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The North Cornwall and North Lebanon regional police development committee discussed proposed shifts and zones at a meeting Wednesday.
The tentative three-zone plan, which is not yet publicly available as it is subject to change, has four officers and a sergeant divided between three zones of coverage area.
Each zone would be covered by one officer at any given time, with another officer and a sergeant serving as floaters. Officers assigned to one zone would be available to assist other officers as needed.
North Cornwall supervisor Mike Wahmann estimated that each zone is no more than 2.5 miles across, and that officers would likely travel closer to other zones if it seemed likely they would be called for backup.
North Lebanon Township supervisor Ardy Snook said that if an officer on duty is unable to immediately respond to a call and needs backup from another department, backup cannot prosecute a crime and needs to wait for a township officer.
Regionalizing, he said, would save time and offer additional flexibility.
“It’s flexibility, it’s being able to get help quickly, easier, having enough guys in the area to respond to a bad accident if you need more than one person,” Snook said.
Officers would be assigned overlapping shifts to account for shift changes.
The detectives and chiefs would likely work flexible hours, and assist officers when needed during their shifts.
The tentative plan includes 12-hour shifts for officers, but that is not set in stone, said North Lebanon supervisor Gary Heisey.
He said he has requested a plan including 10-hour shifts from North Lebanon police Chief Tim Knight, who was not present at Wednesday’s meeting.
However, he said he has heard favorable opinions about 12-hour shifts from City of Lebanon officers, who work 12-hour shifts.
While the committee planned to discuss the charter agreement Wednesday, neither township’s labor attorney had responded with notes on the agreement at time of meeting.
Read More: Regional police steering committee reviews draft of updated charter
The date and time of the committee’s next meeting is to be determined, and will be released after the labor attorneys respond with notes on the charter.
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