CLEARFIELD – Lawrence Township Supervisor Chairman Randy Powell on Tuesday night said the township supports the potential regionalization of its police force with Clearfield Borough.
Powell went on to say that it would provide better police coverage to the community, as well as save the township and the borough money.
Lawrence Township Police Chief Doug Clark added that if things are done correctly, there would be more room for advancement for the officers.
The key, according to Clark, would be to take the process of regionalization slow enough to cover all the bases.
On Thursday night, Clearfield Borough’s Public Safety Committee voted to recommend the approval of pursuit of options, including regionalization, to resolve its officer shortage and financial woes.
Following the meeting, Police Chief Vincent McGinnis said he supports establishing a regionalized police force that would join the two police departments.
“No one would lose their job, and everybody would become a full-time officer,” he said, and manpower would increase with four to five officers on-duty each shift.
Regionalization would also draw new officers with full-time opportunities and room for advancement. “It would help with our recruitment …. officers would want to come here.”