Butler Twp., Ashland appoint committees, move towards forming regional police force
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - A Butler Township police car is seen in Shenandoah in 2018.
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS – Butler Township and the Borough of Ashland have both appointed committees to figure out the next steps as the municipalities ponder forming a regional police force.
Township supervisors voted Wednesday night to appoint Dave Kessler, supervisors chairman, and Atty. Eric Brown as the committee members.
The two appointees were suggested by Solicitor Chris Riedlinger, who suggested Brown because of his experience in forming a police force.
“So, if it ever got to that point, we’d have him on board to do that,” Riedlinger said.
The committee, he said, is being formed in response to a regional police study conducted by the state Governor’s Center For Local Government Services, which suggested the formation of a regional force covering Ashland, Butler Township, and Gordon. Butler Township is currently contracted to provide coverage to Gordon and has been since 2011.
Ashland appointed two council members to a committee last week for the same purpose.
According to the study, the force would include 10 full-time officers, three part-time school resource officers, and a full-time administrative assistant and secretary serving 8,804 people.
The department would have one chief, one lieutenant, and one sergeant as its ranking officers.
The study also included a proposed budget for 2024 or the first full year of operation, which accounts for a minimum of two officers on duty 24 hours a day, with additional officers possible on specific days or during heavier peak times, or for any emergency situations that may occur. A school resource officer would also be provided for all schools in the North Schuylkill School District, and would continue to be reimbursed by the district.
The force, per the study’s suggestion, would be based at the Ashland borough building and would reduce the total number of vehicles in the department fleet from 7 to 6.
The new department would cover 28.3 square miles, including 95 miles of state and local roadways, stretching from the county line south to the interstate, and from Connerton and Gilberton west to Helfenstein.
It would be governed by a regional police commission, consisting of elected officials from each participating municipality.
Regionalization, the study says, would improve management and supervision, training, recruitment, coordination, and would reduce costs.
A key disadvantage, the study says, is the loss of certain local services. The study says:
“Police officers in Pennsylvania, as well as in every other state in the country, routinely perform many duties, which are not typically considered to be a police function. These duties are generally traditional in many communities and were assigned to the police department by default – there was basically no one else available at the time. These miscellaneous duties are still very much a part of the everyday job of many local police officers. Running errands, delivering documents, turning on lights for special occasions, flood watches, parking meter enforcement, school crossing duties, escorts for funerals, and issuing permits and/or licenses are some of the extra tasks “inherited” by local law enforcement officers over the years. Typically, when consolidation occurs, the regional police department discontinues many of these tasks in order to maximize their officers’ time for patrols, crime prevention, traffic enforcement, criminal investigations, and more desirable police related duties and functions.“
Currently, both municipalities pay a combined $1.661 Million for police coverage. The study’s proposed budget comes in at $1.620 Million, a 2.5% decrease. Factor in potential grants, and the 2024 budget could come down to $1.520 Million, an 8.5% decrease.
The region would be split into a north and south patrol zone, with Gordon and the North Schuylkill School District campus and points south in one zone, and Ashland, Lavelle, Connerton, Helfenstein, and surrounding areas as the other zone.
Under the proposal, the police chief would be paid $90,000 per year, the lieutenant $85,000, the sergeant $80,000, and patrolman at an average salary of $75,000. The administrative secretary would be paid $20/hr.
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