Leechburg, Parks Township to commission study on forming regional police department

Officials in Leechburg and Parks Township are considering creating a combined police department.

Officials already have approved plans to commission a study with the state Department of Community and Economic Development to determine whether regionalization could cut costs and ultimately ensure 24/7 police coverage, said D.J. Zelczak, a Leechburg councilman and emergency manager.

Rather than the municipalities contracting police services among themselves, regionalization would create an entirely new department with all officers part of the same police force, Zelczak said.

A board would be created to represent the combined department and appoint a chief.

“Within the administrative side, there’s the benefit of shared costs for vehicles, equipment and that sort of thing,” Zelczak said. “There are grants that are potentially available. On the operations side, what we’re all struggling with, is 24/7 police coverage.”

Although the creation of a regional police department might not immediately establish that level of coverage, it would happen in a short period of time, he added.

Parks Township officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Zelczak said North Apollo officials also have expressed interest.

But Edward Stitt, North Apollo borough secretary, said he hadn’t heard of the borough council taking up the matter at the Monday meeting.

Even if North Apollo opts not to pursue a study, the remaining two townships still plan to go ahead and contact the DCED to move forward. That process could begin “very soon,” Zelczak said, and, on average, takes six months.

“What will happen is the DCED would send law enforcement officer representatives to each of these municipalities to do an investigative study to see what the best options are moving forward,” he said.

Zelczak noted the issues faced locally are widespread in police departments, and the borough plans to invite more surrounding municipalities to partake in the study.

“It’s everywhere,” he said. “I don’t know of too many municipalities who don’t have those sorts of issues. There are not a lot of officers coming out of academies right now, and there are challenges for every municipality. We don’t have an appetite for things like millage increases or anything like that.”