Two Allegheny County police departments are considering regionalizing their forces.
Etna and Reserve Township are in the early stages of a potential police merger, and this development comes after the communities agreed to request a study on regionalization from the Pennsylvania Department of Community.
“Our chiefs were right there at the table, even with their officers, so they’re on board with this,” said Mary Ellen Ramage, Etna’s borough manager. “So many communities are just really struggling to get enough applicants for these positions. It’s really difficult for a community of our size to match some of the salaries.”
In a joint letter, the communities said combining police forces would cut costs while also providing more training, specialty police services and advancement opportunities.
The communities are in preliminary stages to merge the departments, and are submitting a Letter of Intent to the DCED Governor’s Center for Local Government Services requesting technical assistance. If that request is approved, then there will be a feasibility study.
The two municipalities agreed to move forward in requesting the study after a recent meeting with other towns and boroughs about a regional police force. Etna council members told Channel 11 they’re open to those communities joining the force as well.
“We’re hoping that if other people are interested they’ll speak up, and we can consider that as well. We want to keep all of our options open,” said Alice Gabriel, vice president of Etna Borough Council.
Recent job postings for police officers in Etna show a salary range of around $63,104.54 to $81,247.10. A similar range could be found in Reserve Township of $58,162 to $77,000.
Ramage said they’re hoping consolidation could help to improve salary and benefits even further.
“We want to provide better services, and we want to retain the great people that both of our communities have,” Ramage said.
Officials said this is a very preliminary step in a process that would take several years to complete if it moves forward.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
