Leechburg looks to beef up police force

Leechburg is looking to hire a third full-time police officer.

Council gave the Civil Service Commission permission to advertise for the position, which would help the borough come closer to having 24/7 police coverage, officials said.

“It’s going to make it so we have better coverage,” Mayor Wayne Dobos said. “We don’t have 24/7 now, but the guys have been working very hard, extra hours, to provide as much as you can provide with two guys and a little bit of part-timers thrown in there, but you just can’t cover everything.

“Having a third person will help out, and then if we can pick up a couple more part-timers, we’ll be in good shape.”

The department has two full-time officers — Chief Jason Schaeffer and Patrolman Mark Pollick — and three part-timers.

With three full-timers and three part-timers, the department could provide the borough with around-the-clock coverage.

“Over the years as guys left, we’ve been short-staffed, but we’ve also had part-timers that cover shifts when we were down a full-time officer. But now we’re down a full-time officer and we’re down part-time officers. We don’t have enough officers to cover shifts,” Schaeffer said.

“We’re trying to get back to where we can cover all the shifts without an issue. We’re close now, but we’re just not there.”

Schaeffer and Dobos said it has been a struggle to find police officers.

“I’ve been here for 24 years. Years ago, there was no issue. There were actually more policemen than there were jobs,” Schaeffer said. “We are totally in the opposite right now.”

“There’s not enough people going to the academies; there’s not enough people graduating the academies to fill the positions that are out there,” Schaeffer said. “Every police department is in the same boat we are.”

The position pays $20 per hour, the advertisement said.

Those who meet the minimum qualifications will be scheduled for a physical agility test and written Civil Service Examination on March 10.

The Civil Service Commission is responsible for collecting police officer applications, scheduling testing and making recommendations to council on potential hires, Dobos said. A private entity administers the tests.

Borough council ultimately will decide who to hire.