A letter from the Chief

SOUTHWESTERN Regional Police Department
York County, PA

The idea for the formation of our regional department began in the early 1990's. A Police Board was established in 2000. The first employee, our current Chief of Police, was hired in February 2002 to combine three township police departments into one regional department. Eleven officers from these disbanded departments began operations July 2002 and covered the Townships of Heidelberg, Manheim, and North Codorus, York County. We were the 29th regional police department in Pennsylvania. On April 1, 2003 another municipality, the Borough of Spring Grove, joined as a member of the regional department. We currently have 13 fulltime officers, 1 police administrator, 1 part-time police clerk, and seven volunteers. We provide service to over 17,000 residents in a 70 square mile area. Two representatives from each municipality represent our Police Board. Our budget for 2007 is $1.5 million.

We are stationed at 6115 Thoman Dr., Spring Grove, Heidelberg Twp., which is centrally located in our jurisdiction. Our new 9,500 sq. foot police facility was completed in August of 2003. Our headquarters includes state-of-the-art equipment and is constructed with the ability to expand should our Department continue to grow.

In our relatively short history, we have been tested with many criminal events and have had good success. We have been pleased with the support and positive input that the residents and municipalities have shown us. We are proud to have received the Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence - Intergovernmental Cooperation, scored well on a management review by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, and had very positive results from a community survey done by York College of PA.

I believe that our success is attributable to three items. First, the Board members from each municipality have a vested interest in the success of the regional department and therefore are involved in supporting the idea through their time and expertise. Secondly, the employees want the department to succeed. Without them being involved in the process, the success would be limited or impossible. Lastly, the concept of regionalizing police services has dramatically improved the police service in our area, at a cost that cannot be duplicated otherwise. Pooling resources and sharing services is ripe for the taking in the police services field. After all, working together is still a good idea.

Gregory M. Bean
Chief of Police
(717) 225-1333
www.swrpd.org