Monongahela police chief ready for retirement

By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
It wasn’t something he always dreamed of, but it has certainly been a career to be proud of as Monongahela police Chief Brian Tempest prepares to retire at the end of the month.
Tempest, who was born and raised in Monongahela and still lives in the same block where he grew up, was drafted into the United States Army in 1971, during the Vietnam War. Luckily, he was stationed in Germany and worked as a military police officer from 1972-74.
“We were very busy,” Tempest said. “I was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, and it had the highest crime rate. It was exciting and it was fun. You never knew what was going to happen.”
At one time, Tempest had briefly worked at a mill where his job was to watch gauges, so life as a police officer was a very different atmosphere.
“In police work, you don’t know that day if you might write a parking ticket or you might investigate a homicide,” Tempest said.
Though he hadn’t considered a career as an officer prior to his deployment, Tempest came home and got a job with the New Eagle police department, where he stayed until 1985. At the time, New Eagle had its own department, with five full-time officers.
In 1985, he joined the City of Monongahela’s police department, where he’s been ever since.
As a patrolman, he worked steady midnight shifts for many years so he could be president of the Monongahela football and baseball leagues and make every game. Having enjoyed that experience, he tries to be flexible with his officers in the same way, so they can enjoy things that are important to them.
Tempest said in 2008 a couple things happened — first Bob Kepics became mayor after running on a platform of putting a new face on the police department and, after Kepics won, Tempest was named police chief. The same year, Steve Toprani was elected district attorney of Washington County and having a Mon Valley native in the office helped Tempest make a splash fighting drugs in the city.

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