EASTHAMPTON — When Ilona Dorosh was sworn in as one of Easthampton’s newest full-time police officers last month, the more than 30-member force gained a second female officer and someone who speaks three foreign languages in an increasingly diverse city.
There’s another fact distinguishing Dorosh: She’s the fiancee of Easthampton Police Chief Robert Alberti.
Alberti said he has taken the proper steps to avoid favoritism in the process used to hire Dorosh and in future decisions about her compensation, promotion and handling possible complaints about her work.
“I left no stone unturned,” Alberti said.
The personal connection between Alberti, 44, and Dorosh, 24, was vetted by lawyers and documented in a form required by the state’s conflict of interest law. Alberti and other officials said that the chief wasn’t involved in her hiring and won’t be directly involved in her supervision.
Mayor Karen Cadieux said that the hiring process was approved by the city’s labor counsel, Pembroke-based Clifford & Kenny, legal counsel from the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and the city’s personnel department.
“We’ve been very careful … It’s not you who know. It’s based on qualifications,” she said, noting that Dorosh’s background as an immigrant from Moldova and gender are important attributes for a police officer in the city.
“It would’ve been a shame if she wasn’t able to be hired,” Cadieux said. “It shouldn’t be held against her that she’s the chief’s fiancee.”
However, the Easthampton police officials to whom Dorosh will report ultimately answer to her husband-to-be. Officials in other departments and other police organizations said that creates a tricky situation, at least in terms of perception by co-workers and the taxpaying public.
Having a chief’s spouse or other family members working for the department can raise questions of favoritism and stir jealousy, said Jack Rinchich, president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and American Police Hall of Fame.
“I don’t see how you can absolutely get around that even when you go by the books,” Rinchich said.
At the Northampton Police Department, Police Chief Jody Kasper follows a citywide policy on nepotism. The policy states that in situations where an employee is married to, in a committed relationship, or related to another employee, any direct supervisory or subordinate relationship is prohibited. Kasper said officers with family members on the force cannot work the same shift.
“It’s not uncommon to have brothers, sisters, parents, partners — whether it be officers, dispatchers.” Kasper said.
The chief said if she would have one of her family members work at the department, it would put her in a “tricky” situation.
“Ultimately what happens to that employee is my decision,” she said.
Born in Moldova, Dorosh moved to the United States in 2001 and became a citizen in 2014. She graduated in 2015 from a reserve/intermittent police academy at Springfield Technical Community College, a prerequisite for work as a special officer. At the Easthampton Police Department, special officers work on an on-call basis and Dorosh was hired in that capacity in February. Applicants must be 21, have a state driver’s license and a license to carry firearms.
“It has always been my dream to have a career in law enforcement,” Dorosh wrote in an email response to questions from the Gazette.
Dorosh said Easthampton was the only department to which she applied. She said she fell in love with the city and got to meet many of the officers at the department.
“They are one big family and I wanted to become part of that family,” Dorosh said.
She now lives in Easthampton and worked at Easthampton Savings Bank before joining the force.
As for working at the department where her betrothed is the chief, Dorosh said she enjoys no advantage. In fact, she said, much more may be expected of her because of her connection with the chief.
“Another disadvantage is that I will be under extra scrutiny by the other officers because of our relationship,” Dorosh wrote in her email response. “If anything, I will have to work twice as hard to prove myself to my co-workers and my community.”
Alberti has worked on the Easthampton force for 19 years and has been chief since November 2016.
Along with being one of two female police officers, Dorosh speaks three languages — Russian, Moldovan and English.
“We live in a very diverse community,” Alberti said. “And we want our police department to also be as diverse as the community we work for.”
After working as a special officer, Dorosh was sworn in as a full-time officer June 1, along with Officer Ryan Murphy and the new K-9 team that includes Officer Andrew Beaulieau and police dog Gino. Dorosh must still complete police academy training as a newly hired officer.
A panel of police officers and other public officials were involved in the process of hiring and promoting Dorosh. Applicants are hired based on a score from the panel.
