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Some Redstone residents want police force

By Christine Haines 3 min read

REDSTONE TWP. – Several Redstone Township residents Wednesday asked the township supervisors about having a local police force again. The township police force has not been operational since the resignation of a full-time officer in January.

“While we were interviewing, we learned we had lost our insurance coverage because of claims against us,” Supervisor Larry Williams said. “Every time our police department is sued, win or lose, we pay the deductible.”

Williams said that by having a part-time police department in the past, the township received less coverage from the state police. Some cases were backlogged two or three days waiting for local officers to come back on duty, Williams said.

“North Union, South Union and Bullskin townships don’t have local police. They have state police like crazy,” Williams said.

Supervisor Ray Paris said that by having one officer on duty 40 hours a week, the township was considered to have a police department and didn’t qualify for regular state police coverage in the past.

“I understand we have the state police now and we see them all the time, but that’s not the answer,” said Rich Brosky of Republic.

Brosky said problems with alcohol, drugs and prostitution are common on Main Street in Republic now that local police aren’t available.

“State police just aren’t getting it,” Brosky said. “This is every night, seven days a week. I called the state police drug task force and there was no response. I’ve called (Fayette County District Attorney) Nancy Vernon for three and a half years and she’s never returned my calls.”

Mike Kuznar asked if regionalization was ever considered and Williams said Brownsville Mayor Norma Ryan had brought up the subject several years ago, but it never went anywhere.

“If the public tells us they want police and the only avenue we have is to raise taxes, we would probably take it to a referendum,” Williams said.

Wanda Coneybear of Uniontown told the supervisors that she lives in what had been one of the worst neighborhoods in the city before an Elm Street grant was obtained to increase local police patrols there. Coneybear said the local police also receive full backup from the state police.

“I’ve seen my street go from an abject slum to up, up, up,” Coneybear said.

Williams said that the revenue to the township did not increase with the recent Fayette County reassessment. While revenue has stayed the same, the township has been facing increasing expenses for insurance, fuel and other items.

Paris noted that he is no longer drawing a salary as a roadmaster and is no longer under the township’s insurance plan, saving some money.

Williams said property tax revenues are going down because of land taken for the Mon-Fayette Expressway construction.

In other matters, the supervisors rejected a bid of $60 for the old 1994 police car, opting instead to keep it for parts. The township’s 1995 Ford F-350 dump truck was sold to Duda’s Farm Inc., which submitted the high bid of $6,555.

The township received only one bid for a salt/ash spreader to be installed on the new township truck. Walsh Equipment Inc. of Prospect submitted the bid at a cost of $6,290, which the supervisors accepted.

The supervisors also approved the joint comprehensive plan for Redstone and Luzerne townships, outlining what residents of the townships would like to see happen to the communities over the next 10 years.

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