Borough Council: 'Prudent' to Explore Police Options

Following up on a recent decision to examine the , the Borough Council sent a letter to residents inviting them to a public hearing on the matter.

The letter, which is attached to this article, lays out some of the reasons the council is considering contracting police services through a nearby municipality:

We can advise we are considering this approach primarily to evaluate if Malvern Borough is providing the most comprehensive complement of professional services within the general framework of our historical budgets. Our existing police force consists of a Chief of Police, four full time officers (1 sergeant and 3 patrolmen), supplemental part time patrol officers, and an administrative assistant. It is prudent that we evaluate if one of our neighboring departments could provide more resources and services to the residents of Malvern.

The basis of our discussions with our neighboring municipalities is to provide one full time police patrol unit within Malvern Borough 24 hours a day , 7 days a week with all ancillary and support services such a patrol scheme would require.

The will be held April 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the borough administration building. All borough residents are invited to attend.

East Whiteland Township officials have of extending their police services to cover the borough. There are indications that informal communications with Willistown Township, the only other adjacent municipality, yielded little hope of an agreement there.

Update 3/21/12 8:30 a.m.: Main Line Media News columnist and former Borough Council president Henry Briggs weighs in. In the first of a series of columns looking at the causes behind the council's actions, he lists the limitations imposed by a limited budget and roster:

Although Malvern police officers are trained in investigation, other departments have full-time detectives. “If one of our officers arrests someone and has to go to court to testify,” says Macaleer, “he’s not in Malvern.” That means Malvern has to depend on backup coverage from Willistown, T/E or East Whiteland.

[...]

And there is the problem of officer safety. Currently officers from adjacent communities come into Malvern whenever an officer needs backup. “But it isn’t always available or right away,” points out [councilman] Macaleer.

He cites two repercussions of infrequent backup. 1) An officer chased a knife-wielding suspect into a woods at the edge of town one night, but wouldn’t go in after him alone because he had no backup. 2) One night an officer was called to a house that seemed empty but the front door was wide open. With no backup, he wouldn’t go in.