Residents unsure whether proposed 7-town force is right for township
By John Gondol, Correspondent, The Times
KENNETT — At Wednesday night’s township Board of Supervisors work session supervisors sought input from residents on a proposal to merge police services for seven area municipalities.
Despite poor weather and a light turnout, township officials used the more informal forum of a work session to offer the chance for comments from residents on various issues, but the issue of local police seemed to top the charts.
Ongoing talks aimed at merging the township’s police department with that of neighboring Kennett Square, New Garden and London Grove recently expanded to include East Marlborough, Avondale and West Grove, to create a true regional police force. As State Police resources dwindle and response times appear to be increasing, more local municipalities and residents have been debating the need for local or regional police. Those municipalities with small forces already, such as the township, are looking at improving services while keeping costs down in a regional force.
But before things get too serious, Board of Supervisors chair Scudder Stevens said it was time for more detailed public input on the subject.
“The police chiefs, the townships supervisors, and the township managers all met last Saturday,” Stevens said, “What we are trying to do is define what our needs are, what are the needs of Kennett Township, and how best is it to meet those needs.”
Some residents voiced their concerns weighing the obligations of regionalization versus just having a dedicated department for the township.
Stevens cited the response time that he had acquired from residents for the Avondale State Police barracks is approximately one hour, which has been increasingly a concern among some local residents in southern Chester County.
“Does that meet our needs? Are our needs greater than that? And how do we go about defining them?” Stevens said to the handful of residents who braved the Wednesday downpour.
The discussion regarding the safety and welfare of the township are expected to continue — there was seemed to be no definitive consensus from the small number of residents gathered Wednesday night.
