MERCER COUNTY Police bicycle patrols will begin rounds soon

The unit should be activated in time for Halloween patrol duty.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FARRELL, Pa. -- Police bicycle patrols should begin their rounds within the next 10 days.
The Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Department is implementing the program using an $8,000 grant from the city of Farrell.
The department serves Farrell, Wheatland, West Middlesex and Shenango Township.
Street crime
Farrell officials, concerned about drug trafficking and other illegal activity, primarily in the Idaho Street area, agreed to come up with an $8,000 grant to increase police patrols in that area.
Police Chief Riley Smoot said he suggested the money be used to launch a bicycle patrol, something he's been pursuing for some time, and Farrell agreed.
Smoot said the department has bought two special bikes at about $1,300 each and will equip them with lights. Four officers are being trained to serve as the patrol and their special uniforms should be delivered soon, he said.
The plan was to have the unit ready to go last weekend but delays in getting the uniforms and lights have pushed that back to about Oct. 30, Smoot said.
Target area
The patrols will target the Farrell Weed & amp; Seed area from Indiana Avenue to Broadway on the city's north side, he said.
The patrol will be active for Halloween and will also be used at football games and other events, he said.
On other matters:
USmoot said a bid for a state Community Policing Grant to help keep a police resource officer in the Farrell schools next calendar year has been denied. The school district is looking at other possible funding sources, Smoot said.
James DeCapua, chairman of the police commission, said that will leave about a $57,000 hole in next year's budget, but Smoot said the school district has already found about $30,000 to use for the program next year, leaving a shortfall of only about $25,000 at this point.
USmoot was granted permission to seek applications and begin testing for part-time officers.
Southwest has seven part-timers now, but two full-time officers are off for indefinite periods with injuries and three part-timers are available only for limited duty.
That's creating overtime problems and the department may need to hire as many as three additional part-timers to cover the work shifts, he said.