Cecil Township: Open Records Request Regarding Resigned Police Chief Under Review

Cecil Township officials have responded to a state Right to Know request filed by Canon-McMillan Patch—indicating that information regarding the audit of a police fund and letters of resignation sent by former Chief John Pushak will not be immediately released.

"This is an interim response, not a  response, to your request. Under the provisions of (the state's open records law), you are hereby notified that your request is being reviewed for the reason(s) checked below and this agency will require up to an additional 30 days."

The township indicated that the request is under a legal review.

Canon-McMillan Patch requested the audit, the letter of resignation that Pushak sent to the board, and a letter he also wrote to Chairman Tom Casciola.

Cecil Township supervisors earlier this month promoted former police Capt. Shawn Bukovinsky to the department's top position—a personnel move that came in the wake of Pushak's resignation.

Supervisors voted in March to place Pushak on paid administrative leave while Cypher & Cypher conducted an audit. The audit examined a township account that had to do with the Department of Justice forfeiture program. In addition, special counsel appointed by the board to conducted a special investigation and reported that there had been unauthorized withdrawals and deposits in the account, which was started in December 2009.

In the end, the investigation found that all funds had been accounted for, according to the attorney.

Township officials noted that Pushak brought the account discrepancies to the attention of the township and fully cooperated with the investigation.

The attorney, as well as Cecil Township solicitor John Smith, indicated that limited information would be released on the move because it was a personnel matter, but that they wanted to "balance" the public's right to know with Pushak's due process rights.

The attorneys also indicated that Washington County District Attorney Gene Vitton had been kept aprised of the investigation.

In the letter to Casciola, Pushak said he took "full responsibility for his actions" and said that he had believed he had authorization to make the deposits and withdrawls from the account.