Increasing The Ranks Of The Police Department
Over the last four years Chief Mike Trail, council, and I have been working diligently to identify opportunities to grow and improve the Lansdale Police Department. This month, it is my hope that council will approve the hire of two additional police officers as we continue to work toward that goal in order to continue to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of our community.
Historically, since 2002, our Lansdale Police Department has operated with either 23 or 24 officers at any given time. Earlier in the year, we were lucky enough to hire two new officers to our ranks (Officer Bundy and Officer Thompson). That hiring represented bringing our Lansdale Police Department back to that normal staffing level that we have historically held.
This time around, the hiring of another two officers will bring our community closer to our goal of having 26 or 27 full time officers in the department. As noted in previous musings, the value of hiring new officers comes in many forms. However, the most direct is the opportunity for more community interaction and greater flexibility within the department.
Often, residents come to contact me, Chief Trail, or the public safety committee to discuss increased speed patrol, signage changes, and other important topics and improvements to our community. Chief Trail and I value these interactions and believe they are essential to building a better department because they highlight the gaps we have in the department and help us focus on improving the areas that need more work.
However, sometimes finding solutions to those challenges with limited staff can become itself a challenge. One that we overcome as best we can.
The reality has been clear for years now that as we continue to grow and change, so must our police department. More officers on staff means more touch points with the community, which creates the opportunity to continue to improve Lansdale and the service we provide. As I have said in my report to council earlier in the year: “dollar for dollar, few can argue with the cost per impact each officer has on our community. They celebrate with us, they kneel with us, they empathize with us, and they protect us. Ultimately, the impact of our police department is that they help shape the very community that we are and the community that we hope to become.”
As an example, I received a call on Monday from a resident who had some property damaged by our street sweeper. She called our police department to review the issue. Officer Pelzer reached out to the resident, discussed the issue, and immediately connected with public works to find a positive outcome. Within a few days, our public works department and our police department were able to coordinate a positive solution by repairing the damage and helping the resident. When the resident shared this story with me, she was obviously pleased by the outcome, but that was not what prompted her to call me. She was prompted by, and deeply valued, the level of personal interaction she had between both departments. They cared about her and helping her. They wanted to find a way to make it right for her. Their dedication and passion for helping her was what resonated so deeply. That is who our Lansdale PD, and who Lansdale as a whole, is. We are driven by service, connected to one another, and working together to build a better community.
The addition of two more officers allows us to have more of the interactions like the one above. It allows us the flexibility to partner with more organizations, residents, and departments to improve our community in new and different ways. It is my hope that later this month council will approve the hire of two more officers to the Lansdale Police Department so that we can continue to move Lansdale forward together.