RINGTOWN — A cooperative agreement between Ringtown and Union Township for overlapping police coverage was turned down by the Ringtown Borough Council at its February meeting.
Township officials contacted the borough several months ago about the possibility of having police officers in one municipality answer calls when the other has no officers on duties. Both municipalities have part-time police coverage.
Union Township solicitor Robert E. Matta sent a letter to Ringtown solicitor S. John Price presenting the offer from the township supervisors to share police protection. The township currently has three part-time police officers providing 40 hours of coverage per week, while the borough has two officers providing 50 coverage hours per week.
In the letter to Price, Matta wrote, “I believe it would be beneficial for both municipalities to discuss and perhaps enter into an agreement which would provide coverage for each municipality by utilizing each other’s police service.
“The agreement that the township seeks to enter into would permit either municipality to respond to emergency calls when police are on duty. Neither municipalities would be required to ‘patrol’ either’s municipality.”
Matta added that the township was compiling a total list of police calls that it received during the past six months, and that the supervisors could meet informally with borough officials to discuss an agreement.
Ringtown council President Julian Milewski said the letter was discussed among the council members, but the size of the township as compared to the borough was a determining factor in foregoing any agreement.
“Council basically felt that we had one square mile to cover in the borough, and the township is much larger,” Milewski said. “Council members were afraid that we would wind up out in the township more than the township in the borough and they didn’t want to go that way. That’s what it boils down to.”
Milewski added, “There is also the liability if something happened in either’s instance in the other’s territory. Liability is a big issue, and that’s what I worried more about than anything else.”
Councilman James Compton Sr. motioned to not pursue the matter, which was seconded by council Vice President Peg Forgotch. The vote was unanimous.