EDITORIAL: Division problem

June 11, 2009 12:01 pm

— It makes no sense to have Mahoning Township withdraw from an agreement involving shared police services.
In Lawrence County and elsewhere, consolidation of police and other local municipal services is the trend. For example, West Pittsburg has contracted with the city of New Castle for police services, while Bessemer is considering some sort of arrangement with North Beaver Township.
The reason, by and large, is money. A local police department is an expensive proposition, when you add up the costs of personnel, equipment and other requirements. And because New Castle is the only municipality in Lawrence County required by law to have a local police department, other municipalities face tough decisions.
The creation of the Northwest Regional Police Department, which covers Mahoning and Pulaski townships, was prompted by financial considerations. Spurred on by a state-supported study and the Lawrence County Council of Governments, the two municipalities agreed to share the costs of a single police department, rather than having two departments or relying solely on state police for coverage.
However, at this week’s Mahoning Township supervisors meeting, Supervisor Vito Yeropoli raised the possibility of having his municipality withdraw from the agreement. Strangely, he listed cost as a rationale for doing so. According to Yeropoli, expenses for the Northwest Regional department were higher than anticipated.
He also indicated that problems exist in terms of retaining personnel. Officers leave for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.
Yeropoli suggested that having a department separate from Pulaski would give Mahoning greater flexibility in terms of controlling costs. We find it difficult to believe the two townships could have individual departments that were somehow cheaper to operate than a single entity.
And wouldn’t the solution to keeping officers in the department require the expenditure of more money for higher salaries? Where is the savings there?
If Mahoning officials are serious about this, they owe it to taxpayers to explain how ending this cooperative agreement would save money. We think a better option — in terms of financial efficiency — involves the two townships looking at the police budget and seeking ways to trim expenses.
It’s difficult to envision that two township police departments could operate more cheaply than one. And if it’s determined no cuts are feasible, then that’s part of the cost of having a local police department. As we said, it’s an expensive proposition, but one that presumably provides a value to the community, or communities, it serves.