Upper Macungie Gets Ready to Hire a Police Chief

Plans for are progressing.

At a special meeting Thursday night, Supervisor Samir Ashmar told the group of 20 people that "Upper Macungie Township is aggressively forging ahead with the creation of our own police department."

Ashmar said officials are finalizing details of the job description for police chief, have received several inquiries for the job, and have asked officers in the to submit applications for positions.

"Make no mistake about it," Ashmar said. "There will be some sort of transition on Dec. 31. But on Jan. 1, we will have a police department."

Ashmar said even though the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission has not yet voted on Upper Macungie's withdrawal after a 10-year relationship, the township will meet its obligations with the regional force while still setting up its own.

"Things aren't moving as quickly on that end," he said. Upper Macungie shares police services with Maxatawny Township, Lyons Borough and Topton Borough in Berks County. "There are some ongoing obligations that we have to deal with."

Solicitor Andrew Schantz said the supervisors would be able to review and vote upon an ordinance calling for the creation of the department at its April 5 meeting.

Supervisors directed Schantz on Thursday to prepare an ordinance for the dissolution of Upper Macungie's relationship with the Berks-Lehigh police force.

"We are excited about the opportunity to have our own police department," Ashmar said. "Our goal is to make sure that once we are up and running is that we have the best officers and the best facilities."

The facility is a on Grim Road, right next to township hall. Supervisors Chairman Edward J. Earley said he toured the facility Thursday and that it's "state of the art."

Ashmar said the next order of business after the ordinance is getting a police chief on board. He said the township has received emails from "a lot of heavy hitters, both local and outside" who are inquiring about being police chief.

The chief can then help set up the police force, Ashmar said. He hoped to get officers on board quickly.

"We want to avoid having people be worried," Ashmar said. "We have a vested interest in these officers. We can't say enough about the work they do."

Ashmar said he believed the township's force might employ somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 officers.

Ashmar told the audience that the reason wants its own department is because the township's growth was much more than the other municipalities in the regional force.

"Let's just say the township was going through labor pains," Earley said.

Ashmar said the township went from covering 50 percent of the expenses for the regions force in 2001 to 76 percent this year.

"We're paying the lion's share, $217,000 a month for police coverage," he said.

Ashmar also assured residents that taxes won't rise because of the new department.

"Do we have a handle on the dollars? No. If we have to cut back on expenses, then we'll cut back. I don't think we'll go into super debt."

Township supervisors plan on holding another meeting on police department matters during the week of April 18.