When it came to the interview process for Dorosh, Alberti said he was not involved.
“I completely recused myself,” he said.
Alberti filed a conflict of interest disclosure with the city, as required by state law, detailing steps he has taken to limit his decision-making authority and to avoid any appearance of favoritism or influence.
For policies on nepotism and conflict of interest, the department follows advisories from the State Ethics Commission on the state’s Conflict of Interest Law.
Acts that are prohibited for public officials include:
Hiring an immediate family member or having any “significant involvement” in the reappointment, reclassification, demotion, or firing of an immediate family;
Determining a family member’s salary or benefits;
Authorizing payroll or other payments to immediate family members,
In Dorosh’s case, the disclosures state that the mayor will have the authority to hire, reappoint, promote, reclassify, demote or fire Dorosh, and Alberti will have no authority or significant involvement in matters of day-to-day supervision. Instead, that will be the responsibility of her immediate supervisors such as a sergeant, lieutenant and captain of patrol operations.
“These individuals shall remain responsible for the ultimate supervision and job performance evaluations of Miss Dorosh,” Alberti wrote in his disclosure form.
In any matters involving potential disciplinary action against Dorosh that are brought to Alberti’s attention, Alberti would notify the city’s human resources director, who would then investigate any allegations, notify the mayor and make a recommendation for disciplinary action, according to his conflict of interest disclosure filed with the city.
Although they were not involved in the hiring process, longtime City Councilors Daniel Rist, Joy Winnie and Joseph McCoy said they are not bothered by the chief’s fiancee serving on the force.
Winnie, who plans to run for mayor, told the Gazette that she has no problem with the hire and it was fully vetted through the appropriate entities.
Rist said he is not familiar with the state’s laws regarding conflicts of interest, but said Dorosh’s hiring seems to have followed a normal process.
“I have no objection as long as the state has no objection,” Rist said.
McCoy said the chief may be under an additional level of scrutiny, but as long as a disclosure is filed and the department is transparent with its procedures, he said there shouldn’t be a problem.
Mark Leahy, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said the organization would not comment on the matter. Clifford & Kenny released a statement stating only that the law office assisted in the preparation of Alberti’s disclosure of appearance of conflict of interest.
For the recent hiring process of special officers, a panel consisted of the city’s personnel director, Monica Kane, and a sergeant, lieutenant and Officer Chad Alexander, union president for the Easthampton Police Department.
For the hiring of the full-time officers, panelists included representatives from the Northampton Police Department, Hampshire County Sheriff’s office and Holyoke Police Department.
“We bring in a lot of people from the outside so there is no influence,” said Alexander, who is involved in both types of interviews.
Job candidates are asked a series of questions and are scored on their responses.
“Ryan (Murphy) and Ilona were by far number one and two,” Alexander said. “They were light years ahead.”
When it comes to increases in pay, there are set stages of progression for the first three years for all officers, which are signed off on by city’s personnel director and mayor.
While the police officials involved in the initial hiring of Dorosh ultimately report to Alberti, the chief said he does not believe it influenced the decision to hire his fiancee.
James Machado, executive director of the Massachusetts Police Association, said Alberti will probably be under constant scrutiny and the situation will just create more headaches for the chief.
But “I don’t think there’s anything wrong,” he said of the situation.
At the Fall River Police Department where Machado works as an officer, sons and daughters join the department as well as husbands and wives. Typically, family members do not work the same shift, Machado said. He noted that if a dangerous situation were to occur and officers get hurt, it only affects one family member rather than potentially multiple family members.
Alberti and Alexander spoke of the advantages of having Dorosh on the department such as the continuing effort to diversify the department, including hiring more women.
Alexander said for many calls, having a female officer is beneficial, such as when talking to women who may be victims of sexual assault.
And Alberti stressed that he’s been transparent about his personal connection and diligent about avoiding any conflicts. “I certainly am not going to put myself in a position where I could lose my career,” Alberti said. “I worked very hard to get to where I am.”
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.