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They are our protectors in the community; enforcers of our laws.
The presence of State Police in Wayne County and our region are crucial to our quality of life, especially as crime continues to escalate.
With cash-strapped municipalities trying to spare every nickel and dime, State Police have taken on a much greater role in the Commonwealth, basically serving as our local police departments.
In Wayne County, where there are 751 square miles, making it the biggest north to south of any county in the state, State Police have a lot of ground to cover. We could use some more troopers to patrol our land.
State Sen. Richard A. Kasunic (D-Fayette/Somerset) has introduced two bills to increase the number of State Police troopers and keep the department up to full strength as much as possible.
One bill would raise the number of troopers from 4,310 to 5,000; the other would mandate a new State Police cadet class be formed if the number of troopers falls 5 percent or below the department’s total.
These bills should have Wayne County’s support.
Law enforcement in rural communities is a must. We cannot afford our communities to go without basic protection, especially when elderly women are getting held at gunpoint in places like South Canaan.
State Police have their work cut out for them with crimes like these. They just can’t be everywhere.
During these difficult economic times, with many municipal police departments either having disbanded or cut back to part time, State Police have bolstered their patrol responsibilities.
They’ve also picked up other duties beyond patrol such as work as administering various criminal databases to policing casinos.
Kasunic’s bills would exempt troopers assigned to casinos, liquor enforcement or the Delaware River Bridge Authority from bring counted toward the total number of troopers.
From what Kasunic states, there are at least 260 officers under the current 4,310 figure. That doesn’t cut it.
What might also hurt is the fact that the division could lose many from the ranks with retirements. Kasunic said that a third of all current troopers were hired between 1991 and 1994, meaning that most will reach their 20-year retirement eligibility over the next three years.
The state, like all states, is going through tough times trying to balance budgets and provide the essential services.
But public safety is one line item we can’t afford to see chopped.
Our citizenry needs protection and we need a fast response when there is a report of a crime.
They are our protectors in the community; enforcers of our laws.
The presence of State Police in Wayne County and our region are crucial to our quality of life, especially as crime continues to escalate.
With cash-strapped municipalities trying to spare every nickel and dime, State Police have taken on a much greater role in the Commonwealth, basically serving as our local police departments.
In Wayne County, where there are 751 square miles, making it the biggest north to south of any county in the state, State Police have a lot of ground to cover. We could use some more troopers to patrol our land.
State Sen. Richard A. Kasunic (D-Fayette/Somerset) has introduced two bills to increase the number of State Police troopers and keep the department up to full strength as much as possible.
One bill would raise the number of troopers from 4,310 to 5,000; the other would mandate a new State Police cadet class be formed if the number of troopers falls 5 percent or below the department’s total.
These bills should have Wayne County’s support.
Law enforcement in rural communities is a must. We cannot afford our communities to go without basic protection, especially when elderly women are getting held at gunpoint in places like South Canaan.
State Police have their work cut out for them with crimes like these. They just can’t be everywhere.
During these difficult economic times, with many municipal police departments either having disbanded or cut back to part time, State Police have bolstered their patrol responsibilities.
They’ve also picked up other duties beyond patrol such as work as administering various criminal databases to policing casinos.
Kasunic’s bills would exempt troopers assigned to casinos, liquor enforcement or the Delaware River Bridge Authority from bring counted toward the total number of troopers.
From what Kasunic states, there are at least 260 officers under the current 4,310 figure. That doesn’t cut it.
What might also hurt is the fact that the division could lose many from the ranks with retirements. Kasunic said that a third of all current troopers were hired between 1991 and 1994, meaning that most will reach their 20-year retirement eligibility over the next three years.
The state, like all states, is going through tough times trying to balance budgets and provide the essential services.
But public safety is one line item we can’t afford to see chopped.
Our citizenry needs protection and we need a fast response when there is a report of a crime.
“At some point, police response time worsens,” Kasunic said. “The quality and timeliness of criminal investigations suffers and the safety and security of citizens is compromised.”
The State Police was formed in 1905. We have local stations in Honesdale, Blooming Grove and Dunmore. These officers usually patrol major highways and rural communities.
We need more of them. We need to feel safe and know that there are plenty of police patrolling our highways and roads and driving through our neighborhoods.
Our quality of life shouldn’t suffer. Ensuring that more State Police are hired will keep us all sleeping much better at night.
