Tarentum officials take steps to advance plan for combining police departments with Brackenridge

Tarentum Council took another step Wednesday in assuming police services for Brackenridge.

By a 6-0 vote with Kevin Bertocki absent, council authorized advertising two ordinances that will allow it to absorb Brackenridge’s three full-time officers and equipment into the 10-member Tarentum Police Department.

The first ordinance enables the borough to enter into a five-year intergovernmental agreement for police protection and related services.

The second measure allows for the acceptance of Brackenridge’s officers into the Tarentum police pension plan.

The ordinances must be advertised for seven days, Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said, before they come up for a final vote. He said that likely will happen at council’s regular July meeting, which has been rescheduled for Friday, July 28.

Brackenridge Council is scheduled to meet twice in July, for its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 6, and a special meeting July 28, Mayor Lindsay Fraser said.

“There is more than one item before council that needs council action to make this happen,” she said.

Only a few members of the public attended the meeting Wednesday, and Tim Rapp, a former Tarentum councilman, posed the lone question to council.

“Are these Brackenridge officers still going to be Brackenridge officers, or are they going to be Tarentum officers?” Rapp asked.

Council President Scott Dadowski said they will be Tarentum officers.

“Basically, the Brackenridge Police Department will cease operations,” Dadowski said.

Shared police services between communities and department mergers have been a topic of discussion for years throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley as police budgets, generally the largest expense for a municipality, have increased year after year.

The tragic on-duty slaying of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire in January became a catalyst in elevating the discussion between Brackenridge and Tarentum officials.

“We weren’t looking to add officers for Tarentum,” Dadowski said, when asked if there was a plan to expand the police force.

Boddorf emphasized that the move is not technically a merger.

As part of the agreement, Brackenridge will pay the costs of the three officers being absorbed by Tarentum — about $145,000 per officer, or $435,000 — plus an annual fee equal to 7% of the police budget, Boddorf said.

He said the cost-per-officer includes not only wages and benefits, but all other costs associated with the police department.

Brackenridge’s police budget for 2023 is close to $570,000, Fraser said.

In a lengthy text, Fraser wrote a reason for the move. She noted that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget calls for a 266% increase in state money to help municipalities work together to provide public services, like policing,

“If any of these departments want to leverage resources, like grant funding, sharing municipal services is in their best interests. Partnering with Tarentum will improve policing and create opportunities in both communities.”

Boddorf said it’s possible that Brackenridge will see some cost savings since it had budgeted enough in its 2023 budget to pay for five full-time officers.

Sgt. Michael Duffy, who was appointed officer-in-charge of the Brackenridge department, is its only officer with a rank above patrolman. Boddorf said there is an opportunity for Duffy to maintain his rank with Tarentum, if he so desires.

“We have three sergeants now, and the plan is for four sergeants,” he said.

“We tried to make it pretty much straightforward,” Boddorf said. “We’ve done everything to ensure that it is cost effective for Tarentum and that all the officers are taken care of.”

As for the matter of police pensions, the second ordinance authorizes an amendment to the Tarentum pension plan to include the Brackenridge officers.

Boddorf said they will transfer credits which are equal to dollars from the Brackenridge plan to Tarentum’s.

He said the transfer is not quite dollar-for-dollar due to differences such as pension levels and seniority.

While the agreement is for five years, Boddorf said that should be seen as a trial period, because Tarentum officials don’t anticipate going back.

Mayor Fraser, in a texted response Thursday to a question about Tarentum’s stance, was less certain. “The initial agreement covers a five-year period with various termination avenues for both parties.”

Boddorf said the agreement includes a mechanism for officials from the two communities to come together and address any complaints, problems or issues that might occur.

“In theory, it (the agreement) should be good for everybody,” Boddorf said.

“The big thing is to make sure there is enough local policing so that crime doesn’t increase in Brackenridge and that it doesn’t increase in Tarentum,” Boddorf said.