After months of operating with a critically low number of officers, the Collingdale Police Department in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is turning a corner. The department said it has more than tripled its force and is expanding services to better protect the community.

Just last year, the department was down to only three officers, prompting Mayor Donna Matteo-Spadea to request assistance from Pennsylvania State Police to cover overnight patrols. Today, the department has 11 full-time officers on the job.

"I feel accomplished," Collingdale Police Chief Shanee Mitchell said. "Of course, we had a lot of naysayers. So it was like, 'Oh, you're not going to get this done, you know, within a year or so.' And we got it done in less than a year."

Mitchell, who joined the department in October 2024, said the staffing crisis began before she took the helm.

"When I arrived, we were down to seven officers," Mitchell said. "We had one resignation, one retirement, and then four officers left at the same time to go to Yeadon borough."

To reverse the trend, Collingdale launched an aggressive recruitment campaign, hiring officers from as far away as Baltimore. The department also invested in new equipment, including tasers, police radios and body cameras.

With staffing stabilized, the department is now expanding into specialized units, including a K-9 unit featuring a German Shepherd named Axel.

"When we need a dog, we can deploy and he's right there," Mitchell said. "It helps with car stops, like traffic stops. If there's drugs in the car, he'll pick up on it. And if we're looking for, he's also trained to find people."

The department is also launching a bike unit.

"The bike unit will help us get down smaller areas," Mitchell said. "There's times when someone may run down a one-way street. Well, a police vehicle can't go down these narrow streets and it can't go down a one-way street. A bike unit can."

Some residents said the increased police presence is already making a difference.

"I feel a lot safer and I do see more cars just patrolling to let people know we're out here, we're here to keep you safe and if you have a problem, give us a call," Collingdale resident Mary Manson said.

Mitchell said response times have improved with more officers on the street, and the department is focused on long-term recruitment strategies to prevent future staffing shortages. That includes maintaining an active candidate list so positions can be filled quickly if officers leave.

The department said it is still hiring and expects the K-9 unit to be fully operational by February.