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By KRISTIN KILE Times Leader Correspondent
Tuesday, May 03, 2005     Page: 1A

A standing-room-only crowd of residents on Monday night gave council an
earful about the proposal to dismantle the borough’s police department.
   
At the March meeting, council voted 6-1 to allow borough Solicitor Sam
Falcone to begin investigating the legality of disbanding the department. The
department’s contracts expire on Dec. 31.
    Resident Robert Cole is part of the Forty Fort Crime Watch, which was
restarted just recently, and acts as the eyes and ears of the police
department.
   
“We have one of the best (police) departments on the West Side. I’d hate to
start a crime watch up without a police department. … Without a police
department I don’t know how it would work.”
   
Coleen Horst, also against disbanding the police, said the department
responded to 2,730 calls in 2003 and to 2,905 calls in 2004. As of April 2005,
the department has responded to 1,200 calls. Horst has looked into how to
overturn the council’s decisions.
   
“This town cannot sit back and let you get rid of them,” she told the
council.
   
But council President Andy Tuzinski says his options are limited.
   
“As it stands now … the Borough of Forty Fort will not be in the police
business at the end of business in December 2005.”
   
He said he understands the residents’ concerns and added that the most
popular decisions are not always right and the right decisions are not always
the most popular.
   
“None of us do this for the money. We do it because we love this town,”
said Councilman Rob Craig.
   
Falcone advised council not to discuss the terms of the police department’s
contract publicly. A representative of the Fraternal Order of Police and
Falcone are scheduled to discuss the matter privately Thursday.
   
If the department is dissolved, police protection would be in the hands of
the state police.
   
One of the reasons for the borough’s economic strain, Tuzinski said, is the
county has not been reassessed since 1964. Because of this, Forty Fort is
forced to pay expenses at the 2005 rate with income at the 1964 tax rate.
Tuzinski also said the population is declining and there is no industry to
bring in revenue. The borough will be reassessed in 2007, but the most the
county can increase the tax is by 5 percent, which translates to $13,000.
   
Residents offered suggestions of cutting parts of other departments and
ending curb-side recycling. Tuzinski said the problem with that is the state
mandates these projects but does not fund them.
   
Resident Florence Eckert said there has always been good police and fire
departments since she moved here. No matter if she has to go to the president,
Eckert said, there will be a police department in Forty Fort.
   
“I think its time the state makes a mandate that you have a police
department.”
   
“… the Borough of Forty Fort will not be in the police business at the
end of business in December 2005.”
   
Andy Tuzinski Council president