Dec 23, 2002 By April Straughters 3 min read

Caruso said the California University police department employees 12 officers. The university has 5,200 students and 900 graduate students. “That (12 officers) is the right amount for them and it’s the right amount for us, because our populations is about the same,” he said.

“I hear students coming out of the barrooms in the middle of the night, screaming and it’s scary. I’m entitled to protection and some peace and quiet and I feel threatened now that the mayor said there’s only one police (officer) on duty.”

Caruso said it also doesn’t make sense to cut a police department while permitting more liquor licenses in the community.

Borough council recently approved two liquor-license transfers requests from Linda Teslovich of California and Mike Grimes of Speers pending approval of the state Liquor Control Board.

Teslovich plans to open a restaurant at 141-143 Second St. and Grimes, owner of Campy’s Pizza and Six Pack Shop, located in Speers, plans to partner with Michael Zahand, owner of Michael’s Pizzas and Subs at 128 Wood St., to turn the establishment into a six-pack shop.

But Gardner said there will be two officers on duty during 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. and insists the borough will have adequate protection.

In a previous interview, police Chief Steve Silbaugh said he believes it will be difficult for the police department to continue to provide the same level of protection.

He expressed concern that at the same time the department is being reduced, responsibilities will increase as the university continues to grow with an off-campus housing complex for 432 students, and a proposed second phase that will house another 336 people.

The Center in the Woods senior center has also added an assisted living complex. All the complexes fall within the borough’s jurisdiction.

Silbaugh said he is concerned that one officer covering the daylight shift will not provide adequate police coverage for the approximately 13 square-mile borough, and said he is also concerned for the safety of his officers.

As to calling for back-up, he said that no department likes to depend on other police departments and it would like to be able to “stand on their own two feet.”

He said the neighboring Cal U department is limited because they are unarmed and limited in the amount of backup they can provide.

Gardner said in a previous interview that the police department budget cuts were necessary to prevent a tax increase.

He said they are partly due to an increase in lawsuits, lawyer fees and an ongoing problem at the sewage plant that has added a number of citations and fines by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Solicitor Michael Savona told the residents to take a “good long look” at the budget before voicing an opinion. He said the borough can only raise taxes a couple of mills before reaching its cap.

“Statistically, the police are the most expensive item in the budget. You can’t raise the mills enough to keep them. The reality is you are working with a very limited amount of money,” Savona said.

Savona said one mill in the borough equals $16,000.

The borough’s current millage is 33 mills, with 28 mills going to the general fund, two mills to street improvements and three mills to the fire department.