Recently, some unexpected signs have been popping up throughout the Ephrata area, especially in Ephrata Township. The signs declare, “Keep Ephrata Police in Our Community,” and this message has given rise to plenty of questions and concerns from Ephrata residents: Will Ephrata lose its constant police presence? Will there be a rise in taxes to maintain Ephrata’s police force?
The idea that Ephrata’s police service might change comes as a surprise to many, since the last switch happened all the way back in 2005 when the Ephrata Borough Police and the Ephrata Township Police merged into a single unit: the Ephrata Police Department. This department, based in and run by Ephrata Borough, uses a consolidated model for its police force. Ephrata Borough offers a flat rate each year to provide its own police services to other municipalities, and the borough hires, equips and trains staff based on the needs of the areas the department serves. The Ephrata Police Department currently is contracted to serve Ephrata Township, West Cocalico Township and Adamstown Borough.
Ephrata Township’s contract with the department runs until the end of 2024. Discussions about whether the contract will be renewed have started already, however, because a change to the contract or a decision to not renew it must be announced a year in advance. Earlier this year, the township requested proposals from both the Ephrata Police Department and the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department, also known as the NLCRPD or Regional, so that the township’s Board of Supervisors could explore options that might reduce what taxpayers have to pay for police services.
Chris McKim, the police chief of the Ephrata Police Department, told The Lancaster Patriot that his department presented its initial offer to the township manager and one of the three township supervisors several weeks ago. Shortly after that, the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department presented its proposal for “doing more with less” at a scheduled public township meeting on July 18.
The township then invited the Ephrata Police Department to present its proposal at the next public meeting on August 1, and McKim said that in that time the department was able to refine its numbers to give the township a better offer, as well as being able to point out some differences between its calculations and Regional’s calculations. Both proposals are under consideration by the township.
“The township supervisors are doing their due diligence for the members of the community, the people that they take their taxes from,” McKim said. “They are looking to get the best service for the best price.” He added that Steve Sawyer, the township manager, has publicly stated that there have been no complaints about the service provided by the Ephrata Police Department, so the township investigating other options is only a financial consideration.
The lower offer from the NLCRPD is a matter of interest for the township, but it is only an estimated cost, since Regional uses a membership model. In that model, several municipalities join together to create a police commission, which is a separate, quasi-governmental entity run by a board of commissioners appointed from each member municipality. This commission runs the police department that serves all the member municipalities and is funded by each member covering a percentage of all costs incurred. The costs fluctuate yearly, rather than sticking to a predictable fixed rate. Currently, the NLCRPD’s members are Warwick Township, Clay Township, Penn Township and East Petersburg Borough.
The regional membership model is often used in rural areas to provide small municipalities with the service of a robust, technologically advanced police force without the significant overhead costs each community would have to deal with to run such a force on its own. This usually saves the municipality money, but because Ephrata Township already contracts for police services, the per-year savings of switching to the regional model would not be as dramatic as for a municipality that outfits its own force. On top of that, the NLCRPD’s proposal is a 10-year commitment with general, estimated costs along with the possibility of unknown expenses. Still, estimation suggests that joining Regional will present some cost savings compared to Ephrata Police Department’s proposed five-year contract with fixed costs.
Although McKim praised the township’s efforts to look into options to save taxpayer money, he believes that the emergency services his department provides are worth the higher upfront rate. He shared two examples of how the Ephrata Police Department has been able to use its resources and personnel to provide exceptional service for the community: one case involving a robbery, and another involving a domestic stabbing.
When an armed robbery was reported at the Turkey Hill convenience store on Rothsville Road, not only were officers able to go straight to the scene, but other officers on duty were able to immediately start searching the vicinity for the suspect, who had fled. This search included checking nearby stores to make sure they weren’t also getting robbed. The suspect had gone to a nearby Wawa, and because the police arrived so quickly, they likely prevented a second robbery. Since the officers were making note of everyone in the area around the time of the Turkey Hill robbery, they were later able to trace the suspect and make an arrest. All of this was made possible by speed from proximity and the saturation of boots on the ground.
In McKim’s other example, an emergency call came in from a township residence: a woman had been stabbed four times. Within three minutes, three officers were on the scene, two of whom took the cooperative suspect into custody while the third officer rendered aid to the bleeding victim. Since EMTs are not supposed to enter violent situations on their own, the speedy response of the police was crucial to help the victim. The officers were able to secure the scene, provide immediate medical aid, and give an all-clear to other emergency personnel.
If the Ephrata Township supervisors decide to accept the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department’s proposal, Regional would need to add 10 officers to its existing team of 34 officers to ensure that there is enough manpower to serve the expanded territory. Should the Ephrata Police Department’s contract with the township not be renewed, the department would have to furlough some of its 33 officers. The decision of who to retain and who to lay off would be based largely on seniority.
Due to the many jobs at stake and the concerns that Ephrata residents have about maintaining the police coverage and response time they have enjoyed for almost two decades, there has been a push from some in the community to maintain the Ephrata Police Department’s contract. McKim invited all interested residents, whether they want to continue with the current police service or hope to cut back on costs by switching to Regional, to reach out to the township by phone, by email or by attending an Ephrata Township meeting. The contact information for the township office and the dates and times of upcoming meetings can be found on Ephrata Township’s website, ephratatownship.org.
I hope that Regionals #’s are fair & accurate. Guestimates could have a ricochet effect. With the Borough’s proposal the Twp. residents know what they’re getting.