Suspension of local law enforcement in Girardville

GIRARDVILLE, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – Last month, people living in a Schuylkill County district put pen to paper and voted on the fate of their police force.

The results of this vote were published on Wednesday. Will they keep their police department or disband it?

Just a month ago, Girardville residents weighed the pros and cons of keeping their local police station and cast their formal vote.

After weighing up the community’s decision, a district meeting on Wednesday evening decided to suspend the police until the end of the year.

The small Girardville district shrank even further Wednesday evening after a key community vote.

“Are we raising taxes to increase funding for our police department? Or do we make the difficult decision to say enough and turn to a third party for coverage?” said Girardville Mayor Michael Zangari.

All of the answers to this question led to an important decision as to whether or not to disband Girardville’s part-time local police force.

89% of residents voted against raising taxes to maintain local law enforcement, leading to a vote to suspend taxes until the end of 2024.

“We’ve had a lot of officer turnover over the last few years and they just weren’t happy with the product that they were getting that they were paying for as Girardville County taxpayers,” said Mayor Zangari.

Janet Perez was among the 11% who voted to keep police out of Girardville out of fear of rising crime. She is afraid that the security forces won’t get there in time.

“There is always a gap in time, and when someone calls 911, you are largely on your own to resolve the situation,” Perez explained.

But that’s not Mayor Zangari’s fear.

He says the State Police at Frackville Barracks have successfully covered the district over the past few months and he looks forward to their continued protection.

“But what I’m looking forward to is consistent police work. We will have police officers who will follow the same guidelines every time, no matter who shows up at your door, to handle your incident the same way they would your neighbors,” Mayor Zangari added.

By the end of 2024, Mayor Zangari said the district will examine costs and efficiencies to decide whether PSP or neighboring police departments will serve Girardville in the coming years.

The big decision made Wednesday evening not only affects Girardville County, but cities and towns across northeastern Pennsylvania are also facing the decision of whether or not to disband their local police stations.

28/22 News will take a closer look at this topic on Thursday evening. So be sure to tune in and see how many are affected by these decisions.