'Incomparable' loss of knowledge; Frazer police Chief Terry Kuhns mourned

Lee Bartolicius was one of Terry Kuhns’ first hires when Kuhns became Frazer Township’s police chief in July 2013.

“After hiring me, Terry did with me like he did with a lot of young officers — he took me under his wing and showed me the job,” said Bartolicius, now the chief of Kiski Township’s police force.

“Terry is one of the reasons I’m sitting where I am today.”

Kuhns’ mentorship to Bartolicius is a story relatable with many law enforcement officers in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

“It’s incomparable what Terry meant to the Valley,” Bartolicius said. “You didn’t have to work for him; you didn’t even have to know him. He would help anyone who needed help.”

Kuhns, Frazer police chief for 11 years and a longtime Westmoreland County detective, died Monday. He was 67. A cause of death was not immediately available.

His loss will be felt throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley and to law enforcement young and old, said those who knew him.

Kuhns’ career spanned nearly 50 years. He got his start as a part-time Tarentum officer in 1977, then worked for the police departments in Cranberry, Fox Chapel and New Kensington.

As a Westmoreland County detective, Kuhns spent nearly 20 years handling drug enforcement and six years primarily investigating homicides.

“He taught me a lot — he was that kind of partner,” said Tony Marcocci, a friend of Kuhns’ and a 26-year partner with him in the Westmoreland County detective bureau. “He loved teaching and educating myself and other police officers on how to do things.

“I could not have been provided a better partner.”

At Frazer, Kuhns took pride in training new officers and preparing them for full-time jobs or postings in bigger municipalities. A 2017 TribLive article quoted township officials attributing turnover in the department to the training officers receive from Kuhns, allowing them to move on.

“He loved working with younger police officers,” Marcocci said. “His biggest benefit was educating them and giving them the free rein to run with investigations.”

Kuhns excelled at his job and had “such a high level of patience,” Marcocci said. He also was a great communicator, was genuine and warm and was a great friend, Marcocci said.

“Younger guys admire him because he wasn’t teaching from the book as much as he was teaching from experience,” Marcocci said.

Kuhns’ work was thorough, and he worked cases to the fullest, Marcocci said. Kuhns sometimes was tapped to assist the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI in narcotics investigations.

“From local police, private citizens, ATF agents, FBI agents — everybody just loved Terry,” Marcocci said.

Frazer Supervisor William Creevey commended Kuhns’ work leading the township’s police force.

“I had the honor of knowing him personally, and I liked him very much — a good guy and in the police business for many, many years,” Creevey said.

Kuhns was well-respected, and his death represents a big loss for the township, Creevey said.

“He was an all-around good guy,” said former Harrison police Chief Mike Klein, who knew Kuhns since the 1980s.

Kuhns was a “genuine sleuth” and amplified the combination of guts and brains, Klein said. Kuhns was unselfish and unassuming.

“He was good on his feet — wise and witty,” Klein said. “I used to say, ‘He could locate a needle in a haystack.’”

Westmoreland County Detective John Clark became friends with Kuhns when their paths crossed roughly 40 years ago in the law enforcement field.

“He was well-respected in the community,” Clark said. “He always made himself available when needed to help with cases.

“I don’t recall him ever saying no when people called for help. He’s a stand-up guy.”

What made Kuhns so good at his job, Clark said, was his ability to communicate with people from different levels and backgrounds.

Many in the Western Pennsylvania law enforcement community turned to Kuhns for advice and to bounce ideas off of, Clark and Bartolicius said.

“The amount of knowledge that is now gone is incomparable,” Bartolicius said.

Former Arnold police Chief Willie Weber became friends with Kuhns when Kuhns joined the New Kensington Police Department. They served with the Allegheny Valley’s Fraternal Order of Police together in the 1990s, Weber said.

“He was a people person,” Weber said. “He had the law enforcement mentality in his heart.”

Weber also pointed to Kuhns’ ability to mentor young police officers.

“He was a level-headed, honest police officer,” Weber said. “He lived his life the same way.

“He would stick to his guns but also train you to be the best you could be. He had a knack of getting the best out of a person.”

Kuhns’ expertise in policing and drug enforcement also was instrumental outside of the police community.

John Pastorek, president and CEO of the Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation, recalled Kuhns as someone who was always supportive and helpful of his organization’s efforts to combat drug abuse and addiction.

They met when the foundation worked on films about drug abuse in 2007 and 2018, Pastorek said.

“We hit it off pretty good and, over the years, he became our go-to guy for the foundation when we had a police question,” Pastorek said.

Kuhns was never heavy-handed and had a special ability to deescalate situations, Pastorek said.

Brian Turack, Harrison’s police chief, said words can’t express the loss.

“He was a dedicated police chief, public servant, mentor and friend to all who he crossed paths with,” Turack said. “Dozens of officers started their careers in Frazer Township under the strong mentorship, clear guidance and strong community focus of Chief Kuhns.

“He built the foundation for the careers of each and every officer that he mentored, which will stand as long as they work the streets.”

Turack said Kuhns’ legacy will live on in those he mentored, and his impact will forever be felt by the communities they serve.

“Having known Chief Kuhns for the past 12 years on a professional and personal level, the impact that he had on my development as a patrol officer, patrol sergeant and now police chief has shaped my knowledge and ability to serve our community,” Turack said. “I will forever remember having the opportunity to vent with him while shooting sporting clays and will never forget that his phone was never turned off for this young, developing police chief.”