Get ready to pay for that police protection!

[Dredly]

This is being brought up again, just FYI to all people in those areas... Maybe this will help reduce response time from "cold dead body" to "blood is still sticky"

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbc.../NEWS/80904025

By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
September 04, 2008

HARRISBURG (AP) -- Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering whether to impose a $100-per-resident tax on large municipalities that do not have their own police forces and instead rely entirely on state troopers.

A state House bill would impose the fee only on municipalities with at least 10,000 people. Under current census figures, it would produce more than $31 million annually from 21 townships in 12 counties.

But at a hearing in Harrisburg on Thursday, opponents warned it could be financially devastating and could push townships that do not want their own police forces to establish them anyway.

"This approach looks to me like a state mandate, and it looks like an unfunded mandate," said Rep. Will Gabig, R-Cumberland.

The issue has been kicked around the state Capitol for more than a decade, and was pushed by then-Gov. Tom Ridge in the 1990s. The latest proposal is sponsored by Rep. John Pallone, D-Westmoreland, who vowed to reintroduce it next year if no action is taken before the current session ends in November.

Pallone said local and state police resources are stretched to their limits and that his bill would be fairer and result in more police on duty.

"It's not necessarily the cost factor to focus on, it's the law enforcement issues," he said.

Larry Garner, manager of White Township in Indiana County, said it would cost his municipality nearly $1.5 million to comply — a 45 percent increase in the township's budget.

And Les Houck, an official with the state township supervisors' association, argued that township residents pay the same state taxes as everyone else, and those payments underwrite state police coverage.

"We contend that if there are shortages, then it is due to a misallocation of current state police manpower to other areas of the state for other inappropriate purposes," said Houck, a supervisor in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County.

But Sean Welby, a lawyer speaking for the state Fraternal Order of Police, which supports the bill, said it would help address the existing system's financial inequities while still letting local governments decide whether they want their own police force.

About 1,700 Pennsylvania municipalities do not provide local police coverage, but most of them are too small to qualify under the 10,000-population threshold that Pallone's bill would establish.

Pallone said he intended to amend his bill so that the $100-per-person fee collected by the state would go toward additional police coverage and not simply get absorbed into the state's general fund.

Townships that would have to pay state police fees

A legislative proposal to impose a $100 head tax on large municipalities that do not have their own police force would affect 21 townships in Pennsylvania:

—Chester County: West Bradford Township

—Cumberland County: South Middleton Township

—Delaware County: Middletown Township

—Erie County: Harborcreek and Fairview townships

—Fayette County: North Union and South Union townships

—Franklin County: Guilford, Antrim and Greene townships

—Indiana County: White Township

—Lancaster County: Salisbury Township

—Lehigh County: Lower Macungie and North Whitehall townships

—Lycoming County: Loyalsock Township

—Monroe County: Chestnuthill and Middle Smithfield townships

—Westmoreland County: Hempfield, Unity, Derry and Mount Pleasant townships

___

Source: Rep. John Pallone, D-Westmoreland, sponsor of the bill

[Frenchy]

Many places already charge you a tax to respond to your monitored alarms, why should it change...

You pay taxes already for the service, but hey, why not charge a second time?

There are also places that have pricate peace keepers, cant remember too many in PA. but i know there are some, Seven Springs comes to mind... They cost less then PD and are there faster

[lonehiker]

why are they doing this ? one reason is as i heard the local govts effected would no longer would get to keep 50% of psp ticket revs so the money could be flushed down the the big city crime holes and would change nothing due to the revolving door policy for criminals

PLEASE GIVE FILTHADELPHIA TO NJ "PERFECT TOGETHER"

[ChamberedRound]

Why should residents be forced by government to pay this fee for a police force they a) may not want and b) has no legal obligation to protect them, when they already collect a municipal tax that should be used for this purpose?

And what a surprise that the FOP supports this. More uniforms means more membership $$$ for them.

[Exbiker]

This has come up in the past. Fast Eddie will use this as leverage to get more money if not here somewhere else. Most of the funds seem to get diverted to his voter bases of Phillie and Pittsburgh and their surrounding areas. Not to mention loans and funding for his corrupt casino buddies.

My township absolutely cannot afford our own or participation in regional police. I posted this at Pocono Commuter.

"So where do they draw the line. Some arbitrary population number. How about a population density number. There are some townships that won`t pay yet have more people per square mile and population density is many times a better indication of crime and more police usage.
Chestnuthill`s crime rate is still lower then many if not most townships with the same population and local police."

[Mr_Tom]

you get what you vote for... junk.

Tom

[RandomTask]

Originally Posted by ChamberedRound

Why should residents be forced by government to pay this fee for a police force they a) may not want and b) has no legal obligation to protect them

That's right. I don't need no stinkin' police "protection." Just give me the Castle Doctrine and my blaster by my side.

[larrymeyer]

How come Philadelphia is not on that list they use PSP as a second police department.

Also I believe the money would go to the state right now I'm not sure that a municipally pays for PSP patrols

[LittleRedToyota]

Originally Posted by ChamberedRound

Why should residents be forced by government to pay this fee for a police force they a) may not want and b) has no legal obligation to protect them, when they already collect a municipal tax that should be used for this purpose?

but that's the point. the municipality is not funding a police force and, instead, relying on the state to provide one (free of charge). so whatever municipal taxes are being collected, they are not being used for this purpose.

as a result, the rest of the people in the state have to pick up the tab for these freeloading communities.

unless i'm missing something...

[Dredly]

Originally Posted by LittleRedToyota

but that's the point. the municipality is not funding a police force and, instead, relying on the state to provide one (free of charge). so whatever municipal taxes are being collected, they are not being used for this purpose.

as a result, the rest of the people in the state have to pick up the tab for these freeloading communities.

unless i'm missing something...

You are correct. Municipal taxes aren't paying for the troopers however STATE taxes are paying for the protection.

The thought process behind it is if you are big enough to be considered a "large town" then you should pay for your own just like the "cities" do. They are setting this limit at 10,000 people.

What is stupid is this limit that is set at 10,000 people doesn't take into account AREA. For example Stroudsburg is a town of approx 6700 residents (not including outlying areas or east burg) However in size its not even 1/4th the size of Chestnut hill township.

So adding 5 additional police officers to Stroudsburg PD would be a huge benefit, adding 5 additional police officer to Chestnut hill township would be useless

Overall its a ploy to get more money for services that aren't used anyway