The answer, obviously, is too assess any community that fails to provide for its own police coverage, but our state legislators would rather see poor communities like Allentown and Easton pay for state police coverage of places like Lower Macungie and Williams Townships. Statewide, half of Pennsylvania's municipalities rely exclusively in state police. In the Lehigh Valley, reader Hank_Hill lists the communities with no local police coverage.
Lehigh County - Hanover, Heidelberg, Lower Milford (just disbanded), Lower Macungie, Lowhill, Lynn, North Whitehall, Upper Milford, Washington and Weisenberg.
Northampton County - Allen, East Allen, Glendon (at one time contracted with Easton for police and fire), Lower Mr Bethel, Upper Mt Bethel, West Easton (considering new department) and Williams.
In my view, any municipality that fails to provide police coverage has failed in its basic purpose and should be disbanded. Until that happens,it should be assessed for state police coverage based on its population.
23 comments:
And...don't forget all the little towns that can't provide 24/7 coverage which then falls to their neighboring towns or the PSP when they go home for the day..ie..Roseto and East Bangor.
The Slate Belt COG got together and wanted to investigate the possibility of a combined police force (like Colonial). What came out of it was the new Slate Belt Regional Police - who do a great job for the amount of rural territory in their jurisdiction. It comes down to money, it's easier for a township or little political subdivision to call on the PSP than to do the work on trying to find funds for a community police force. Hate to say this but the PSP are enablers to this situation. It's a co-dependent relationship. And the people are the losers no matter what
The PSP are doing their job. They protect people. The local governments are not and will change their tune if and when they start getting assessed.
First, I am a proponent of local police services: Whether it be local municipal, regional or shared services with PSP. It is an actual mortal sin in Lower Macungie wherein PSP carries the lode for almost 30,000 people. Their population is larger than Easton, but they steadfastly vote down local police coverage. They would rather pay for all of the luxurious amenities a local municipality can provide, than pay for a local police department they can control; with quicker response times and better communications with law enforcement. I'm not saying PSP is not doing their job, however, they are very shorthanded and disbursed to far. They do not enforce local ordinances and criminal information with trend analysis is hard to get. But these well-off citizens are happy with this service and they rather have all the taxpayers in Pennsylvania share the cost of their protections. Sinful, in my view!
Socialism is a great thing if you are the beneficiary. The wealthy in America have known this for years.
Glad you found the list useful.
Hank_Hill
"Socialism" for the wealthy? Hardly. If take out the shoplifting from the Lower Macungie Walmart (and no doubt the Hamilton Crossing stores in the near future) crime is manageable by the State Police. The so-called wealth of a community is not the basis for a local force; rather it is the incidence of crime. The cities made themselves magnets for the criminal element and resent that some improved their lots in life and moved to safer climes. I have no problem with a surtax of some kind for Lower Mac (yes, I live here). It'll be much cheaper than paying for a police force made up of good guys, but guys who will get on 'the job' at 24, retire at 44 and then collect a pension from future taxpayers for 40 years or more. It's time to just say 'no' to the expansion of government...even some essential services like police.
Well Josh, I admire Ron Beitler very much, but he knows that I believe any municipality that is unwilling to pay for its police protection should be disbanded. If I were King, I'd make you part of Allentown, whose poor are subsidizing your police protection.
Bernie, with respect, I don't think you want to get into a spitting match over who is subsidizing whom more. I can't help but wonder how many of Allentown's illegitimate children are living off the backs of suburbanites just trying to provide for their own families. I know, I know, no child is illegitimate in the eyes of God. Politically incorrect? Sure, but watching the explosion of fatherless families spawned by the so-called Great Society removes any guilt from my conscience.
This is no spitting match. The primary function of any government is to protect its people. Your government fails. Fir that reason alone, i would make you part of Allentown, which undeniably is subsidizing your PSP coverage. Come to think of it, so am I, here in Nazareth. So don't even try the usual bashing of impoverished people. You are taking advantage of people in other communities who do actually provide their own police protection. You should be disbanded or forced to pay an annual assessment.
Thanks for your reply, Bernie. I do not bash people because of their 'impoverishment.' Rather I am critical because of their irresponsible 'choices' they make in the area of---for lack of a better term---family planning. Just how much is that segment of society 'paying' in taxes that go to police their neighborhoods?
