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Mayor Gross has announced that West Easton will have its own police presence by January 1, 2014. This is in response to the Mayor of Easton, Sal Panto, blind-siding us with his announcement that the city of Easton would not be renewing their contract with West Easton to provide us police coverage.  That contract was at a cost of $158,000/yr.

Having arrived to the West Easton Council meeting about 15 minutes late I missed the announcement, but was able to talk with Mayor Gross at the end of the meeting.

Though I didn’t ask for specifics, Mayor Gross did volunteer that a former Police Chief from another community is being considered to head the department. Since the matter is still in committee, nothing is set in stone. I’m assured that it will not be gun nut and foul-mouthed, soon-to-be former Gilberton Police Chief Mark Kessler.

I suspect that there will be 3 officers in total, which should be enough to answer calls within our small community. There seems to be no shortage of qualified officers looking to work part-time for us under the direction of the Police Chief, one source told me. There are about 20 officers from surrounding communities who are interested in working part-time for West Easton.

Mayor Gross recalled the years when West Easton once had its own police protection and noted that, “We’ve come full circle,” in that we will once again protect our own.

Mayor Gross conveyed there will be growing pains during the start-up period. Mayor Gross hopes to house the cops in the former borough hall, which he says is owned by the local fire company and is vacant. The other possibility is adapting the current borough hall to provide a work area.

Equipment will have to be obtained, as well as insurance, but I agree with our Mayor that it can be accomplished.

My personal feeling is that we won’t have the same problems that elements in the city of Easton provide to their police department. My neighbors don’t recall incidents of a SWAT team being needed. There are no high speed chases and I’m not aware of any gang wars between Bloods and Crypts that take place in West Easton. We have no West Ward, as Easton does.

In fact, though we have no “official” Community Watch Program, what I’ve found in my less than 2 years living in West Easton is that neighbors keep a watchful eye out for each others property and welfare. Though, I wouldn’t mind seeing a few large “Community Watch” signs posted on the roadways entering our community, that would be seen by anyone with criminal intent.

I did mention to Mayor Gross that grants are available to communities that need assistance in providing police protection and obtaining equipment. At that moment I couldn’t recall the website address, but for those interested it can be found on the U.S. DOJ website and is known as COPS. I did follow up with an email to Council president Kelly Gross regarding the grant program, just in case she wasn’t aware of it, though her past experience in obtaining grants for West Easton makes that unlikely.

I’m considering applying for a Deputy position. I have military training and if West Easton ever gets its own nuclear missile they’ll have me as a technician for it. Why waste all that government money spent on me?

I do have conditions to employment, though. I don’t have to chase after anyone on foot – it would make my uniform all sweaty and chicks don’t dig sweaty uniforms.

Oh, and I’ll require someone to open a donut shop in town. Preferably one that serves Kona coffee.