The Sinclair Saga

I have to thank the reader that contacted me regarding a rumor surrounding the current or possibly former Police Chief Michael Sinclair. While I didn't post anything, I asked around, and tonight I found others had been digging. In searching Sinclair's name on Google both the Express-Times (read it here) and Bernie O'Hare (read it here) had articles/posts on the situation.

The most telling story is found on Blogs at the Triangle (visit it here) - Drexel University's Independent Student Newspaper Web site.

Piecing this together, the timeline goes something like this:

September 5, 2007
Nazareth hires a new police chief, Michael Sinclair (read the post here).

September 2, 2008
Nazareth Borough Council Business Meeting takes place.

September 4, 2008
Drexel University's Office of the Senior Vice President Student Life and Administrative Services, released a statement announcing, "Former Philadelphia Police Captain and Chief of Police for Nazareth Borough Hired as Drexel’s First Director of Police Operations"
(read the announcement here).

In the official Drexel University release it states:

“I look forward to advancing Drexel’s Public Safety initiatives with the development of the Drexel Police Department by providing the highest level of community oriented policing, crime prevention and response services possible” said Michael Sinclair, director for police operations. “My immediate attention will be to build the police force with the hiring of professional officers, ensure that they are properly trained and certified, and to develop a strategic plan for police deployment that will compliment the current public safety efforts.”

Sinclair will officially join the Drexel community on September 8, 2008 [emphasis added]. He will report directly to the Senior Associate Vice President for Public Safety within the division of student life and administrative services.

September 5, 2008
Drexel Senior, Noah Cohen, a major in Global Journalism and Criminal Justice made a post on the Blogs at the Triangle titled, "Drexel Hires First Director of Police Operations" (read it here). A photo of Chief Sinclair accompanied the article and came from the official Drexel University Press Release dated September 4, also referenced. Another photo showed Chief Sinclair examining a crime scene with the University of Pennsylvania's VP for Public Safety Maureen Rush. Penn is adjacent to Drexel and the photo was courtesy of the Daily Pennsylvanian, the school paper of Penn. I could not find further reference to a related article on that site.

September 9, 2008
Cohen makes a new post on the Blogs at the Triangle titled, "Search for University police official continues" (read it here).

In that post it notes:

Drexel University’s recently hired Director of Police Operations Michael Sinclair will not be taking the job due to “unexpected personal reasons”, James Katsaounis, executive director of communications for the Division of Student Life and Administrative Services said Sept 9.

And that:

Sinclair told Drexel he regretted informing the University so late into the process because he was looking forward to joining the Drexel Public Safety team, Katsaounis said.

September 9, 2008
Lehigh Valley Ramblings, Bernie O'Hare announces Sinclair's departure (read it here), then adds an update following the Express-Times announcement that Sinclair is staying in Nazareth (read it here). In that article it states, "Sinclair said his contract with the department was extended for another year at a borough council meeting earlier this month." See top of list, September 2, 2008.