Upper Nazareth Holds Off Hiring Full-Time Police Officer

The has decided not to add a full-time officer's position to the township police department -- at least for now.

The question of whether to hire another full-time officer -- a position that is included in the police department's 2012 budget -- sparked spirited discussion at Wednesday night's township meeting. Supervisors agreed the hiring should happen at some point, but disagreed whether now is the time.

Supervisor Chairman Mike Rinker spoke in favor of hiring a full-time officer immediately to reduce the township's dependence on part-time officers.

Police Chief Alan Siegfried noted that several of the department's part-timers -- who could be counted on to work shifts at short notice in the past -- plan to look for other job opportunities.

“We've relied on part-time officers and we've been lucky,” Siegfried said. He cautioned supervisors that the department has only five full-time officers -- not counting himself and a school resource officer in the Nazareth Area School District -- to provide 24/7 patrol coverage.

Any sudden reduction in manpower, such as losing part-time officers to more lucrative jobs elsewhere, could require the township to seek overnight coverage from state police, Siegfried said.

Residents' unhappiness with relying on state police, who cover large chunks of territory, was a driving force behind the formation of the Upper Nazareth Police Department in the 1970s, he added.

“Do you really want to go back to those days?” Siegfried asked.

Rinker's motion to hire a full-time officer died for lack of a second. The other four supervisors said they support hiring an officer in principle, but want to wait for now to see what the township's financial situation looks like later this year.

They referred repeatedly to the burden placed on Upper Nazareth residents by the in the township's property tax this year.

“Let's wait till tax money comes in to hire a new officer,” Supervisor Willard Mohn suggested.

Rinker replied that taxpayers will not be burdened by additional costs if an officer is hired, since the position is already included in the budget. He did not sway his colleagues.

“I just want to see where the numbers are first,” said Supervisor Vice Chairman Scott Sylvainus.

Rinker, in a brief phone interview Thursday, said he was surprised no one so much as seconded his motion Wednesday night, but added he feels confident a full-time officer will be hired at some point.