Greensburg appoints police captain, council member

Greensburg has a new police captain and a new council member, both of whom were chosen unanimously by city council.

Shawn Denning was promoted to captain, while Shelia Brumley got a seat on council.

It was Denning’s third promotion in four years. He joined the department in 2008. He became a sergeant in 2017. The police department had a leadership vacuum at the time because of a wave of retirements, so Denning was fast-tracked for another promotion, becoming a lieutenant in 2018.

“I’m very humbled by the decision, and I’m excited to get started in my new role in the city,” Denning said.

He plans to focus on training, making sure that officers are up-to-date with the latest best practices in policing.

Denning replaces Robert Stafford, who in July was promoted to police chief. Stafford replaced former Chief Chad Zucco, who took a job in the private sector.

Mayor Robert Bell said there were five applicants for the captain’s position.

“We couldn’t have gone wrong with anyone,” Bell said. “Shawn has shown a propensity to look for work, and help out any way he can.”

Brumley was chosen from among 14 candidates for the council spot vacated by Cheryl Lennert, who resigned last month.

She will oversee the city’s parks and recreation department.

She’s the coordinator for community support for the American Cancer Society in Greensburg. She’s involved in the Greensburg Youth Football and Cheer Parents’ Association and the Greensburg Salem Education Association.

She said she wants to get community feedback on creating new recreational programs and making the city’s parks a safe place to play and hang out.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “What I would like to see is more programming down at Lynch Field and in the other parks in the city.”

Bell said Brumley’s appointment was a difficult decision. Council was pleased to have such a large number of qualified applicants from which to choose, he said.

“The quality of every single candidate was pretty astounding,” he said.

Brumley’s will serve the remainder of Lennert’s term, until the end of 2023.