SHARON POLICE Burke named chief

The new mayor said he hopes the outgoing mayor will name Burke acting chief Jan. 2.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- Police Capt. Thomas M. Burke will become Police Chief Thomas M. Burke effective Jan. 7.
Mayor-elect David O. Ryan made the announcement Friday.
Burke, 40, will succeed Raymond Greene, 50, who is retiring.
"He's a good man," Ryan said of his selection, adding that he will ask outgoing Mayor Robert T. Price to name Burke acting chief after Greene's last day on the job Jan. 1.
Burke's official appointment can't come until after Ryan is sworn in Jan. 7. Ryan, who served as city police chief until his retirement in 1998, said he hired Burke as a police officer in 1992 and, along with Price, promoted him through the ranks.
Praise: Burke was always aggressive in his job, volunteering for duties and assignments on a regular basis, Ryan said.
Burke also has good people skills, Ryan said, noting he has frequently been able to resolve complaint calls without making arrests.
"I'm nervous. I'm excited," Burke said, adding, "I look forward to the challenge."
Burke said he has no immediate plans for any internal changes in the department, noting that he feels the department has a good core of ranking officers.
Salary: Just what the new chief will be paid remains something of a question.
City council hasn't finalized the 2002 budget yet but the chief's salary line item is $60,000. However, that includes $7,000 owed to Greene for the six weeks of vacation time he earned this year and that would appear to leave $53,000 to pay the new chief.
Ryan and some council members had said they felt the new chief should be paid at least the same wages as the outgoing chief, as has been done in the past. Greene's salary was $54,000 this year.
The issue could come up when council meets Friday to finalize the 2002 budget.
Career: Burke is married and has two children. He joined the department in October 1992 as a patrolman and was promoted to juvenile officer in February 1997.
He was named a detective in January 1998 and promoted to captain detective in January of this year.
He was nominated for city officer of the year in 1995.
He previously was a correctional officer at the Mercer County Jail and is a veteran of the Marine Corps.
He is a graduate of Kennedy Christian High School, attended Penn State Shenango and is pursuing a degree in criminology at Butler County Community College.
He is a graduate of the Sirchie Law Enforcement Training Center in Youngsville, N.C., and a variety of other specialty course police programs.
In addition to his detective duties, Burke is a Mercer County Drug Task Force agent working with the Pennsylvania attorney general's office and is the Sharon department's coordinator for the state's Weed & amp; Seed program launched recently in Sharon and Farrell.