Officials in Freeport, Gilpin to hold talks about feasibility of merging police forces

Freeport officials say they want to explore the feasibility of merging the borough’s police department with Gilpin Township’s force to help increase patrols and, if possible, save money.

Borough officials recently floated the idea of a merger as a way to avoid a situation like the one in November in which there were no police left on the force after two officers simultaneously left for other jobs.

During that period, the borough had to rely on state police from the Kittanning station to handle calls in Freeport.

“Merging at this point is just an idea that we want to discuss,” said Freeport Mayor James Swartz, who oversees the police department.

“If we can get together, and merging is something we can agree on, I’d like to reach out to the state DCED (Department of Community and Economic Development) to ask if they can do a study to see if this is something that can work for both communities,” he said.

Swartz said there is no timetable for the process.

“I don’t want us jumping into something,” he said.

Borough officials said that while they are thankful state police were able to pick up calls when the department’s staff was depleted, there are limitations on what they can do.

Officials noted that in one instance during that period, it took an hour for a state trooper to respond to a call.

Swartz said he is hopeful a merger could save the participating municipalities money while at the same time boost patrols.

“It seems to me that there should be a savings if we merge,” he said. “But we won’t be able to know that until after a study is done.”

Freeport Council President Clint Warnick said a merger might not save money but still could be beneficial if it addresses the personnel issues.

Gilpin Township Supervisor Charles Stull, who chairs the board and oversees Gilpin’s police department, said while he is open to discussing a merger, he thinks it can be done without involvement from the state.

“We (Gilpin and Freeport officials) haven’t even had a discussion about this yet, but it is on our radar,” he said. “But I can say that I’m not interested in involving the state.”

Stull said any possible benefits of using the DCED to create a merger could be offset by the loss of local control of police operations.

“If this is something that we think will work for us, then I think it’s something that we will be able to do on our own,” he said.

Merged police department are relatively rare in the Alle-Kiski Valley, but one of the few such departments is the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department, which was created in 2019 through the merger of Cheswick and Springdale Township. East Deer is in the final steps of joining the force.

In northern Allegheny County, the Northern Regional Police Department was created through a merger of the police departments in Pine, Richland, Marshall and Bradford Woods.

Freeport and Gilpin, which are across the Allegheny River from each other, share only a political boundary in the middle of the river.

The proposal to merge police forces is not the first time officials have sought to tie the communities together. In 1960, there were plans for a bridge to be built between Freeport and Gilpin.

The late state Sen. Albert Pechan, R-Ford City, was able to get a measure passed in Harrisburg, but no funding to build the bridge was provided. Several years later, the high-level, Donald Lobaugh Bridge was built between Freeport and Allegheny Township.

Freeport Council did not vote on an exploratory measure for the police department at its meeting Monday, but council members voiced support for exploring the merger.