Lower Merion OKs More Police Hiring

Lower Merion’s Board of Commissioners on Wednesday authorized the hiring of enough officers to return the police department to full strength.

A department allowed to employ 136 officers currently has only 131, at least three of whom will retire before year’s end, Superintendent Michael McGrath said at Wednesday night’s board meeting.

. There are 12 more civil-service approved candidates, and McGrath wants to put enough of them in October’s Police Academy class to fill all expected vacancies, he said.

Four more officers are eligible to retire in 2013, McGrath said.

The commissioners voted 8-0 to let Township Manager Doug Cleland make conditional job offers to the appropriate amount of candidates.