Yardley Police Department's Future Divides Council

YARDLEY BOROUGH, PA — While the Democratic party rules the roost in the borough, that doesn't mean the candidates all see eye to eye.

For anyone attending or watching Borough Council meetings over the past few years, the seven-member council is divided into two teams.

One team includes Council President Caroline Thompson, Councilwoman Kim Segal-Morris, and Councilwoman Michelle Sharer. The other team is comprised of Council Vice President Uri Feiner, Councilman David Appelbaum, and Councilman Jared Stump.

The seventh member, Councilman Don Carlson, focuses on the borough's financial matters and will side with each team depending on the topic.

Two council members are not seeking re-election in the November general election: Carlson and Stump.

Stump told Patch that he would refrain from making comments about the police department's future.

The borough formed a police transition committee to weigh the pros and cons. Borough gadfly Dawn Perlmutter has launched a campaign to "Save the Yardley Borough Police Department."

Meanwhile, Thompson is running for mayor while Feiner is seeking re-election.

And both are making statements about the police department's future, including whether it should be disbanded and consolidated with Lower Makefield Township, where former Yardley Police Chief Joseph Kelly III is now in charge.

The police department's future has come up for discussion over the years when borough officials started stating that the department makes up 40 percent or more of the municipal budget.

"Yes, the cost of running a police department has gone up alongside everything else. We do need to be smart and creative to control those costs. Maybe we can work with other departments and share some expenses on some items — without losing our own officers or our own station," Feiner said.

"Part of the package of living in Yardley is having truly local police. We know our police officers and they know us," Feiner said. "When we call for help — even in the middle of the night — an officer who knows our streets and our families can be there in less than a minute. That’s not something you get if you hand over policing to some larger department from another town."

Thompson has received criticism from residents and social media posters, even defending herself in a Facebook post while she was on vacation.

"I am running for mayor of Yardley Borough," Thompson said. "The mayor does not have voting power. The mayor’s principal responsibility is to serve as head of the police force in partnership with the Chief of Police. It simply does not make sense to suggest that I would vote to disband the police force this year while running to lead it next year. That narrative defies logic."

"This year, Council formed a Police Transition Committee," Thompson said. "This is not a new, Caroline-invented idea. The borough formed such a committee after our last police chief tenure, and no doubt will again in the future. The committee is tasked with taking a comprehensive look at staffing, costs, and resident input to ensure we provide the level of service Yardley wants and can sustain for the future."

Feiner, though, supports promoting Interim Police Chief William Golden to the job full-time, stressing that Golden has proven himself in his 20 years of service to the borough.

"Here's where I draw the line. I do not think we should waste time or money on searching for a new chief," Feiner said. "I know him (Golden). We all know him. He’s fully qualified, and he’s exactly who I support to be our permanent chief going forward."

He said that Golden and Yardley Borough police officers work tirelessly year after year to serve and keep residents safe.

"Their hard work reflects the Yardley spirit — neighbors looking out for neighbors," Feiner said. "Morale among our police really matters: If our officers feel supported, they serve us better, and it makes it possible to retain and recruit officers who truly care about our community. And for the sake of our officers’ morale and the trust of our residents, I think it’s only right to commit — right now—to keeping our local police force and the dedicated officers we have. I want our police to know, without a doubt, that I will never support any move to eliminate our local Yardley Borough police."

Thompson has outlined points regarding the police department:

Thompson said she doesn't support:

• Paying police officers below market value, which is why she said she has supported every single civil service requested salary increase put before her over the past eight years.
• Eliminating current full-time officers to balance the budget (an approach suggested during public comment and transition committee interviews that directly impacts officer retention).

Thompson said what she does support is:

• Collecting data and public opinion to draft a fact-based, comprehensive plan for the police force.
• Using data-driven scheduling to align officer hours with peak demand, reducing costly overtime.
• Considering creative budget-friendly solutions like group-purchasing arrangements for police vehicles and further support for our co-responder and auxiliary police programs.
• Allowing the Police Transition Committee to do their work without preconceived notions or biases.
• Looking at the Police Chief position and deciding what it will look like into the future.

"Our force is in the capable hands of Chief Golden. Many may not know that Chief Golden is serving as both the administrative head of the force (legacy chief position description) and as a patrol officer. The future of our force may look something like re-envisioning the chief role to be a hybrid in this manner — of course, with Chief Golden's input and blessing," Thompson said.

"The Yardley Borough Police Department was founded in 1895. Policing today faces unprecedented challenges such as recruitment, retention, budgets, and public trust," Thompson said. "This isn't a Yardley problem. This is a nationwide problem. Council has a duty to do everything in its power to ensure Yardley’s 130-year legacy of an independent police force endures. Anything less is a failure of leadership."