Canonsburg Police Department assumes police duties for Houston Borough

Houston and Canonsburg counties now have more in common than just West Pike Street. Starting at 7 a.m. Friday, Canonsburg police provided a 24-hour police presence in the neighboring county.

“This is a pretty big deal for Houston. It will be the first time in the 20-plus years I’ve been mayor that we’ve had a 24/7 police presence, and that’s a huge deal for this community,” said Houston Mayor James Stubenbordt.

Canonsburg Deputy Police Chief Don Cross and Sergeant Dennis Cole, accompanied by Stubenbordt, Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome and Houston officials, gathered along West Pike Street as the new shift began.

The Houston City Council voted in March to disband its police department and transfer its services to the Canonsburg Police Department instead.

Under the agreement, Houston will pay Canonsburg approximately $337,000 over three years to provide 24-hour police services.

“We are very pleased to be able to assist Houston Borough with its public safety needs as a police department, and we will have regular patrols here every day,” Cross said. “We will respond to all calls for service, investigations and special services; starting today at 7 a.m., our department will provide the full spectrum of law enforcement for the residents of Houston.”

In addition to providing additional services, Canonsburg police coverage is expected to result in faster response times for police service in Houston, which covers one square mile and has welcomed several new businesses in recent years, including a Sheetz gas station set to open next week.

“This is the best decision we could have made. This has always been our number one priority in the community – providing police services to our residents. Previously, we had to wait for the state police, and because of their area of ​​operation, it took a while for them to get here. It takes about two minutes from Canonsburg,” Stubenbordt said.

Rhome said Houston residents should call 911 in the event of an emergency and Canonsburg police will respond. Residents can also call the non-emergency number 724-745-8020 Monday through Friday for non-urgent matters.

“We are ready to take calls for the citizens of Houston,” Rhome said.

To accommodate the new patrol duties, the Canonsburg Police Department hired another full-time police officer.