North Braddock Borough Council Votes Against Joining Regional Police Force Commission
NORTH BRADDOCK (KDKA) -- The North Braddock Borough Council has voted against joining a commission to create a regional police force in the Mon Valley.
North Braddock was the only borough to vote against joining the commission. Braddock, Rankin and East Pittsburgh voted for the measure.
North Braddock currently has nine police officers - a police chief who is full-time and eight part-time officers.
The vote against joining the commission means their officers would not be part of a regional police department. The council vote was 5-4 against joining.
Council member Lisa Franklin-Robinson, a fourth-generation resident of the borough, believes the decision is disappointing for the officers.
"There are those of us on that council who convinced residents and others that it was in their best interest not to pursue better policing for police officers who are overworked and underpaid," said Franklin-Robinson.
Many of the part-time officers among all four boroughs work for different departments, including those in North Braddock.
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Franklin-Robinson told KDKA's Lisa Washington, "We have some who work for Braddock and others, I don't know where they work, but they're doubling up just to meet the demands with nine officers. We've even had some police officers who work 24 hours in a day."
Franklin-Robinson says the benefit of a regional force is having officers who are all trained and follow the same standards to protect and serve the Mon Valley.
She said, "It would be one ideological mind that would govern that whole area with respect to policing. This is personal for me. I have Black and brown sons."
The councilwoman is hopeful that North Braddock may be able to join the discussion at a later date, as the commission moves closer toward a regional police department.
