association in addition to involvement with Greensburg Fire Department Hose Company 8 and Bovard Fire Department.

Vernail cited three arrests of officers involved with the city police department as motivation to run for mayor:

• Shawn Denning, 41, of Delmont, who served as chief, was arrested last month after federal authorities said he acted as a middle man to connect a confidential informant with drug suppliers in California.

• Kenneth Burke, 35, of Greensburg was arrested in July in connection with a domestic violence incident. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference next month.

• Robert Shapiro II, 49, of Latrobe completed one year of probation for falsifying commercial truck inspections. He was arrested in 2016.

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