North Huntingdon police Chief Rizzo to retire in January

North Huntingdon’s police chief will be retiring in January.

Robert A. Rizzo II, who has served as the township’s police chief since September 2018, will be leaving the force on Jan. 2, said Harry Faulk, township manager.

“Chief Rizzo is the gold standard for chiefs in Westmoreland County. He is often asked for his advice,” said Commissioner Ron Zona, chief of the Westmoreland County Detectives and a retired Pennsylvania State Police trooper. “We are losing his great experience in North Huntingdon and in Westmoreland County.”

Zona noted that he and Rizzo went into their career in law enforcement around the same time.

“His commitment and passion for both the department and the residents will be deeply missed,” said Faulk.

Rizzo could not be reached for comment.

An acting chief is scheduled to be named by the commissioners at the board’s Dec. 17 meeting, Faulk said. The other top officers in the department are Lt. Gregory T. Arendas, who is in charge of administration and technology, and Lt. Jay McCurdy, who is in charge of operations. A formal search will not begin until next spring, Faulk said.

Zona said he wants the next chief to have similar leadership skills as Rizzo, which he said include honesty and integrity.

“The department is heading in a great direction,” Zona said.

As of now, the minimum qualifications for the chief’s position is at least 10 years of experience as a full-time sworn officer, with five years in a supervisory role. The successful candidate must have a bachelor’s degree and have completed at least one police command training school, Faulk said. The commissioners have the right to modify those qualifications, if necessary, he added.

Rizzo was the department’s senior sergeant with 28 years of experience on the police force when he was hired as chief in the wake of the township commissioners firing former chief Andrew Lisiecki in September 2016, amid controversy within the department.

Rizzo had been the officer in charge of the department after the May 2018 retirement of Lt. Rod Mahinske, who was named the acting chief in the wake of Lisiecki’s firing.

Lisiecki later sued North Huntingdon in federal court in Pittsburgh on a claim of unlawful termination for no reason and without a hearing, settling out of court for $600,000 a few weeks before Rizzo was appointed as the new chief.

Patrolman Albert P. Carson II also sued the township in 2022 in a federal lawsuit, claiming he was not promoted to chief in 2018 because of racial discrimination. Carson received $276,000 plus legal fees to settle the lawsuit, which included a provision that Carson retire in January 2024.

Rizzo’s retirement is the second retirement of an area police chief this year.

John Otto, who had served as chief of the Penn Township police department for 15 years, retired on Sept. 26 after three decades on the job.