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| West Easton Police Department |
During a news conference at the site of the new police station, 301 Sixth Street, Mayor Dan DePaul introduced retired Pa. State Police SGT Robert Mehady. He served with the state police for 25 years,mostly out of he Belfast barracks. He served as a consultant to the borough as it considered the pros and cons of its own force.
That's something West Easton has done without since 1966. Between 966 and 2013, it contracted for police coverage with either Wilson Borough or Easton. Since that time, it has relied on the state police.
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| DePaul, Morganelli, Mehady and paint can |
Calling West Easton a "great location for a small police department," Morganeli added that "folks like the idea of knowing police are nearby."
Chief Mehady called West Easton a "tremendous community," a "little oasis" in the Lehigh Valley.
The department will actually be a hybrid police department staffed by the chief and two part-time officers. State police will still be patrolling the borough when local officers are off-duty.
Mayor DePaul said that $150,000 was budgeted for the new department in 2018 and 2019. It already has acquired three police vehicles, two of which were donated by Palmer Tp. He hopes to see the department function in a matter of months.
One shortcoming of state police coverage is that they refuse to enforce local ordinances regarding parking. Chief Mehady said that in just one swing through the borough, he spotted about 50 vehicles with expired inspections. Mayor DePaul added some of these cars are parked on borough roads for months at a time.
West Easton might ne an oasis to some, but is also the lair of Tricia Mezzacappa. She has flooded the tiny borough with incessant Rights-to-Know, has driven up legal costs and is in court with West Easton so frequently that its Solicitor has asked that she receive approval from a judge before she files any more actions.
Tricia Mezzacappa is certainly part of the reason Easton stopped providing police coverage. She has since that time made numerous unfounded complaints to state police. I suspect Chief Mehady will have his hands full. Nevertheless, I must applaud West Easton officials for doing something more wealthy communities have forgotten. They are serving their residents.
35 comments:
We will see how this works out, between the new taxes required not just for the department but the legacy costs, and the pressure from the politicians to have the police department pay for itself by fining the very people paying their salaries.
6:05 You're already being fined by paying taxes in PA that fund the Pennsylvania State police, unless you live in a free-loading community like Williams Township. Their free loading days will be over soon, I hope they pay more than 300,000 to the state for state police coverage.
@6:05
A police department pays for itself by protecting the community and enforcing laws. There is no police department anywhere that generates more money than it costs to run it.
If residents of a community don't stop at stop signs, are disorderly, or act in ways that warrant a fine, or even an arrest, that is on them.
The 99% of law abiding citizens in a community don't pressure local leaders to have their police not enforce laws.
Wilson Borough has posted additional signs under many of our stop signs indicating rolling stops will receive a fine. Not one complaint to council about people being fined for not stopping.
Barney Fife is available for low wages. First order of business will be to arrest the paint can.
As a Wilson resident within literally spitting distance of both West Easton AND the lair of the Wicked Witch of the West(Easton), I hardily applaud the Borough for proactively protecting citizens from all enemies; outsider and neighborhood. I also volunteer access and rights for West Easton to install security surveillance on my 10th @ Ridge Street Wilson property, at the borough "gateway".
They all talk big, until they get the bill, a community this small cannot afford its own police department.
How about just becoming part of Easton? What a joke.
It's unkind to call Easton a joke. Sure, a 100' dickless man being proposed is funny, but it has a nice downtown area.
Where's Andy and Barney when Mayberry needs them?
Seems like West Easton will be entering into a nightmare of administration issues.Hopefully West Easton can rethink this move before its too late
A community's biggest asset is it's public safety. A great fire, police and code enforcement office not only makes a community safe but ensures quality of life and raises property values. It also lowers insurances. For a Borough or Township to NOT have it's own police should be illegal in my opinion. West Easton's start is a good start but that 150k will grow greatly in the years to come..the residents should be prepared to invest in their community and not gripe when their taxes are raised. There would be less griping when that time comes if this police department is successful and if it is run properly it should be.
