Township Announces Green Light for Police Study

At the Lower Saucon Township Council meeting Aug. 17, township manager Jack Cahalan reported that the state Department of Community and Economic Development has approved a request for a regional police study.

Lower Saucon Township, in conjunction with Hellertown Borough, , Cahalan said. The study will examine the feasibility of combining the two police departments.

Cahalan explained that Hellertown and Lower Saucon first pursued the possibility of combining police forces in the 1990s, but didn’t act on the results of completed studies. Then, in 2006, the municipalities began another study, but Hellertown decided to terminate the process. This time, it was actually Hellertown that approached Lower Saucon about pursuing the study again, he said.

Now that a new study has been approved, DCED will assign two consultants--typically police chiefs from other departments--to conduct it, Cahalan said. The consultants will hold a series of meetings with officials from both municipalities. They will also factor in the expenses of the police departments and review a survey completed by Hellertown and Lower Saucon representatives, he said.

The survey asks the township to provide information such as the number of employees in the police department, the physical layout of the police station, and the number of police vehicles and miles driven on patrol. It also asks for budget, salary and benefit information, he said.

From there, the consultants will prepare a report for the DCED and the municipalities that will answer several questions.

Those questions will include, “How would it operate? What will the command structure be? How will it be overseen? And, of course, how much is it going to cost,” Cahalan said.

Cahalan said he doesn’t know when the study will begin.

“Any delay will be on their part,” he said. “I don’t know if they have any consultants available.”

In other business, Cahalan told council that some residents have expressed an interest in seeing memorial benches installed along the . He said Eternal Promise in Coopersburg sells a bench that is suitable for the trail.

“This is a very good-looking bench,” Cahalan said.

The benches weigh 210 pounds and will be anchored to the ground, he explained. They cost $995 each, but their price includes assembly, engraving of a memorial plaque and installation, Cahalan said.

Council members discussed which of the 17 colors they wanted to have represent Lower Saucon Township. Some said not yellow; another said not orange or cranberry. The choice came down to three: dark green, dark bronze and slate blue. They picked the dark green.

Cahalan said the benches will only be sold to individuals and organizations in Lower Saucon Township, as opposed to companies.

Right now, the township has seven locations along its section of the trail suitable for installation of the benches. The spots are remote and away from homes, Cahalan said.

If a bench becomes damaged or stolen, the township will not be responsible for the cost of fixing it or replacing it, he added.