Well, I'll leave it to others to decide what you are really criticizing. I am critical of the choices your community makes in the area of - for lack of a better term - police planning. In your case, it is your ENTIRE community that is freeloading on others. You are no better than those poor people you despise.
Gee, I wish this blog had a word search function. Then I could see where I said I 'despised' anybody.
No need to say the word,Josh. Your comments make that crystal clear. You got 'em all figured out, too. Except you don't. You're not even close. But I suppose it makes you feel better about freeloading on them.
Bernie, Josh conveniently ignores the persistent Meth and Heroin epidemic. Just because the paper doesn't print names and addresses, it doesn't mean there aren't any in Lower Mac, and believe me, I bet if Lehigh Valley Hospital could legally post it, you would see there are shocking statistics about crime in Lower mac and how it ends up daily in the LVHN ER.
Ahh, so now liberals consider drug use a 'crime.' For decades we've heard them call it a 'disease.' Chris, I never implied there is no crime in the township, just not enough (at least for now) that warrants a police department with all the costs that brings. Heck, we just added a new Shopping Center built by New York millionaires and gave them years and years of tax breaks, rather than using that new development to perhaps care for taxpayers.
Chris did not, like you, attempt to paint this as a battle between liberals and conservatives. And it is not an ideological battle. Everyone should pay their fair share. You are not while complaining about those poor people.
Josh. I live two blocks south of Hamilton Boulevard in Upper Macungie Township. My Township also subsidizes the lack of police in Lower mac. Don't tell me there is not enough crime to warrant police. Just across the border in Lower Mac, a woman was gunned down in her driveway.Ever hear of Holly Grim? She was abducted from her Lower Mac home and her body found in the Poconos. CRIME knows no boundaries. The New York Millionaires could give a rats' ass because they don't live here. There have been ARMED home invasions in Ancient Oaks. Just because there wasn't room in the paper or time on the broadcast to inform about it doesn't mean it didn't happen. You are just another Ostrich until that stray bullet hits you in your ass and you are affected. Then I bet you cry.
Chris, surely you are not going to point to two cases to justify millions of dollars in spending. I know little of each case, but the poor Grim gal was known to her assailant and for all we know the crime didn't take place in Lower Mac. The Macungie shooting has disappeared off of the radar screen which makes me wonder about that case and a possible person of interest. Believe me I am no Ostrich about this stuff as I grew up in what was then the highest crime city in the country. (Thank goodness Chicago took over that title.) I can't believe that you think a couple of patrol cars would have prevented two unfortunate murders. All I want is the best protection for the best dollar amount. If the State Police put a surcharge on us I'm fine with that. As I near retirement age I don't want another bloated bureaucracy bleeding us taxpayers for the rest of our lives. Start a patrol force with modest costs, no retirement after 20 years and only a 401K...and I can live with it. People moved to these suburbs for a reason, and it wasn't to be a shopping mecca with crime invited from the city.
You'll notice the political affiliation most prominent among "police-less" municipalities. It is the part of "small government". Here is the other side of the sword the Ayn Rand fanatics seem to ignore. And it cuts rather sharp.
The one LV municipality that I understand going State Police is Lower Macungie, as I believe they have a barracks in their Township. They should still have to actually pay for it.
Another elephant in the room is Pennsylvania's antiquated Sheriffs' formula and codes. As not too many states (or commonwealths) in the Union use the Sheriff exclusively for county court matters. They are the county police in most states. in which case, the county tax payer (and local municipalities) are paying for county wide police coverage for municipalities that can not afford their own department. In many of those states (particularly southern states) they have county constables or marshals who do the court's work. While the sheriff runs the county jail (prisons are run by the states) and deals with county wide policing.
They also have significantly higher standards and oversight of the county constables in those states. As they do not have PCCD overseeing them.
Josh, I am amazed at how ignorant you are of reality. I am just trying to point out that your ignorant bliss is misplaced. I freakin live here, and I can tell you that because there is no steady police presence in Lower mac, they poach from all the surrounding municipalities like mine. What would happen if Upper Mac, Macungie, South Whitehall, and all the surrounding communities refused to answer calls across the line? State Police are good, but they don't do basic policing. There is no preventative presence. You just can't get reality thru your skull, so there's nothing left to add.
Ahhh, talk about thick skulls. Nothing like a liberal to call people names.
I did not call you a name, I merely pointed out your ignorance as well as your adeptness at avoiding the point. Live long and enjoy your mental state. You don't need the legalization of weed to sustain your fantasy
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