2 Greensburg police officers up for promotions

Two Greensburg police officers are up for promotions as the city continues to fill gaps left by the resignation of Chief Chad Zucco last year.

City council will vote next week on promotions for Sgt. Donald Cole to lieutenant, and patrolman Reginald Harbarger Jr. to sergeant.

The department has had an empty lieutenant position since September, when Lt. Shawn Denning was promoted to captain. Denning replaced Robert Stafford, who in July was promoted to chief.

Denning said Cole and Harbarger are both hard-working officers who are well-suited to leadership roles.

Cole has been with the department more than 20 years. He handles truck inspections in the city.

“He’s been a good asset to the department,” Denning said.

The city hired Harbarger in 2012. He is the department’s drug recognition expert.

“He’s a very good employee, he’s just been showing up to work, and his hard work has paid off,” Denning said.

If the promotions are approved, Cole’s annual salary will increase from $85,002 to $86,516, while Harbarger’s will increase from $81,214 to $85,002.

Their promotions will not end the roster shuffling at the department. The city plans to promote an existing officer to detective sergeant to replace John F. Swank Jr., who in September died at the age of 51 after a cardiac event caused by amyloidosis, a rare disease.

The department still is early in the process of picking Swank’s replacement, according to Denning.

The city will need to hire a patrolman to replace Harbarger, and fill any gap created by promoting Swank’s replacement.

Former Chief Chad Zucco announced his retirement in February 2020. He planned to leave in March to take a job in the private sector, though his departure was delayed until summer due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.