EDITORIAL: North Franklin’s decision to disband its police force a short-sighted move
It didn’t take long for North Franklin’s law and order chickens to come home to roost.
The backlash was swift as dozens of residents crowded Tuesday night’s township board meeting to make their feelings known about the supervisors’ decision last month to disband its full-time police department in order to balance its municipal budget.
North Franklin fire Chief Dave Bane raised the most obvious problem, pointing out that the township’s volunteer firefighters usually wait for police officers to arrive to secure the areas for some call before beginning their work. Township police officers usually were on scene before firefighters, but the overextended Pennsylvania State Police that now patrol the township take much longer to arrive.
One resident, Christina Hartzell, also raised serious concerns about who would respond if the unthinkable happened, such as a school shooting at one of Trinity’s three buildings located in North Franklin. Supervisor Bob Sabot dismissed the problem by claiming surrounding municipalities would immediately come to protect the township through some unidentified mutual aid agreement. But how much time would be lost by dispatching officers from state police, Washington and South Strabane when North Franklin’s former police department was right around the corner?
More importantly, why do places such as North Franklin and Canton, both of which do not have their own police departments, assume that the City of Washington should do the heavy lifting for them without paying a dime? These collar communities have been mooching off the city’s already depleted resources for far too long, offering nothing in return.
The resumption of a full-time police department in North Franklin would not be cheap, but it seems as though township residents are willing to foot the bill. Resident Michael Mull told the supervisors he moved to North Franklin with the expectation for the safety and security its township police department provided. He recently installed a private home security system for $2,500 – money, he said, he would have happily spent for the police force.
Less than a month after the supervisors voted to disband its police department to save money, the decision is looking more foolish than ever.
Editor’s note: The editorial has been updated to reflect that North Franklin firefighters do not have to wait for police to arrive before responding to fires or car accidents.