Evening Sun: Regional force to break up
By SETH GOLDSTEIN
Evening Sun Reporter
The police force charged with protecting Abbottstown and Hamilton Township will disband in March when the contract between the municipalities expires.
The two municipalities could not come to terms on how much each would pay for the police department, which includes one chief and three part-time officers.
Abbottstown Mayor Charles Stonesifer said there has been growing animosity in recent years over funding. Since the department formed 18 years ago, the township and the borough have split costs evenly, he said.
But population growth in Hamilton has led the parties to discuss what Stonesifer believes would have been a more fair 60-40 agreement.
"Hamilton has grown so much that keeping it a 50-50 would be just unfair," Stonesifer said.
Negotiations, Stonesifer said, stalled weeks ago when the municipalities could not agree on a funding formula.
"We had to give a 60-day written notice to Hamilton Township stating our intent to disband the force," Stonesifer said. "Our main objective now is to make sure the residents of Abbottstown have adequate police coverage."
Stephanie Egger, chairwoman of the Hamilton Township Board of Supervisors, said she was disappointed with Abbottstown's decision to break up the force.
"I'm not entirely surprised," she said. "There have been problems in the past with negotiations." Egger joined the board at the beginning of the year.
She said Abbottstown held a meeting about the police department Jan. 9. But Hamilton supervisors, under the advice of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, didn't attend, Egger said.
"Since both municipalities share the same legal counsel, it would be a conflict of interest for both of us to use the same lawyer," she said.
Egger sent Abbottstown council members a letter on Jan. 11 to explain why no one from Hamilton attended the meeting. Abbottstown voted Jan. 19 to disband the force.
"We told Abbottstown that once we got legal counsel we would be more than happy to meet with them," she said. "On Jan. 19, we received a letter from them giving us 60 days notice that they intended to disband the department."
Egger said the breakup likely stems from a misunderstanding that occurred at a joint-municipal meeting in November.
"They were under the assumption that we were going to start paying the higher percentage starting immediately after the Nov. 14 meeting," she said. "They were talking about the 2006 budget at the time, we thought they understood that we would start paying 60 percent starting at the start of this year."
Stonesifer said that when Hamilton supervisors voted at the November meeting they didn't stipulate when the township was going to start paying the 60 percent of the costs.
About $191,000 was budgeted for the police in 2006, he said. Of that Abbottstown will be paying 50 percent, at least until March.
Egger said Hamilton held a special meeting on Jan. 23 and voted to pay 60 percent of the police costs.
The township is planning on paying that amount, at least for the next two months, she said.
"The reason for the special meeting was so we could open up our budget and allot the money for the police," she said.
When asked why the mayor was under the assumption that the borough was paying 50 percent instead of 40 percent, Egger said communication has broken down between the municipalities since Abbottstown decided to break up the police.
"It's up to them to contact us," she said. "It was their decision to disband. Their mind was already made up."
Stonesifer said the issues over the police is only the tip of the iceberg.
"This is just another incident in a series of disagreements between the two," he said, adding that the antagonism has been building up for a while.
Even though the department is slated to disband in March, the impending breakup isn't definite. Though, according to the Abbottstown mayor, it's as good as done.
"I just don't see it happening," he said of an agreement being reached. "The borough has formed a subcommittee to find other options for police coverage. It could be anything from the state police, having our own officers or looking into having Eastern Adams Regional take over."
The Department of Community and Economic Development will be doing a study and will give the Hamilton Township recommendations on what it should do if the department disbands, Egger said.
State police in Gettysburg already cover Abbottstown and Hamilton part-time because the local police department is only a part-time force.
At least a handful of businesses in the two municipalities are worried about a breakup.
Sue Werick, assistant manger of Choice Tobacco Outlet on the square in Abbottstown, said she's concerned about what will happen at night.
"I work at night and I'd like to know that there is someone there if I need them," she said. "Someone closer than the state police in Gettysburg. It's the time-issue that really scares me."
On the Hamilton side of Cross Keys, Sandy Sigh, manager of the Getty gas station, said he's also worried about the alternatives to the local police department.
"I'm not going to feel safe now that they're gone," he said. "The state police take too long. With the local police, if we have a problem we know they'll be in the area."
This is not the first time in recent years the force has been disbanded. In June 2002, Hamilton Township decided to disband the force when the contract expired, leaving Abbottstown wondering what to do for police coverage. Three-and-a-half years later, the roles are reversed.
The 2002 breakup of the Abbottstown-Hamilton Police was accompanied by stinging allegations. In a federal lawsuit, Officer Rick Siegel threw accusations that the disbandment was a smokescreen to get rid of him. Siegel was not rehired when the force reformed a month after breaking up. But a confidential, out-of-court settlement gave him his job back.
