Gilpin supervisors give residents glimpse of potential police merger with Freeport

Gilpin supervisors gave a presentation showing what a regional police force would look like with Gilpin and Freeport combined.

The presentation Tuesday evening was led by Chris Fabec, who serves as police chief for both municipalities.

Fabec said a survey was sent out to Gilpin officers to get an idea of the pros and cons of their job.

He said the only con officers listed was pay.

The presentation highlighted several advantages to the merger, starting with an estimated $25,000 in savings for Gilpin.

At the same time, the merger would allow for pay rate increases for full-time officers, which would promote greater retention. Additional funding and resources would be available from the state.

Two or three officers would be on a shift at any given time.

Officers would stay in their respective municipalities for each shift, except between 2 and 7 a.m., when officers would rotate between the two communities.

Gilpin would provide 60% of the cost ($290,000) and Freeport would provide 40% ($193,000). The mutual aid agreement with neighboring municipalities would not be be affected by a merger.

“You would see no difference,” Fabec said.

The only con was the proposed representative board that would provide regional oversight rather than Freeport council and the Gilpin supervisors, Fabec said.

The proposed board would consist of six people — two Gilpin supervisors, Gilpin’s supervisors board president, two Freeport council members and Freeport’s mayor. There would be five voting members, and the board president and mayor would rotate quarterly, Fabec said.

Fabec said it takes 13 minutes for an officer patrolling the farthest geographical area of Gilpin to reach Freeport.

While most residents supported the idea of a regional police department, there were concerns about the logistics of how it would operate and whether it would benefit the township.

Thomas Dubovi of Gilpin said he doesn’t think saving $25,000 is enough of a reason to combine with Freeport’s force. He asked how the department can ensure the projected cost savings up until 2030 will happen. He proposed offering tuition reimbursement to officers if retention is an issue.

“I asked every police chief around the area about this, and they think this is foolish and will increase liability,” Dubovi said.

Another Gilpin resident, Terri Smith, asked whether there would be a trial period for the combined force before the decision is finalized. She thought 30 days was not enough to do a trial of the combined force.

“I was thinking of a year trial, and then revisiting it a year later to reflect on what worked and what didn’t,” she said.

Charles “Chaz” Minnich said he thinks a regional department is great but would like to see other police departments join. He also thought $25,000 was not enough savings to initiate a merger.

“We have to get other police forces to come aboard before joining somewhere as far away as Freeport,” Minnich said.

Geographically, Freeport is across the Allegheny River from Gilpin, with South Buffalo in between. But vehicle traffic must travel over the Kiski River at Leechburg and along Route 356 to the Freeport Bridge to cross over the Allegheny River.

Supervisor Chairman Charles Stull said $25,000 is still a lot of savings.

“It is almost a quarter of a millage. When we raise taxes even half a mill, there’s outrage. These are taxes that can be saved for taxpayers,” Stull said.

Stull made sure to mention officials did meet with other municipalities about combining police forces. He said Leechburg was not interested, and Parks Township was interested but not at the moment.

“If we can establish this, others will join,” he said.

Stull and Supervisor ​Vice Chairman Jeremy Smail emphasized the merger was not about the money being saved. Smail said this is in its early stages, and no decision has been made.

“This is about creating a nice, regional department to attract people to it,” Smail said.