Township dispatcher terminated

By Elise Franco

efranco@vindy.com

A township police dispatcher was terminated after an internal investigation revealed he misused the police criminal database.

Trustee David Ditzler said after meeting in executive session Monday the trustees voted unanimously to fire Joseph Marscio, who had been with the department for 10 years.

“Police Chief Bob Gavalier said the investigation began the first week of May after a patrolman asked Marscio to look up some information for him, a task that was never completed.

“A complaint was filed from one of our officers, which prompted us to do an audit on [Marscio,]” Gavalier said. “We then began uncovering all this other stuff.

Gavalier said the investigation revealed that Marscio had misused the Law Enforcement Automated Data System, which stores criminal histories and other information, though he wouldn’t elaborate because of an on-going criminal investigation in the matter.

Gavalier said the termination was the civil side of the matter and criminal charges could be filed pending the outcome of the continuing investigation by the department and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

He said Marscio was initally put on paid administrative leave on May 18 following a pre-discplinary meeting.

Marscio was written up two or three times for disciplinary issues in the past several years, Gavalier said.

Ditzler said Marscio was notified of his termination Tuesday.