News

October 22, 2009

Forty Fort rejects cop plan

Two members of borough council have opposing opinions on proposal.

Forty Fort won’t be accepting Kingston’s offer this year to consolidate their police forces, a fact that disappoints members from both sides.

It doesn’t, however, disappoint Forty Fort Council member Robert Craig. “It’s kind of like communism. On paper, communism is a wonderful plan, until you get people involved in it. I don’t think it’s possible (in Forty Fort) with the people who are involved now,” he said. “It did not seem to be in the best interest of Forty Fort.”

Kingston had offered to extend its service into Forty Fort for a one-year contract in exchange for the money Forty Fort would have spent on part-time officers to cover shifts for which full-time officers are unavailable. Forty Fort would also have received access to Kingston’s specialized units, such as K-9 officers, narcotics and detectives.

“We’re tied into the (police) contract, and the proposal that was out there called for eliminating part-time officers,” said Forty Fort Council President Joe Chacke. “It’s been something that we’ve been talking about for several years. … Our contract is up at the end of next year, and hopefully the police are willing to work with us.”

He said regionalization is the future as “the only way we’re going to be able to survive. … Every year, Forty Fort borough has nowhere to grow. We’re stuck at where our tax base is.”

Craig, however, believed the proposed merger would actually cost Forty Fort at least $20,000 more next year. “I’m a realist. I need to see something now that tells me this is a good deal for me,” he said.

Chacke acknowledged that the borough wouldn’t immediately see savings from the merger, but would reap benefits over time from things like lower insurance rates. “What you’re going to see there is an improved service delivery,” he said.

He said a clause in the police contract allows them to stymie negotiations if they want, and the threat of arbitration or an unfair labor practices lawsuit prevents council from taking any unilateral actions. “We can do that if the (Fraternal Order of Police) and our police department are willing to talk about it, but they’ve made it clear they’re not willing to talk about it, unfortunately for the residents of Forty Fort, in my opinion,” he said.

Craig sees just the opposite. “If I’m living on a Chevrolet budget, I can’t go out and buy a Cadillac,” he explained. “You don’t see that many drug busts in Forty Fort; we’re not that kind of town.”

Kingston Mayor Jim Haggerty and council President Sandy Kase expressed disappointment that the deal wouldn’t be struck, but said it didn’t affect their financial situation much.

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