Quick Take:
North Lebanon and North Cornwall townships are preparing for the January 2025 launch of their merged police department, with tasks including budgeting, setting up a pension fund, and aligning local ordinances.
The newly merged Lebanon County Regional Police Department is expected to be up and running in early January 2025, North Lebanon and North Cornwall township officials said.
North Cornwall Township supervisor Wahmann said that, given the department will likely be launched on a Monday, they hope to have it in action starting Dec. 30 or Jan. 6.
Both townships agreed to adopt a charter for a merged police force with an estimated 24 officers, with both townships financially contributing 50 percent.
North Cornwall Township has appointed supervisors Wahmann and Ronald Sell to the governing Regional Police Commission, with North Lebanon Townhip to appoint members this month. An at-large member will also be appointed from North Lebanon residents.
Between now and January, the commission has a lot of work to do. Progress has already begun on contract negotiations, which North Lebanon police chief Tim Knight said are going well so far.
“The officers are excited about [regionalization], they’re glad it’s moving forward,” said Knight, who has been an advocate of regionalization from early in the process. “I feel good, because I feel it’s the best thing for the safety of the officers and the safety of the residents.”
The commission also needs to put together a budget, set up a pension fund, update badges, set up patrol zones, and more.
“Nobody will visibly see any results, but to get things ready there’s a great deal or work,” explained Wahmann.
They also plan to analyze the ordinances of North Lebanon and North Cornwall townships to see if there are any discrepancies in, for instance, nuisance codes.
Wahmann said they hope to realize “uniformity” in police-enforceable codes to ease the burden on officers who would otherwise need to learn and enforce different ordinances.
So for residents of North Lebanon, North Cornwall, and West Lebanon (which is served by North Lebanon’s police department), what is going to change in January? Officials say, not much.
Officer vehicles may change and officers will have new patches and badges, “but when you call the police, the police are still going to show up,” said North Cornwall Township manager Justin Thompson.
Wahmann added that residents may also see more officers responding, with four officers and a roaming supervisor on shift at a time.
The current North Lebanon Township Police Department headquarters will serve as the main HQ for the regionalized department, with the North Cornwall department serving as a secondary HQ.
While future HQ expansion is possible, it will not take place immediately.
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