Berman v. Commonwealth

391 A.2d 715, 37 Pa. Commw. 559, 1978 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1298
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 13, 1978
DocketAppeal, No. 782 C.D. 1977
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 391 A.2d 715 (Berman v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Berman v. Commonwealth, 391 A.2d 715, 37 Pa. Commw. 559, 1978 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1298 (Pa. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinions

Opinion by

Judge Blatt,

Richard F. Berman appeals here from a decision of the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police in which the Commissioner accepted the recommendation of a court-martial board and dismissed him from the Pennsylvania State Police. Berman argues that [561]*561the State Police' disciplinary procedures established by regulation are unconstitutional.

Berman maintains that the disciplinary procedures contained in the applicable State Police Field Regulations (SPFR) violate due process of law in that they create an unconstitutional commingling of judicial and prosecutorial functions in the State Police Commissioner. The identical argument led the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to invalidate as unconstitutional the regulations which were the predecessors to those challenged here in Dussia v. Barger, 466 Pa. 152, 351 A.2d 667 (1975). In Dussia, the Court’s conclusion of unconstitutionality was based on a recognition that former SPFR 3.03-E vested in the Commissioner sole discretion as to whether or not alleged misconduct on the part of a member of the State Police would be investigated and whether or not, subsequently, a court-martial proceeding would be initiated.1 Combined with the Commissioner’s ultimate judicial function in court-martial proceedings specified in Section 711 of The Administrative Code of 19292 [562]*562(Administrative Code), 71 P.S. §251, the Court held that his authority by regulation to initiate prosecution as well, led to an impermissible commingling of judicial and prosecutorial functions. The Court stated:

The decision to institute a prosecution is such a fundamental prosecutorial function that it alone justifies concluding a dual capacity where the individual also is charged with the responsibility of making the ultimate determination of guilt or innocence. Moreover, it is a decision which requires a judgment as to the weight of the evidence against the accused, a judgment which is incompatible with the judicial function of providing an impartial forum for resolution of the issues presented. (Footnote omitted.)

466 Pa. at 165, 351 A.2d at 674.

Berman argues that this impermissible commingling of functions continues in the disciplinary procedures leading to court-martial proceedings contained in the current regulations.

The basic law of this Commonwealth regarding the denial of due process by the commingling of judicial and prosecutorial functions has been stated in Schlesinger Appeal, 404 Pa. 584, 172 A.2d 835 (1961) quoting from In re Murchison, 349 U.S. 133, 136 (1955) the Court held:

‘A fair trial in a fair tribunal is a basic requirement of due process. Fairness of course requires an absence of actual bias in the trial of cases. But our system of law has always endeavored to prevent even the probability of unfairness. To this end no man can be a judge in his own case and no man is permitted to try cases where he has an interest in the outcome. [563]*563. . . This Court has said . . . that “every procedure which would offer a possible temptation to the average man as a judge . . . not to hold the balance nice, clear, and true between the State and the accused, denies the latter due process of law.” Tumey v. Ohio, 273 U.S. 510, 532.’

Accord, Horn v. Township of Hilltown, 461 Pa. 745, 748, 337 A.2d 858, 860 (1975).

Our review here must therefore turn on the role of the Commissioner in initiating the investigation and subsequent court-martial of a member of the State Police charged with misconduct.

The new regulations3 require the Commissioner to appoint a Department Disciplinary Officer to coordinate the disciplinary system. The Commissioner is also required to appoint a Department Disciplinary Board, which handles cases involving commissioned officers, and • three Regional Disciplinary Boards which handle cases involving enlisted personnel. Allegations of misconduct are referred to these Boards which conduct hearings. In cases where the offenses alleged would require demotion or discharge, the Board considers the evidence and makes a recommendation to the Commissioner as to whether or not court-martial proceedings should be initiated. Upon the Board’s affirmative recommendation, the Commissioner is required to order the commencement of court-martial proceedings. A court-martial board consisting of three officers is then appointed by the Com[564]*564missioner. The court-martial board conducts a hearing and makes findings and a recommendation to the Commissioner. Section 711 of the Administrative Code, 71 P.S. §251, reserves final judgment for the Commissioner, who in the exercise of his discretion may follow or disregard the recommendation of the court-martial board.

Upon a careful review, we believe the. disciplinary procedure outlined above remedies the impermissible commingling of functions found, in the former regulations by our Supreme Court in Dussia. The decision whether or not to prosecute an allegation of misconduct • is now delegated to the Department Disciplinary Officer who refers cases to the appropriate Disciplinary Board. In cases involving allegations of. offenses serious enough to warrant demotion or dismissal, the Commissioner is bound by regulation to initiate court-martial proceedings upon such a recommendation by the appropriate Disciplinary Board. The Commissioner’s role in the prosecution of allegations of misconduct is reduced to an administrative one in which he is required only to appoint individuals to the various positions implementing the disciplinary procedures. In this regard, we note that the Department and Regional Disciplinary Boards are standing bodies whose members are randomly selected for specified terms. We believe that the procedures established here by regulation compare favorably with the procedures sanctioned by our Supreme Court in State Dental Council and Examining Board v. Pollock, 457 Pa. 264, 318 A.2d 910 (1974). In Pollock, the Court recognized that a State administrative agency in performing its statutorily authorized dual function of complainant and adjudicator of the complaint is not an unfair tribunal so long as these two functions are adequately separated. In the present case, we believe that the prosecutorial function is adequately [565]*565separated from the Commissioner’s judicial function in cases involving possible demotion or discharge so as to prevent an impermissible commingling of these functions. "We hold, therefore, that the regulations at issue are neither unconstitutional on their face, nór can we find that they were unconstitutionally-applied to the petitioner.

Berman also challenges on due process grounds the procedures for the selection of the members of the Disciplinary Boards and the court-martial board.

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Related

Swaydis v. Commonwealth, Pennsylvania State Police
477 A.2d 917 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1984)
Schneider v. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
479 A.2d 10 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1984)
DeWalt v. Barger
490 F. Supp. 1262 (M.D. Pennsylvania, 1980)
Pennsylvania State Ass'n v. Commonwealth
412 A.2d 675 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)

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Bluebook (online)
391 A.2d 715, 37 Pa. Commw. 559, 1978 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1298, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/berman-v-commonwealth-pacommwct-1978.