Date of Incident: 11 Jan 2007
Time of Incident:
At the monthly meeting of the Southwestern Regional Police Department Board of Directors on 01-10-07, the State’s Management review of the police department was made available to the public.
In February of 2006, one of our member municipalities, North Codorus Township, requested that an independent review be conducted of the police department’s operations. The police department contacted the PA Department of Community and Economic Development. In turn, they advised a subdivision of that agency, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, to conduct the review. That agency selected Reading (PA) Chief of Police William Heim, to provide a police peer-to-peer study. Heim, internationally recognized as an expert in the police services field, conducted an intensive and thorough review of the administration, management, and operations of the department. Some specific items covered in the report include a review of the staffing levels, compliance with accepted record keeping procedures, interaction with member municipalities, and effectiveness at crime fighting.
The 10-month process that produced the report initially included thousands of pages of police reports and documents that were provided to the Government Center. The process of the review included an in-depth study of the police facility, many meetings with police department personnel and individual meetings with staff and board members of each of the four municipal members.
Chief Heim and the Government Center’s efforts have produced a forty (40) page document; now available to the public, at the police department, at no cost.
The police department was pleased with the results of the study. The conclusion section of the report is as follows:
CONCLUSION
“It is the conclusion of this consultant that the Southwestern Regional Police Department is a full-service, professional agency that provides very good service to its member municipalities. Like all organizations, there is room for improvement. The department is at or above industry standards in most categories. The citizens of the region can be proud of their agency and the support and resources that they have contributed. It is recommended that this agency continue to be supported and used to provide police services.”
In other Board actions, a new Board member began service last evening. Paige Wingert, has been selected by Manheim Township as their resident representative and joined the Board last evening. Mr. Wingert has his law degree and is the owner of a large athletic sportswear manufacturing company in the Hanover area. He replaces Loren Riebling, Manheim Township manager, who stepped down as a Board member after nearly seven years of service to the Board. Mr. Riebling was a founding member of the regional police department and was involved at the very beginning and conceptual stage of this organization.
David O’Brien, Heidelberg Twp. resident representative, was elected Board Chairman and Dolores Aumen, Spring Grove Borough elected representative, was appointed as Board Vice Chairman of the regional police board.