Bethlehem discusses challenges in recruiting new police candidates | Lehigh Valley regional news

BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania – During Tuesday night’s Bethlehem City Council meeting, Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott and Mayor J. William Reynolds discussed departmental staffing shortages.

According to Kott, the police are missing ten officers.

Reynolds said the issue relates to recruitment efforts and finding qualified candidates, for example, that working in the suburbs may be preferable to working in the city.

In particular, finding qualified candidates to take the police exams is a challenge, Reynolds said, and there is competition among other local police departments to hire candidates who pass the process.

“We spent a lot of time thinking about how to expand the candidate pool,” Reynolds said.

“That is the challenge we face and the reason for the vacancies,” he said.

Reynolds also said that the profession of police officer is changing, presenting the city with new challenges, such as: “How do you design a police department so that young people want to be part of it?”

“The council budgets for us to have 154 officers, but generally we don’t get beyond 145 or 146 because as soon as we hire four, five or six, some of them retire,” Reynolds said.

He said the administration was continuing to work to attract highly qualified professionals to the city.

Noise from the main road

During Tuesday’s meeting, several residents also discussed issues related to driving in the city – particularly drivers who play loud music and rev their engines on Main Street.

“It’s terrible. It destroys the vitality of the entire restaurant corridor between Main Street and Broad Street,” said City Councilor Bryan Callahan.

Kott said motorcycle police catch some offenders, but not all of them.

“We cannot be everywhere all the time, (but) we try our best to punish these violations,” she said.

Callahan proposed enacting a noise ordinance to prevent Main Street establishments from losing customers due to noise.

“It’s an echo effect, almost like in a canyon,” Callahan said of Main Street.

“This is not good for our community or for the businesses on Main Street and Broad Street,” he added.

Similarly, Kott spoke about the upcoming Fourth of July and fireworks. According to Kott, fireworks and rockets are legal in the city, but must be handled carefully and are subject to city regulations.

For example, Kott said they cannot be detonated within 150 feet of an occupied or unoccupied building. Kott also said a “full cadre” of officers will be on site to catch lawbreakers.

Water problems

During the public comment period of the meeting, regular speaker Arthur Curatola discussed the quality of water in the town of Bethlehem, claiming that he had it tested and found it to be deficient.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but the water in Bethlehem is not safe,” Curatola said.

Callahan later questioned Water and Sewerage Authority Director Edward Boscola about the city’s water and testing plan.

“It is tested hundreds, if not thousands, of times a year,” Boscola said.

Callahan also noted that the city received the “Best Municipal Water” award as part of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators’ comprehensive water improvement program.

The award, said Boscola, goes to “wastewater treatment plants for their consistent efforts to produce high-quality water all year round.”

“We have received the award 14 years in a row,” said Boscola.