The Nazareth Borough is again exploring the potential of joining a regional police force according to an article in the Express-Times (read the article here).
I got an email over the weekend and did speak to some folks since then about this potential.
First, I think it is responsible for Council to seek out options to determine what may be available and at what cost. Without question in any government entity salary, benefits, and personnel related costs tend to be the biggest and hardest to control.
My gut is that I want a local police force, but in thinking it through, what I really want is dedicated, local coverage. I want officers in the downtown, at the Park, and at other locations that require attention. I want to know that an officer is within one or two miles of any potential problem, not ten or fifteen miles away.
If we can gain some economies of scale and have the service we want at a lower cost, then it is something we should consider, however, we can’t consider something if we don’t explore it.
I think we are going to have to wait and see what options are out there. When this was last considered, it went nowhere.
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