By Diane Petryk
LEWISBURG — East Buffalo Township police have post-retirement health benefits. Lewisburg police do not.
That nerve was quickly struck at the first public meeting to discuss the planned merger between the two departments Tuesday.
Although there were more public officials present than the 10 members of the public who showed, questioning was pointed. After hearing Lewisburg Mayor Judith Wagner say the plan was to form the new regional department by offering officers “the best of both contracts,” former Lewisburg Borough Council member Stacy Hinck wanted to know if that meant giving post-retirement health care to all, which would add considerable expense.
Each department has a chief and seven officers. Each is represented by a different union.
“No police officer will get less than they’re getting now,” said East Buffalo Township Supervisor Hank Baylor, a member of the regional police planning committee, as is Wagner.
But that statement fell short of the “best of both contracts,” promise Wagner mentioned.
“That’s what we expected,” Lewisburg police officer Sgt. Fred Hetrick said after the meeting. “That’s what we think we should have.”
Police Cpl. Malcolm Herman, of East Buffalo Township, said that has been his understanding for some time now. “When we form a new contract, we should all get the same benefits.”
He said if he were coming from the other department, he would resent not having the same benefit, “and they should.”
Hetrick said it would seem the only way to form a cohesive new team.
Working this out will be up to the Regional Police Commission. “We can’t speak for the commission,” Wagner said. “We don’t know who will be on it.”
Other details of the regional plan are not complete either, but up to now it is expected that each municipality will contribute funds to the commission and each will be able to adjust its contribution to fit its expected usage of services.
“I don’t understand why, if you have a regional police, you don’t fund it regionally,” Hinck said. “Lewisburg has a regional school district, and everyone pays the same.”
“It doesn’t work very well that way,” Baylor answered. The contribution method, he explained, allows for other municipalities to join the regional force with relative ease. The planners have made it clear that is their hope. The economies and benefits they foresee from regional policing would only increase with more municipal members.
Those include fewer executive salaries, ability to coordinate investigation of crimes without duplication of effort, flexibility in scheduling and distribution of officers, improvement in training, and ability to hire specialists like detectives and K-9 officers. Improvement in the uniformity and consistency of enforcement has been found to increase citizen satisfaction and compliance with the law.
For the officers, there is more opportunity for advancement and specialized training.
Common perceptions of possible disadvantages of regional policing, reported committee member and Lewisburg Council member Sue Mahon, include its governance by a police commission. “Direct political control over the department is considerably reduced,” she said.
There is also a concern that citizens of a participating municipality will see their officers less, but Mahon said this is usually temporary — until officers become acquainted with their “new” area.
This is the area’s third attempt in 20 years to form a regional police force.
“I think the third time is going to be the charm,” Wagner said. “I think the community will have better service.”
Pennsylvania has more individual police departments than any other state. There have been 34 regional departments formed since 1972. Only a few have disbanded, usually for political reasons, according to Tom Sauers of the Central Keystone Council of Governments, which facilitates such mergers.
Baylor said the committee visited two successful regional police departments in the state and were told: “Watch out for politicians. There will be people who want to defeat this thing because they don’t want to lose control.”
Wagner said the committee is keeping an eye out for a building that could be used for the new regional police headquarters, perhaps along Route 45 or 15.
