MERCER COUNTY Regional police seek part-timers

The department accepted delivery of three new cruisers this week.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FARRELL, Pa. -- The Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Commission is looking to bolster its ranks of part-time officers.
Police Chief Joseph Timko told commission members Tuesday that testing for part-time officers was completed June 7. Interviews will be scheduled with the seven who passed that test, as well as with three people still on the eligibility list from an earlier test.
The department, which serves Farrell, Wheatland and West Middlesex, is operating with 14 full-time and five part-time officers, but more part-timers are needed to cover for vacations and officers who are in court, Timko said.
The part-time complement is eight, and the department needs to hire three new officers to reach that level, he said.
New cars
The department has received three new Ford Crown Victoria cruisers that it is leasing through a state purchasing plan that allows local police agencies to "piggyback" on state bids.
Timko said the commission is paying $22,236 a year for three years to cover the lease and then can buy the cars at $1 each.
The department will sell two old cruisers, and two of the new ones will be moved into the marked vehicle fleet.
One will be left as an unmarked car for use by the department's detective, Timko said.
One of the new cruisers will be assigned to the three turn sergeants, who will be the only ones allowed to drive it, and the other will be assigned to the three turn corporals, who will have sole use of that car, he said.
That provides better control over the use of the new cars and will enable the department to limit the mileage on them, the chief said, explaining that new cars tend to get the most mileage because officers like to drive a new car.
Efforts will be made to assure that the older five cars in the marked fleet are assigned among patrol officers so that accumulated mileage on all of them is equal, he said.