Residents to decide the fate of local police force

GIRARDVILLE, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A town in Schuylkill County is letting the people who live there decide the fate of whether its police department should keep operating or fold.

28/22 News Reporter Sydney Kostus shows us what led to this step and how people have responded.

It’s a yes or no survey, but not an easy one residents are quick to make here in Girardville.

The question is crucial. Should the borough continue to fund and build up its police department or dissolve it entirely?

“If god forbid we ever need the police for something, I want a reliable police department to show up to my front door just as much as want them to show up to my neighbors,” said Michael Zangari, mayor of Girardville Borough.

Mayor Michael Zangari says the idea behind the survey was because they wanted to hear their residents’ concerns and make the choice. If they keep the department, it would raise the borough’s taxes to add more officers, but if they choose to dissolve, its next steps would be to look at a third party.

He explained that in addition to retaining officers the borough’s budget is a large issue with only 69% of its residents paying taxes that’s the lowest in the county.

“We’ve already been in talks with some neighboring departments where’d we actually have to get a physical bid from them so that we can compare apples to oranges, what service is better, what best fits Girardville Borough, and certainly what Girardville Borough could afford without creating more havoc than we have now with budgets,” Mayor Zangari explained.

Currently, the borough’s police department consists of three part-time officers and a recently hired administrator from a neighboring department when they’re off-state police help out.

We asked one resident about the survey. She says safety shouldn’t be doubted, even if it means raising taxes.

“I think we need some more policemen, some more help, some more guidance, and to help us around this way,” added Felicia Cruz, a Girardville resident.

Another woman who lives nearby says she has family in town and they want the police to stay.

“I think it’s crazy, I’m not too particularly happy about the taxes but we need more cops in here, to protect and serve. It’s crazy,” Anna Marrero, from Shenandoah, told 28/22 News.

Residents can fill out the survey and return it to the borough’s hall by May 3. 28/22 News asked the mayor if using a third party would increase response times in an emergency. He said due to the close vicinity of neighboring local and state police, this is not a concern.

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