Canonsburg Police Officially Enter Agreement to Cover Houston Borough

HOUSTON BOROUGH, Pa. (KDKA) – At 7 a.m. Friday, Canonsburg Police began covering the Houston borough.

The two municipalities came together and their leaders shook hands to commemorate this moment. They had been talking about a possible merger for years, wanting to achieve 24/7 policing for the entire community, but a new Sheetz helped speed up the process.

Houston Mayor James Stubenbordt said it would take time for their one-square-mile lot, which has never had 24-hour police service.

“You know it’s a big plus for us,” Stubenbordt said. “The most we could cover was 17 hours with part-time officers.”

Houston also relied on the Pennsylvania State Police, leading to long response times, sometimes up to an hour. The department has continued to lose officers due to financial constraints, but at the same time the borough has seen business growth that brings more traffic to the area.

Donald Cross is Canonsburg’s deputy police chief.

“They want to make sure the store is in a place where they feel safe and where law enforcement is regularly present,” Cross said.

Ultimately, Stubenbordt and Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome realized a merger made a lot of sense for both boroughs and reached a three-year deal.

“It’s a great solution for everyone,” Rhome said.

Canonsburg hired an additional officer and now patrols three areas, which leaders say benefits everyone and will not reduce service in Canonsburg.

“They will have the option to call the police and know we will be there in a few minutes to protect us,” Cross said.

The hope is that this will continue in the long term.

“We will work very hard to maintain this relationship,” Stubenbordt said.

Under the agreement, Houston will pay Canonsburg approximately $337,000 for policing over the next three years.