Tarentum and Brackenridge discussing potential police department merger
TARENTUM (KDKA) - A major merger could be in the works in the Allegheny Valley and it would impact how the streets are policed.
It seems to be a trend with smaller boroughs and municipalities in the region - pooling multiple resources and combining police forces.
In January, we reported that the towns of Baden, Conway, and Freedom in Beaver County were combining their forces and today it appears the boroughs of Tarentum and Brackenridge could be following suit.
"The model that we are looking at right now is, that the three Brackenridge officers would come to Tarentum and that Tarentum would provide policing coverage for both municipalities," said Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf.
In the wake of the January tragedy when Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire was shot and killed in the line of duty, Tarentum officers, along with other police departments took over patrols around Brackenridge for a time. Boddorf said that this is where the idea to combine departments started to take hold.
Leaders from both communities say that soon they will be engaging in a series of meetings aimed to increase efficiency, improve services, and expand police response capabilities.
The two towns sit side-by-side and have a combined population of roughly 7,000 residents and the current police departments already provide aid to one another on certain calls.
In a joint statement released yesterday, leaders from both communities said they will be engaging in a series of meetings aimed to increase efficiency, improve services, and expand police response capabilities.
Residents like Anthony Singleton, who co-owns Harvest Moon Coffee and Chocolates in Tarentum, said that combining forces makes sense on a lot of levels, most of all, community safety.
"Well obviously, increased safety, an increased presence of police officers is always good for us," he said. "Just knowing that they are available for quick responses to calls is always a good thing. I think that's a challenge sometimes with smaller police departments with larger areas to cover."
Though talks are still in the early stages, reports are that conversations are going well on this topic and many agree that pooling resources is a smart plan of action.
"Ultimately the goal of any public safety is safety," Boddorf said. "We want to make sure that all of our community is appropriately covered and safe with that 24/7 policing model."
Currently, Tarentum's police department has 10 officers and Brackenridge has three - combined, they're hoping a larger department can essentially do more and help save more.
Official meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks to discuss all the possibilities and community leaders said that the public will have the chance to weigh in.