Leechburg regionalization discussions terminated, officials discuss next steps for policing

Police regionalization conversations have halted in Leechburg.

Borough council voted to “terminate any activities with regard to police regionalization with Parks Township.”

The motion passed, 4-2, with council members DJ Zelczak, Robert Raypush, Chuck Pascal and Alan Tarr voting to stop such discussion, and council President Tom Foster and Lorrie Bazilla voting to continue efforts. Council member John Mrvan was absent.

“For right now, it’s not a good fit for the people of Leechburg,” Zelczak said. “There’s no one specific thing to point to. The timing’s just not right.”

He said a large motivation for the borough to regionalize was to gain 24-hour police coverage. He said with the proposed structure, that wasn’t guaranteed to happen.

“I can’t say that that is the singular or the primary reason,” Zelczak said. “It was an amalgam of reasons.”

Parks Township officials did not immediately respond to TribLive requests for comment.

Zelczak has been one of the borough’s representatives in a steering committee to discuss regionalization. The committee was formed after a police study was completed by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development in December 2023, recommending consolidating with Parks Township and West Leechburg.

West Leechburg removed itself from discussions. In August, Apollo, North Apollo and Kiski Township officials signed letters of intent to explore merging police coverage. Those municipalities have since left discussions as well, leaving Parks and Leechburg to consider the idea.

Zelczak said the door is not permanently closed on the possibility of regionalization.

“Right now, we’re focusing on building up our community police department,” he said.

During the meeting, Pascal suggested officials find a way to streamline the hiring process or find some way to consistently advertise job listings for the borough since regionalization is not an immediate option. The borough’s department currently has two full-time officers.

“(It costs) almost $600 to advertise, and we got one applicant,” Tarr said. “Last time, we got two applicants. One didn’t pass the physical and one didn’t pass the background (check).”

Council members said the difference between pay rates offered by departments in Armstrong County compared to other counties has presented an obstacle when trying to attract new hires.

Pascal said that while Leechburg officers are making a competitive wage with overtime pay, the base pay is lower than what officers are being offered in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

“We don’t have a tax base to get the money to pay them,” Foster said.

Zelczak told TribLive that Leechburg is offering $23 an hour for a full-time police officer. Jay Rupert, chair of the borough’s civil service commission, told council he’s seen job listings in other counties offering officers starting salaries of more than $80,000.

“I mean, they’re big boroughs or big townships. But you know, unfortunately, why are they going to come to Leechburg?” Rupert said.

Council is continuing to look into options to increase policing. Mayor Doreen Smeal suggested a grant program that would allow the borough to sponsor a cadet training to be an officer.

Rupert said the borough isn’t alone in its struggle to attract officers.

“If they’re not having problems just initially getting someone to apply, they’re having problems with the actual applicants themselves,” Rupert said of multiple local departments.