East Bethlehem Township in Washington County voted last month to disband its police force, for “purely economic reasons” and will join a regional police force, effective August 15th. The First Class Township code, which governs the municipality, gives the township the ability to “enter into contracts with the proper authorities of near or adjacent cities, boroughs and townships either for mutual aid or assistance in police and fire protection…” A 2014 report on police consolidation and service coverage list two multi-municipal departments in Washington County.
An article from this spring on state police coverage and response calls in municipalities shows that East Bethlehem did rely on state police for part-time coverage. It would be interesting to know if the Township compared the costs of keeping its force, moving to a multi-municipal force, or taking on full-time police coverage from the state with the proposed $25 per person charge and what each scenario would mean for costs and service. Obviously the move from “in house” to a regional force is being sold as a money saver for the municipality compared to what they are spending now. It is not clear what happens to the part-time state coverage that was employed by the municipality.
