New Castle votes 2-1 to disband police force
ARNOTS ADDITION – New Castle Township approved an ordinance Thursday to disband its police force.
The ordinance, “abolishing, terminating, and disbanding the New Castle Township Police Department” was advertised at January’s meeting and approved at Thursday’s regular meeting for February.
The ordinance instead implement full-time State Police coverage for the township.
Supervisors Michael Tobin III and Todd Geiger voted to approve the ordinance and Robert Achenbach voted against.
New Castle Township had two part-time officers as of July, and was looking to hire more at that point.
No members of the public were present for Thursday’s hybrid meeting, held both via Zoom and at the municipal building in Arnots Addition, nor were any members of the police force present.
The police force was formed in 1980 following the funding boost from the construction of the Schuylkill Mall, located almost entirely within the township.
The township had 724 residents at the time, though that number has shrunk to 414 as of the 2010 census. Since then, the Schuylkill Mall declared bankruptcy, was sold to a Missouri warehouse developer, and demolished. Northpoint has since built a warehouse in its place, though no tenant has moved in as of now.
The majority of the village of Wadesville in the township was also demolished to expand a strip mine in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
About Author
