Shenango officials plan vote on joining regional police

Supervisors attended a police commission meeting to work out the details.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
WEST MIDDLESEX, Pa. -- Shenango Township supervisors want to be able to vote May 24 on an agreement that would have the township join the Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Department.
They already have a special meeting set for that day and would like to add the intergovernmental agreement to the agenda, said Supervisor Charles Gilliland.
The supervisors voted Monday to join Southwest Regional as of July 1, provided that they could work out some details of the arrangement.
Three of the supervisors showed up at a Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Commission meeting Tuesday to discuss those issues.
Issues
The agreement calls for them to turn over their four equipped cruisers to Southwest Regional and supervisors wanted some guarantee they could get some of that equipment back should the merger fail after a couple of years.
James DeCapua, chairman of the commission, offered to guarantee the township the return of two equipped cars in that event and the supervisors indicated that is acceptable.
There was also a question of where traffic fine revenue would go.
The township collects about $30,000 a year in fines with about $4,000 of that coming from state police traffic arrests on Interstate 80, which runs through the township.
Police Chief Riley Smoot suggested that the fines collected on arrests by Southwest police stay with the Southwest department.
The three current member municipalities of the department -- Farrell, Wheatland and West Middlesex -- give their money from state police fines to the department as well and that averages out to about $2,500 per municipality, he said.
Smoot suggested that the township match that amount out of its annual state police fine receipts and keep the rest for the township's general fund, a proposal the supervisors also found acceptable.
Cost
The cost for the township to join Southwest this year is $355,000, but only half of that amount will have to be paid if the township joins July 1.
Southwest will hire the township's five full-time police officers, allowing them to keep their seniority.
Southwest is also guaranteeing two cruisers on the road 24 hours a day to serve the township and West Middlesex. The township surrounds the borough.
The township was able to keep two cars on the road 24 hours a week.
DeCapua said the commission's attorney will be preparing the intergovernmental agreement for the township's consideration as soon as possible.
Southwest will be applying for state grants for the expansion of the department, covering things like new cruisers, uniforms, mobile computers and portable radios.