CONEMAUGH TOWNSHIP POLICE CHIEF EYES REGIONAL DEPARTMENT

CONEMAUGH TOWNSHIP - Police Chief Howard Jackson says that rural
communities pose unique challenges to local departments as the
ever-increasing cost of providing service threatens to outstrip what a
tax base can afford for police.

"You have to think of expansion. The larger the department, the more
services you can provide," Jackson says from the newly remodeled
interview room of the township police department.

Jackson, an earnest-looking officer with black wire rimmed glasses and
thinning black hair, looks more like an academic than a chief of police.

With Quemahoning Township supervisors scheduled to approve the
purchase of local police service Monday night, Jackson sat down to
talk about how a department like his provides effective police
coverage for local communities and how expansion is key to making
home-grown systems work.

Currently the Conemaugh Township police department provides service in
Conemaugh Township, Quemahoning Township and Benson Borough.

The force patrols more than 41 square miles of township roads and
serves more than 7,450 people, he says.

Benson brings another 194 people and less than 0.4 square miles to the
patrol.

Quemahoning Township adds more than 36 square miles and 2,180 people
into the system.

Of course, the new contract will only bring 40 hours a week of
patrolling to Quemahoning Township, he says.

"It's a start, and a step towards neighboring communities like
Stoystown and perhaps Jenner Township," he says.

The goal is to have a large enough area to establish separate zones
for stationing patrol cars.

Having separate patrol zones would allow police to spend more time on
duty in a particular neighborhood and meeting the people they serve
rather than traveling from call to call, he says.

Ultimately, police would be available to meet residents for interviews
in places like the Quemahoning Township building and Stoystown Fire
Hall, he says.

"You get to know people better. Community policing really works," he
says. "Before, you just had someone (a criminal) jump over to the next
place and start all over again. With a larger area, we get to know
them."

He employs seven full-time and six part-time officers, many of them
living in the areas they serve.

Having the additional 428 people of Stoystown in the system would
allow them to arrange coverage for that area 24-hours a day, he says.

When Jackson talks about expansion, it's not just the number of people
in the service area and the geographical size of the patrols.

"I really want to get the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
program into schools," he says.

An increase in drug use by children and young adults is the single
biggest problem in the county, he says.

Education is one of the most effective ways to keep kids from using
drugs because societal changes have made it easier for them to get
drugs, he says.

Alcohol is harder to get than some drugs and more parents are working
longer hours, unable to spend as much time with their children, he
says.

The fact that drugs are harder and more pure than they were even a few
years ago makes addiction quicker and harder to break, he says.

If a drug education and awareness program were to be instituted in the
next year, it would require getting an officer certified and trained.

The DARE program is one of the few where grant money is easy to find
and acquire. Some of the more traditional sources for police grants
have seen cuts in their fund availability, he says.

"The money's still out there, you just have find it," he
says.

Recent grants from U.S. Rep. John Murtha's office have helped the
department buy some of the equipment the $520,000 available in the
annual police budget can't.

"But you can never count on grants. That's why you have to expand," he
says.

And expanding will likely include adding awareness programs designed
to help older residents deal with things like telephone scams and
construction cons.

A canine unit would also be a nice addition to the force in the
future, he says. The hard part of taking on a canine unit is finding
an officer willing to be the handler.

"It takes a serious commitment. You have to be with the animal all
day, every day. Not a lot of people have that kind of time," he says.

For now, the department relies on working with units from nearby
areas, like Paint Township.

Those relationships with neighboring police forces are almost as
important as expanding, he says.

"People need the service, no matter who's providing it. It comes down
to intelligence and sharing intelligence," he says.