Braddock council opts out of police merger plan

Braddock council members on Tuesday voted to no longer participate in a police regionalization study that has received pushback from some officials who were unconvinced of the plan’s viability.

Four Mon Valley communities — Braddock, North Braddock, East Pittsburgh, and Rankin — had been considering a joint police force for the last couple of years.

North Braddock’s council opted out of the study in a 5-4 vote in October, a week after Braddock initially voted 4-3 to move forward with the regionalization plan. This left Braddock, East Pittsburgh and Rankin as participants in the state consolidation study.

But Braddock’s council joined North Braddock Tuesday, according to longtime Braddock Councilwoman Tina Doose. Ms. Doose called the vote “disappointing” and said she was looking forward to Braddock’s participation in the plan.

“I did not vote in favor of getting out of the plan, I think it was a bad decision,” Ms. Doose said. “This plan was not only good for Rankin and East Pittsburgh, but it was good for Braddock. We had an opportunity to build a state of the art police station. We can’t do that on our budget alone.

“We’ll be OK, but are we going to have a strong police force with full-time officers? No, we’re not. That’s the reality.”

Braddock council members who voted against the regionalization plan included council President

Rob Parker and members Kevin Henderson, Delores Scales and Charlotte Clark. Those who voted in favor included Ms. Doose, Vice President Lorne Berry, and DeAndria Dudley, according to Ms. Doose.

The study, facilitated by the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development, would examine the communities’ demographics, finances and staffing requirements, and then propose a budget and structure for a consolidated police department. Such studies, which are paid for by the state at no cost to the municipalities, can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to complete, depending on how much information is analyzed, state officials said.

The effort would give local officials a clear map for consolidation, outlining the pros and cons of a regional force, as well as potential funding available through state grants.

Council members who voted against the plan could not be immediately reached for comment. Ms. Doose said some council members said the “math” of the plan did not add up.

The four boroughs currently have 31 part-time officers, some of whom make overtime, and just two fulltime officers among them. Braddock has 8.5 part-time officers; North Braddock has 13 part-time and one fulltime officer; and Rankin has 9.5 part-time and one fulltime, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

East Pittsburgh disbanded its police department in December 2018.