Many small police departments in our area need more resources.  Local leaders and officers have said before it is a given.  The problem, though, time and time again, is they are not sure how to afford it. 

 

“It all boils down to money,” said Tyrone Mayor William Fink. “It all boils down to money. And getting that money is really difficult.”

 

At Monday’s borough council meeting in Tyrone, police chief John Romeo said he’d like to see more resources.  Fink said he agrees, but he is not sure how to put more money in the budget. 

 

“The state has financial issues,” Fink said. “The county has financial issues. Tyrone, we didn’t have a lot of financial issues until this reassessment came about. We went from $22 million to $266 million in taxes in a community of 5,000 people.”

 

Money for the Tyrone Police force takes up about 25-35% of the borough budget.  On staff are six full-time officers and five part-timers.  Chief Romeo said he would like to bump it up to eight full-time officers.

 

“We here in Tyrone have a fantastic police department,” Fink said. “We have a great bunch of police officers and these guys and gals all go out and they put their – they basically put, for lack of a better word – put their life on the line. They go out there. And with the state of this country today we don’t know when these guys walk out there on the street or they go knock on a door what’s going to happen to them.”

 

Fink’s hands are tied.  Without raising taxes, they would have to secure grant money, which Fink said is hard to come by for small towns. 

 

“How do we justify going back out to that person and say, ‘Look, we’re gonna have to raise your taxes.’? I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know.”

 

Fink said it costs around $100,000 for each full-time officer on staff.  That includes benefits and the salary they receive when they reach their maximum pay rate. Fink said he does not want to raise taxes, but will do it if he has to.