The state police aren't complaining about the increase in municipalities turning to them for full-time police coverage.
Coupled with a decrease in manpower due to retirements, though, that added demand is stretching troopers thin, said state police spokeswoman Maria A. Finn.
"It's the typical do-more-with-less situation," she said.
In addition, the state police have had 30 responsibilities added in the last decade, ranging from casino law enforcement to administration of Megan's Law, she said.
Capt. Dante Orlandi, commander of Reading-based Troop L, which covers Berks, Schuylkill and Lebanon counties, said state police make due by deploying troopers where they're needed.
That's based on how many municipalities don't have local police coverage and how many incidents occur. So if the local workload increases, additional troopers will be assigned here within weeks or months, he said.
State police officials did not give opinions on whether municipalities that rely on them for full- or part-time coverage -- as 70 percent of Pennsylvania's municipalities do -- should be charged for that service.
But John T. Adams, Berks County district attorney, said it would only be fair to charge those municipalities more than municipalities with their own departments.
"State police coverage is appropriate for many areas of the state and the county, but there should be some formula for those municipalities to pay for it," he said.
A poll of officials from several Berks municipalities that rely on the state police said that while their residents are happy with the coverage they receive, they would predictably not want to pay extra taxes or an emergency services fee for it.
Shoemakersville is among those municipalities.
While Councilman Frank Yost praised the coverage the borough gets, he said there is a downside to Shoemakersville not having its own department.
The state police are not able to enforce things like local ordinances or parking violations, which is why council is considering adding a few part-time officers to handle those quality-of-life issues so important to residents.
State police do a great job handling criminal matters and traffic, but are spread too thin to crack down on things like abandoned vehicles or loud parties, he said.
So Shoemakersville changed its ordinances to allow its codes enforcement officer to cite people for such violations, but that's asking too much of him, Yost said.
Having borough police cars patrolling the streets would also deter crime, he said.
Paying for even part-time officers would be tough on the borough, but if officials can't find a way to do so, criminals pushed out of Reading will increasingly find their way to nearby towns like Shoemakersville, where they can operate without having to dodge local police, he said.
"We have a great community, but we have to work to keep it that way," Yost said.
Copyright 2013 - Reading Eagle, Pa.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
