Boardman ex-chief will serve four-week, unpaid suspension

Staff report

MEDINA

Medina Police Chief Patrick Berar ducci, 61, has been ordered to serve a four-week, 160-hour, unpaid suspension for making a sexual hand gesture during a Jan. 26 mandatory meeting with dispatchers.

Berarducci was Boardman Township’s chief before going to Medina three years ago.

City Law Director Gregory Huber, who was charged with investigating the incident, said Berarducci initially defended his actions by saying he was simply mimicking the rolling of a set of dice.

The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association filed a complaint Feb. 13 over the gesture that was made during a meeting to discuss scheduling changes, new software and rumors of the potential merging of dispatching services with the Medina County Sheriff’s Office. Nine women and one man attended the meeting, the Beacon Journal of Akron reported.

Mayor Dennis Hanwell, who is also the city’s safety director, issued a statement Friday that he suspended Berarducci for violating three department policies. They are: accountability and truthfulness, conduct unbecoming an officer and for conducting an investigation when there is personal involvement regarding the alleged misconduct.

A 38-year veteran of law enforcement, Berarducci began his police career in Youngstown in 1974 and later served as an ATF agent. He was Boardman’s police chief before accepting the Medina post in 2009. He succeeded Hanwell, who ran for mayor.

Berarducci could not be reached to comment.