Contact Seth Goldstein at sgoldstein@eveningsun.com.
Evening Sun Reporter
The police force charged with protecting Abbottstown and Hamilton Township will disband in March when the contract between the municipalities expires.
The two municipalities could not come to terms on how much each would pay for the police department, which includes one chief and three part-time officers.
Abbottstown Mayor Charles Stonesifer said there has been growing animosity in recent years over funding. Since the department formed 18 years ago, the township and the borough have split costs evenly, he said.
But population growth in Hamilton has led the parties to discuss what Stonesifer believes would have been a more fair 60-40 agreement.
"Hamilton has grown so much that keeping it a 50-50 would be just unfair," Stonesifer said.
Negotiations, Stonesifer said, stalled weeks ago when the municipalities could not agree on a funding formula.
"We had to give a 60-day written notice to Hamilton Township stating our intent to disband the force," Stonesifer said. "Our main objective now is to make sure the residents of Abbottstown have adequate police coverage."
Stephanie Egger, chairwoman of the Hamilton Township Board of Supervisors, said she was disappointed with Abbottstown's decision to break up the force.
"I'm not entirely surprised," she said. "There have been problems in the past with negotiations." Egger joined the board at the beginning of the year.
She said Abbottstown held a meeting about the police department Jan. 9. But Hamilton supervisors, under the advice of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, didn't attend, Egger said.
"Since both municipalities share the same legal counsel, it would be a conflict of interest for both of us to use the same lawyer," she said.
Egger sent Abbottstown council members a letter on Jan. 11 to explain why no one from Hamilton attended the meeting. Abbottstown voted Jan. 19 to disband the force.
"We told Abbottstown that once we got legal counsel we would be more than happy to meet with them," she said. "On Jan. 19, we received a letter from them giving us 60 days notice that they intended to disband the department."
Egger said the breakup likely stems from a misunderstanding that occurred at a joint-municipal meeting in November.
"They were under the assumption that we were going to start paying the higher percentage starting immediately after the Nov. 14 meeting," she said. "They were talking about the 2006 budget at the time, we thought they understood that we would start paying 60 percent starting at the start of this year."
Stonesifer said that when Hamilton supervisors voted at the November meeting they didn't stipulate when the township was going to start paying the 60 percent of the costs.
About $191,000 was budgeted for the police in 2006, he said. Of that Abbottstown will be paying 50 percent, at least until March.
Egger said Hamilton held a special meeting on Jan. 23 and voted to pay 60 percent of the police costs.
The township is planning on paying that amount, at least for the next two months, she said.
"The reason for the special meeting was so we could open up our budget and allot the money for the police," she said.
When asked why the mayor was under the assumption that the borough was paying 50 percent instead of 40 percent, Egger said communication has broken down between the municipalities since Abbottstown decided to break up the police.
"It's up to them to contact us," she said. "It was their decision to disband. Their mind was already made up."
Stonesifer said the issues over the police is only the tip of the iceberg.
"This is just another incident in a series of disagreements between the two," he said, adding that the antagonism has been building up for a while.
Even though the department is slated to disband in March, the impending breakup isn't definite. Though, according to the Abbottstown mayor, it's as good as done.
"I just don't see it happening," he said of an agreement being reached. "The borough has formed a subcommittee to find other options for police coverage. It could be anything from the state police, having our own officers or looking into having Eastern Adams Regional take over."
The Department of Community and Economic Development will be doing a study and will give the Hamilton Township recommendations on what it should do if the department disbands, Egger said.
State police in Gettysburg already cover Abbottstown and Hamilton part-time because the local police department is only a part-time force.
At least a handful of businesses in the two municipalities are worried about a breakup.
Sue Werick, assistant manger of Choice Tobacco Outlet on the square in Abbottstown, said she's concerned about what will happen at night.
"I work at night and I'd like to know that there is someone there if I need them," she said. "Someone closer than the state police in Gettysburg. It's the time-issue that really scares me."
On the Hamilton side of Cross Keys, Sandy Sigh, manager of the Getty gas station, said he's also worried about the alternatives to the local police department.
"I'm not going to feel safe now that they're gone," he said. "The state police take too long. With the local police, if we have a problem we know they'll be in the area."
This is not the first time in recent years the force has been disbanded. In June 2002, Hamilton Township decided to disband the force when the contract expired, leaving Abbottstown wondering what to do for police coverage. Three-and-a-half years later, the roles are reversed.
The 2002 breakup of the Abbottstown-Hamilton Police was accompanied by stinging allegations. In a federal lawsuit, Officer Rick Siegel threw accusations that the disbandment was a smokescreen to get rid of him. Siegel was not rehired when the force reformed a month after breaking up. But a confidential, out-of-court settlement gave him his job back.
Contact Seth Goldstein at sgoldstein@eveningsun.com.
