Like the wave of business mergers in the late '80s, a trend toward police mergers has many small towns wondering whether bigger, regional forces would provide better services for less money.
At least that's what the state Department of Community Affairs maintains.
Out of the 10 regional police forces it surveyed, nine have been saving their member municipalities money. DCA officials say most of the 20 consolidated departments across the state are more efficient and cost taxpayers less; another 20 regions are considering pooling their efforts.
"We're all very small departments. We could better use our resources together, rather than fractionalize them," said William Demski, East Vincent police chief. "There's all kinds of equipment that's duplicated in each department that doesn't have to be duplicated."
Besides having only four full-time officers, Demski has to get permission
from neighboring departments to pursue a suspect outside the borders of his narrow, six-mile township for any crime other than one just committed.
The DCA is funding a study to see how feasible a regional police force for northern Chester County would be.
The plan is likely to propose one police chief with 28 to 30 full-time officers, but the cost of the plan hasnot yet been released, state officials say.
Proponents of the police merger are quick to point out that because several municipalities would share operating costs, a regional police department could afford to hire full-time crime investigators and have better backup coverage.
In York County, for example, a regional police force that covers eight municipalities saves those areas a combined total of $809,900 a year, according to a 1992 DCA study. The state agency estimates that Pennsylvania may have more local forces than any other state in the nation, with about 1,200.
Pennridge Police Chief William Heim in Bucks County said West Rockhill Township in Bucks saved more than $50,000 last year by joining a new regional force.
