close
close
hsuses

Braddock in talks to join Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department

Theo

Commissioners of the Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department attended a special meeting in Braddock on Tuesday and answered questions from residents about the prospects of the county joining the regional police force. “We’re hoping we can save you a couple hundred thousand dollars in Braddock,” said Lisa Franklin-Robinson, North Braddock borough president and a member of the ERMVPD. “That’s our hope. There’s no guarantee because we haven’t worked out the numbers yet.” The ERMVPD, which began operations in April, consists of Rankin, East Pittsburgh and North Braddock boroughs. Braddock came close to approving the police charter once before, but borough leaders ultimately shied away from joining. Since the police force’s formation, however, Braddock borough leaders have shown renewed interest. Braddock currently has no police chief and only three part-time officers. “If we continue to go it alone as our population ages and shrinks, we will be competing with our neighbors instead of working together,” said Louis Ransom Jr., Braddock’s county commissioner. The regional police force currently has seven full-time officers, but commissioners said Tuesday they hope to fill five more positions. Gerald Simpson, a peer consultant with the state Department of Community and Economic Development, attended Tuesday’s meeting. He helped form the consolidated police force. “A lot of these projects are usually marked by loss or fear at the beginning,” Simpson said, trying to allay residents’ concerns. “And the evidence never bears out. It’s just not real.” In a packed room of residents, questions were asked about the cost of joining the police force and police coverage in Braddock. Simpson acknowledged Tuesday that despite the creation of the ERMVPD, there are still gaps in coverage. “There is crime everywhere, day and night — especially in the middle of the night,” said Richard Cunningham, who attended Tuesday night’s meeting. “I just want to make sure there are enough officers available at those specific times.” Ransom told the assembled crowd that the township had set aside $10,000 in an escrow account for potential costs the township might incur if it joins the police force. No decisions were made Tuesday evening.

BRADDOCK, Pennsylvania —

Officials from the Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department attended a special meeting in Braddock on Tuesday and answered questions from residents about the prospects of the district joining the regional police force.

“We’re hoping we can save you a few hundred thousand dollars in Braddock,” said Lisa Franklin-Robinson, North Braddock Borough President and a member of the ERMVPD. “That’s our hope. There’s no guarantee because we haven’t worked out the numbers yet.”

The ERMVPD, which began operations in April, consists of Rankin, East Pittsburgh and North Braddock. Braddock came close to approving the police charter once before, but county commissioners ultimately balked at joining.

Since the troop’s formation, however, Braddock County officials have shown renewed interest.

Braddock currently has no police chief and only three part-time officers.

“If we continue to go it alone despite an aging and shrinking population, we will find ourselves in competition with our neighbors rather than in cooperation,” said Louis Ransom Jr., Braddock County Administrator.

The regional police force currently has seven full-time officers, but commissioners said Tuesday they hope to fill five more positions.

Gerald Simpson, a peer consultant with the state Department of Community and Economic Development, attended Tuesday’s meeting. He was involved in the formation of the consolidated force.

“Many of these projects are usually met with loss or fear at the beginning,” Simpson said, trying to allay residents’ concerns. “And the evidence never bears out. It’s just not real.”

In a packed room of residents, questions were asked about the cost of joining the police force and police support in Braddock.

Simpson acknowledged Tuesday that despite the creation of the ERMVPD, gaps in coverage remain.

“There is crime everywhere, day and night – especially in the middle of the night,” said Richard Cunningham, who attended the meeting on Tuesday evening. “I just want to make sure there are enough officers on duty during those times.”

Ransom told the assembled crowd that the community had set aside $10,000 in an escrow account to cover any costs the community might incur if it joined the police force.

No decisions were made on Tuesday evening.

Related Posts