Campbell Police Department suspends officer

By SARAH LEHR

slehr@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

The Campbell Police Department disciplined Officer Josh Tedesco with a five-day working suspension with pay for sleeping while on duty in a patrol car and failing to complete residence checks.

Tedesco accepted the suspension June 11 after a June 5 pre-disciplinary hearing.

An internal-affairs committee, staffed by Sgt. Kevin Sferra, Officer Robert Vukovich and Officer Ryan Bloomer, wrote that photos of Tedesco and GPS data indicate Tedesco was sleeping while on duty. The committee also concluded that evidence, including lack of tire tracks and footprints in the snow around homes Tedesco was assigned to monitor last March, suggests he was not completing residence checks.

The committee concluded that Tedesco’s actions presented a threat to public safety and pointed out a potential perpetrator might have been able to access Tedesco’s gun while he was asleep.

Additionally, the committee described Tedesco as a “habitual offender of policies and directives” and wrote that minor past infractions by Tedesco, such as being late for work, support “the theory that Tedesco does not take his duties as a police officer for the City of Campbell very seriously. Instead of showing improvement and maturity into this very serious profession, more recently the incidents have become far more serious and quite alarming.”

Tedesco could not be reached to comment Monday.

“Officer Tedesco is a young officer with a tremendous commitment to the Campbell community. Although I am disappointed with his actions, I am pleased Tedesco admitted his mistakes, assisted in the investigation, and accepted his suspension,” police Chief Drew Rauzan said in a written statement.

“We work every day to ensure that Campbell is protected and that its police department operates fairly and efficiently,” he said. “Unfortunately, sometimes efficiency and fairness require disciplining an officer.“

Bryan Tedesco, who is a Campbell city councilman and Josh Tedesco’s father, said he supports the suspension. He noted his work with the city is separate from the city’s personnel decisions.

“We legislate. They administrate,” he said. “I think the police chief is doing a great job, and I understand that they take police work very seriously and that sometimes a slap on the wrist is necessary.”

Tedesco is the second Campbell police officer to be suspended this year, Rauzan said. The department issued a 30-day suspension to John Rusnak in March while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Mahoning County Sheriff Office’s Internal Affairs Division investigated his conduct. Additionally, Rusnak accepted a voluntary demotion from lieutenant to patrolman.

Contributor: Brandon Klein, staff writer.