Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department to begin operating Monday

The final budget and list of officers has been approved as the final steps for the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department to begin operating Monday.

The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Commission unanimously approved the measures in a special meeting Thursday afternoon. Springdale Township and Cheswick held special meetings to approve both items as well.

Springdale Township approved both in 3-0 votes, with Commissioners Tony Rozzano and Chuck Common absent.

Cheswick voted 5-0 for both items with council members Brad Yaksich and Frank Meledandri absent.

“We’re just so happy,” said Shirley Redman, chairwoman of the commission and a Springdale Township commissioner.

The department will start operating at 7 a.m. Monday.

A ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at the Springdale Township Municipal Building, 100 Plate Drive. Sen. Lindsey Williams, state Rep. Frank Dermody, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Allegheny County Councilman John DeFazio, Allegheny County Councilman Nick Futules and District Judge David Sosovicka are expected to attend.

The department will have an annual budget of roughly $450,000. The prorated budget for the rest of 2019 is roughly $239,000.

The municipalities will split the costs evenly and will begin monthly payments Monday.

For the yearly budget, salaries will make up more than half of the budget at nearly $270,000 plus another roughly $30,600 for payroll taxes. Insurance will cost about $54,000, and vehicle costs come in at $35,500. Other items like administrative and building costs make up the rest of the budget.

Mike Naviglia was named chief of the new department Thursday with a yearly salary of about $57,000 a year. He’s been the longtime Springdale Township chief and has been serving as interim chief in Cheswick since December.

“It’ll just be good to get everybody under one roof,” Naviglia said of the final approval to start Monday.

The department will have one other full-time officer, Craig Cummings, who will make about $48,000 a year.

It starts with a roster of six part-time officers who will make $17 per hour.

The new department will be headquartered in Springdale Township with a substation in Cheswick.

The merger process has taken about a year and a half. It included a study by the state Department of Community and Economic Development that recommended the merger.