MOUNT CARMEL - Anthony James Galla was a part-time officer for three local police departments over the past few years but left little impression on the chiefs now in charge.
Brian Hollenbush, chief of Mount Carmel Township Police, said Galla had only worked "a handful" of shifts for him over the course of four to five months, ending in late July 2011. He hardly had a chance to get to know him.
Same goes for Todd Owens, police chief in Mount Carmel. He was a sergeant under former Chief Brian Shurock when Galla worked more than one year for the borough.
Galla was a "fill-in" employee when a shift needed to be covered. He and Owens passed by each other on shift changes from time to time. They also crossed paths when Owens responded to a police incident and Galla assisted in his role with a neighboring police department, or vice versa. Other than that, there wasn't much to remember.
Small towns with small budgets like Kulpmont rely on part-time police officers to provide coverage, and Galla was
among the many part-timers who have worked under current Police Chief Richard L. Wilson III.
"We get a lot of guys that come and go through here," Wilson said Wednesday, adding that Galla was often unavailable for shifts because of conflicting assignments with other departments or because of his duties with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
Wilson mostly worked days and Galla mostly worked nights during the estimated one year he was with the department. He didn't think Galla left much of an impression on his colleagues, either.
"I don't think he hung out much with the guys after work, things like that," he said.
Maj. Shawn D. Haney, a manpower and reserve affairs spokeswoman at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., said in an e-mail Wednesday that Galla served in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve from 2006 to 2012 and achieved the rank of lance corporal. His military occupational speciality was listed as supply warehouse clerk, and he served with the 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment out of Philadelphia.
According to his service record, he was never deployed in combat. He received the Select Marine Corps Reserve Medal for fulfilling designated service requirements within a three-year period of service in the Organized Marine Corps Reserve, and the National Defense Service Medal, given to those who served in the military during the Global War on Terrorism.
That Galla didn't serve in combat overseas was a surprise to Owens. He'd heard through the grapevine that Galla had talked to other officers of serving in combat in the Middle East.
Wilson believes he may have been among the last of Galla's Kulpmont colleagues to speak to him. He said he initiated a vehicle stop on March 18 of Galla, who had driven away from Wal-Mart in Coal Township after allegedly stealing just over $65 in merchandise.
Galla was issued a retail theft citation by Coal Township Police on April 1 but the matter was never settled. Further details on the incident were unavailable Wednesday.
Given Galla's statements to officers after Tuesday's shooting in Mount Carmel, Wilson says he wasn't surprised that he was killed by police.
"I was not surprised at the ending because I think that's what he wanted," he said.