Court Opinion

ID: 9750490
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 15:01:17.696616+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:26:11.033344
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Judge McGinley:
I respectfully dissent. The majority would find our decision in Marion v. Green, 95 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 210, 505 A.2d 360 (1986) distinguishable on the grounds that Marion involved a police officers property right to be reinstated as opposed to a mere transfer or reassignment within the police department which involves no inherent property right. At the same time the majority recognizes that Section 7-401(m) of the Home Rule Charter provides that the City must promulgate regulations for the transfer from one position to a similar one in the same class and level of responsibility. The majority distinguishes the regulation herein under scrutiny on the basis that it applies to voluntary transfers into a newly formed, special Department unit. I disagree.
The formation of a Special Investigations Unit to pursue investigations involving narcotics, vice, organized crime, and internal investigations obviously and necessarily requires officers already, involved in these traditional areas of investigation to reapply and submit to a polygraph in order to work in a similar position. I would find that a reassignment or transfer under these circumstances involves a police officers right to apply for a transfer from one position to a similar one thereby rendering our decision in Marion controlling. By affirming the trial court and approving the arbitration award *146authorizing the Department to administer a polygraph to all applicants who wish to transfer voluntarily into the Departments newly formed Special Investigations Unit the majority is simply approving an illegal requirement on voluntary transfers from one position to another under the guise and pretext that such, a unit is new and special.
The order of the trial court should be reversed and remanded.
Judge Barry joins in dissent.