The Borough entered into an agreement with Kennett Township to provide the township with law enforcement services. The following questions were developed to eliminate many of the concerns a Borough resident may have.
Question: The Borough has agreed to provide police
services to Kennett Township. How will this affect police services
within the Borough?
Answer: It won't. The Mayor and Council have mandated that
services to Borough residents shall not be diminished in any manner.
Question: Why does the Borough want to contract their
services?
Answer: Several reasons. The Borough presently provides some
water and sewer services to Kennett Township residents. The hourly
charge for the officer is higher than the actual cost. The additional
money received by the Borough will be used lower the fixed operating
cost of the Police Department, thereby spreading the cost for police
services over more residents.
Question: Are there presently any municipalities to do
that?
Answer: Within the Commonwealth, there are 26 regional police
departments and over 200 contracted police services.
Question: What is the difference between a regional Police
Department and contracted police services?
Answer: A regional Police Department is formed between two
municipalities. An authority is created that provides police
services to those townships within the agreement. Contracted police
services is when one municipality has a Police Department and
contracts a portion of its services to another municipality.
Question: Are there presently any municipalities in
Chester County that do that?
Answer: There is one regional Police Department in Chester
County and three departments that contract police services.
Question: Where is the nearest Police Department that
provides contracted services?
Answer: For a number of years West Chester Police Department
has provided contracted services to East Bradford Township.
Question: What services will Borough police be providing
to Kennett Township?
Answer: the Borough Police Department will be investigating
and enforcing local ordinances. They will be providing some traffic
enforcement. They will not be answering 911 calls from residents.
Question: Will the Township residents be calling the
Kennett Square Police Department directly?
Answer: No. The agreement is set up that the supervisors and
the Zoning Officer will be the only ones who can direct the Kennett
Square Police Department to provide services within the Township.
Question: What is the reason for the Borough to do this?
Answer: The reason for providing services to another
Township, whether they be police, water or sewer is to reduce the
fixed costs. The fixed costs of police will be reduced to Borough
residents by spreading those costs over more people.
Question: Will an officer leave the Borough in order to
provide services in the Township?
Answer: No. The majority of the services requested by the
Supervisors will be done in advance. Additional officers will be
assigned to provide those services.
Question: If an officer is in Kennett Township on an
incident and needs assistance will an officer leave the Borough?
Answer: Presently, there are times when an officer leaves the
Borough to assist other police departments, as well as the PA State
Police. There are also times when an officer may be called out of
the Borough for an arraignment, secure search, criminal warrant, or
to transport an arrestee to a hospital for medical treatment. It is
during these times that there is a policy in place to provide
coverage for the Borough during that officer's absence. If a request
for assistance in the Township comes from a Kennett Square Police
officer, that policy goes into effect.
Question: How will this change the coverage in the Anson
B. Nixon Park?
Answer: The coverage in the Anson B. Nixon Park will remain
the same. This is a separate agreement where Kennett Square Police
provide primary jurisdiction for the entire Park. The cost of that
protection is split between the Borough and the Township.
Question: I see a speed indicator board with both Kennett
Township and Kennett Police listed on the back. Are these two units?
Answer: Yes. The Township secured a grant for a speed
indicator board similar to the one owned by the Borough. The Kennett
Square Police, in a separate agreement, move and maintain that speed
indicator board. The location of that board is determined by the
Township Safety Committee.
Question: What will happen if the police are needed in
Kennett Township during the night?
Answer: There is a provision in the contract that calls for
the Kennett Square Police to handle 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in
the event that they should arise at any time. It is set up by the
agreement and the Police Department's operating protocol to Kennett
Township that the Supervisors or Zoning Officer contact the officer
in change, on call. Each day a ranking officer is on call within the
Police Department.
Question: Who will determine who responds and how the
Borough will be covered in its absence?
Answer: This is similar to other times when the officers are
called out of the Borough on official duty. There is a policy within
the Police Department, but operations policies generally are not
matters of public record for security reasons.
Question: How will the Kennett Square Police know when and
where to appear?
Answer: According to the contract that will be determined by
the Supervisors and the Safety Committee of the Township.
Question: Will this change the relationship between the
Kennett Square Police and the PA State Police?
Answer: No. The PA State Police remain police of primary
jurisdiction in Kennett Township. The agreement is to supplement the
efforts of the PA State Police. The Kennett Square Police will
continue to assist the State Police and vice versa as they have in
the past.
Question: What happens if the Kennett Square Police
encounter a dangerous situation in Kennett Township?
Answer: According to the operating protocol the Kennett
Square Police will take whatever action is necessary to safeguard
life and property. Under this agreement and the Statewide Municipal
Police Jurisdiction Act, the Kennett Square Police have full
jurisdiction 24 hours a day, 7 days a week within the Township.
Following an arrest it will be determined between the officer on
call for the Kennett Police and the State Police as to who
prosecutes that arrest.
Question: How long is this contract?
Answer: The contract is for one year. This will give both
municipalities a chance to evaluate the contract to see the effect
it has in both municipalities.
Question: How will the community benefit?
Answer: With the increase in development and revitalization,
traffic in the area has increased. That places more police services
into an area that is becoming congested to bring further compliance
with existing traffic regulations, which will lead to increased
public safety.
