May 2, 2024 By Karen Mansfield 4 min read

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

McDonald residents turned out Tuesday for a town hall meeting regarding the possible police regionalization with neighboring municipalities.

Karen Mansfield/Obsesrver-Reporter

McDonald Borough Council President Tom Rockwell addresses residents who attended a special meeting about the consolidation of McDonald, Midway, Mount Pleasant, and Robinson police departments.

Courtesy of Governor’s Center for Local Government Services

McDonald Borough Council President Tom Rockwell addresses residents who attended a special meeting about the consolidation of McDonald, Midway, Mount Pleasant, and Robinson police departments.

McDONALD – About 100 residents from McDonald and surrounding municipalities packed McDonald Trail Station Tuesday evening to hear details about possible regionalization of area police departments.

McDonald Borough Council held the town hall meeting to discuss a regional police force consisting of McDonald, Midway Borough, Robinson Township and Mount Pleasant Township police departments.

Council President Tom Rockell presented a slideshow with detailed results of a study completed by the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services in September.

After the presentation, residents weighed in on the proposal during a question-and-answer session that included council members and representatives from GCLCS.

The GCLCS “strongly supports” a merger of the four police departments, based on the study’s results.

The merger would establish a regional police department of 13 full-time officers with a proposed budget of $1.5 million.

Currently, McDonald has a police chief, two full-time police officers and six part-time officers, and has contracts to patrol Midway and Robinson.

The proposed regional department would be divided into two zones, with headquarters housed at the new Mount Pleasant Township Police Department and a regional substation at the McDonald police department.

The survey included several advantages of a police department merger.

Under the 13-officer regionalization plan, McDonald’s patrol coverage would increase to a minimum of two officers at all times, with three to four officers on duty 60% of most shifts, according to the study.

It also would address the challenges McDonald has faced with recruitment and retention of officers, as regional departments tend to have an easier time finding new recruits because there is more room for upward mobility.

“McDonald has had a high turnover rate – 48 officers in the past 10 years, 21 officers in the past five, and 13 officers in the past three years. That’s our turnover rate. These numbers include full and part time,” said Rockwell, noting police officers leave for higher salaries – as high as $80,000 to start – in neighboring municipalities.

“There’s also the problem of less applicants going through the police academy. Those numbers have gone down every year,” he noted.

Other advantages include improved coordination of law enforcement service, increased officer safety, and the ability to get state federal grants.

The report also noted downsides to regionalization, including loss of local control.

“The No. 1 disadvantage is control and budget flexibility,” said Rockwell. “McDonald oversees the current department and McDonald has the final say in the department’s budget. It’s our decision what the police budget is.”

Another concern is that, according to the restructure, there will be one police chief.

“Only one person can be a regional chief, so even if one or both of the current chiefs (in McDonald and Mount Pleasant) lose out on being the new chief, it will be a demotion to a deputy or captain’s role,” said Rockwell.

According to the study, 618 of the 968 municipal departments – 68% – have less than 10 officers, with many of those having fewer than five. Small agencies lack the resources to provide adequate patrols and training. A regional police department, on the other hand, better uses resources, provides better training, and is generally able to respond to area-wide problems, the study shows.

Several residents spoke both in favor and against the plan.

Resident Philip Boggs said, “The current model today is working, but it’s not going to be sustainable in the next five to 10 years … having all the municipalities put in equally is going to help everybody in the long run and make this a sustainable future for the police force.”

Boggs also acknowledged the history of the 134-year-old independent McDonald police department, but said, “At the end of the day, our safety has to come first.”

A regionalized department would be run by a police commission.

The proposed commission would include two members from McDonald, Mount Pleasant and Robison, and one from Midway.

Supervisors are seeking additional community feedback, and encouraged residents to complete a survey that was distributed during the meeting.

Town halls are being held at the other municipalities this week.

The merger can move forward if at least two of the municipalities approve the plan.

Supervisors said they are keeping an open mind about the decision and will consider the public’s responses on the proposed merger.