Palmer Chief: Nazareth a 'Long Haul' for Police Coverage

The news caught Palmer Township officials off guard Monday night.

As the Palmer Township Board of Supervisors was meeting, Nazareth Borough Council was making a motion for contracting police services. And Palmer Township was on that list.

"This is the first I'm hearing about it," Police Chief Larry Palmer said when shown a text message from Palmer/Forks Patch.com.

Nazareth council approved a motion Monday to revisit contracting police services from a neighboring municipality. Nazareth wants an outside source to provide police services, and planned to ask six municipalities -- including Palmer -- to provide a proposal.

"We haven't seen anything," Palmer Supervisors Chairman Dave Colver said following Monday's meeting.

Upper Nazareth Township, Bushkill Township and Colonial Regional Police were also on the list. Colonial Regional covers Lower Nazareth Township, Bath Borough and Hanover Township (Northampton County). It has a contract to cover Chapman Borough.

Chief Palmer didn't see the possibility coming to fruition.

"There's another jurisdiction -- Colonial Regional -- between us," Palmer said. "And it's a pretty big haul to get to Nazareth."