11.41 sounds like someone who wants a job. There should be a referendum, with the costs revealed and the increase in taxes needed, then let the community decide, That is real democracy,
Agree...this type of move needs to be clearly explained as well as all associated costs for now and into the future. If TM is the only reason Wilson and Easton refuse police coverage..then take action against her and censure her and file suit for damages. Make it hurt and get a solid court order to stop her personal attempts to destroy the borough. Just cause exists already..pour the money into a lawyer that will eliminate her from this equation...for good.
But doesn't West Easton already have a law enforcement officer?
A top priority for the newly minted West Easton PD should be to find out why large numbers of outdoor cats have gone missing in recent years some turning up at the SPCA others vanishing.
Something has taken a toll on Dandy Dan. Looks a bit like a homeless ex-convict. That presser on a folding chair with a Behr paint can as a weight was pathetic.
4:10 - gotta love the tasty China buffets in WE restaurants.
Why not just make Tricia M the chief of police. She is already a certified constable and is proficient with weapons. She knows the law and the town.
West Easton could have saved a lot of money by letting her be the police force.
TM forgot to take her 4:00 concoction of meds?
T.M has my vote for sheriff of west Easton, forget the police car, how about a pony.
Give her a lasso, Bernie will be banned from W. Easton.
Along with spurs and a whip.
Barney Fife and Bufert T. Justice.
This seems silly. Can't West Easton just make some kind of contribution to Wilson in exchange for coverage from their department? Once they tell everyone to get their cars inspected, these guys aren't going to have anything to do, and will just be a waste of the taxpayers' money.
8:42 Sometimes you have to wonder why people like you make such idiotic statements. All you would have to do is ask someone to find out what happen before state police covered their community. They were paying Easton police $158,000 a year. And they wanted to keep paying that and more, but Easton turned them down and Wilson. If the Easton police weren't doing anything why were they paying the city of Easton all that money a few year ago. Since the state police do not enforce ordinances why are so many calls going into the 911 center for them to respond Unbelievable
What a ridiculous waste of money! These parochial boroughs with their Barney Fife's need to go. Regionalize or get out of the police business. Too many chiefs and not enough officers on the street.
10:28, You have no reason to be so rude. 158k / year is clearly way too much, but it is probably less than running their own department will cost in the long run, between a chief, 2 part time officers, maintenance and operating three vehicles, plus training, equipment, etc (I know 2 of the vehicles were donated, but they will need to be replaced eventually). There is no way a municipality of 1500 has enough of a crime problem to justify all that. And the whole community is basically just a neighborhood that is closer to the center of Wilson than much of the rest of Wilson is. It is just not an efficient use of the taxpayers' money. Economies of scale apply to government services, too. Services get cheaper per unit output the larger and more organized the provider.
The obvious answer is Tricia Mezzacappa as the towns sheriff. Cheaper and more efficient. She is already a trained law officer as a constable.
Dan what is with the wig? Seriously, that is out of this world crazy!
I bet Morganelli's donation was from the funding of EPD's drug seizures. How convenient
In the time since West Easton lawfully elected Tricia Mezzacappa to the office of constable property crimes are down 33% according to data obtained thru the PSP records. No need for Barney Fife and co to send property taxes thru the roof.
and cRaZy is up 133% in West Easton.
I Live near a state trooper, heard there was six Pennsylvania State trooper cars call to her house in one day this month.
Chapman and W. Easton in a race to the bottom of relevancy. What in the world is Morganelli trying to do? He has pulled this act before..spending drug money on little boro's in an attempt to gain favor...and then the well runs dry and the town is stuck with the purchase and how to keep it running. Fine example is the drug dog in Bangor. WTF does that boro need with a drug dog? Bought a vehicle to cart the mutt around and a designated officer to care for and train and house it. A burden to the town but at the start everyone was doing cartwheels. It's all just a pr grab!
PIG ABUSER!
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