Penndel Borough Council Scraps Plans To Disband Police Force
PENNDEL BOROUGH, Pa. (CBS) -- Penndel Borough Council has scrapped plans to disband its police force.
Last night, council members heard an earful from angry voters.
The night ended with a 4-3 vote to nix talks of hiring an outside police department to patrol Penndel, which is what many wanted.
Penndel's council president says that now scrapped bid to cut the borough's police department was never about police performance.
Kali Sodano says, "The borough is kind of up against financial straits. We don't have a lot of room left to increase taxes."
At the council meeting, a crowd spoke out, demanding officials keep the local department and throw out a measure to hire Middletown Township police under contract.
"There is no blessed way they can do better than having your own police department responsible to your own borough," one resident said.
Penndel leaders argued that cutting their ten member police force would lead to a quick six figure windfall, and a large seven figure one over ten years.
Savings that could fund other initiatives in the borough of more than 2,000 people.
But residents counter that they've seen that plan not work in other places and don't want to be next.
On social media, Penndel Police posted this:
Thank you citizens and business owners of Penndel. We promise to protect you and work hard for you for hopefully many years to come.
— Penndel Police (@PenndelPolice) September 7, 2016
Eyewitness News has learned the Bucks County DA's office may look into the legality of talks between Middletown Township and Penndel about the private hiring of police services.
