Palo Alto officials are exploring options to continue police coverage in the borough.
And one place they’re looking is St. Clair.
More than four years ago, Palo Alto entered into an inter-municipal agreement with Port Carbon and Mechanicsville and formed a police department to cover those three boroughs that surround Pottsville.
That was a 4-year agreement. Last year, Palo Alto extended that agreement for another year, 2024.
At last week’s St. Clair borough council meeting, officials there were approached with the possibility of using its police department to cover Palo Alto.
St. Clair borough council members kicked the idea to its police committee and will explore the possibility, they said.
Palo Alto Borough Council President Brian Dries said Monday night that his borough is currently exploring its options, intent on perhaps finding a better deal going forward. It’s not as if Palo Alto is displeased with the coverage it gets from its current deal with Port Carbon.
“We’re shopping around. I’m not saying we’re going with St. Clair. But if the price comes out right … “
One benefit of potentially getting St. Clair in on an inter-municipal deal, Dries said, is that it would provide 24-7-365 coverage.
If that doesn’t work out before the end of the current contract with Port Carbon, Palo Alto would likely extend its current deal.
The possibility that all these Pottsville neighbors get together and form a single, truly regional police force seems like a longshot, Dries said.
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