A member of the Upper Perk Police District on Monday asked East Greenville Borough Council to reconsider its decision to leave the Upper Perk Police Commission. According to Jamie Lavin – a corporal with the department and president of the Upper Perk Police Officers Association – the creation of a police department in East Greenville would make all law enforcement units in the Upper Perkiomen Valley less effective and efficient.

        "I think the decisions you made were misguided and misinformed," the officer said. "From what I know and from what I've experienced, I can tell you that you will be doing the people of East Greenville a great disservice by going down the path you are currently on."

        Lavin approached the council with a conciliatory tone. The officer told them he was not at the meeting to discuss contractual issues.

        According to the Lavin, all eight members of the association would favor maintaining the department, which was founded in 1973. Lavin said the officers remain optimistic that the police district, which serves Pennsburg and East Greenville, can be maintained since the "residents are behind it."

        "For a majority of you," he said, addressing borough officials, "I believe that you think, or at least thought, that this is legitimately the right thing to do because of financial reasons, which is why we are not taking this personally  and are not holding your original decision against you.

        "I am not disputing the fact that salaries and benefits are a big part of your expenses, but I am telling you that you cannot make a better investment in law enforcement than in that of a highly trained, motivated, professional, and dedicated police officer. In law enforcement, the people are your greatest and most valuable assets."

        Lavin, who received a standing ovation from the audience at the East Greenville Fire Company, spoke for 25 minutes. He said he waited to comment until East Greenville officials offered a budget for their own police department.

        East Greenville Mayor Ryan Sloyer at the meeting presented a draft budget for an independent police department that would save the municipality $232,436 in 2017 and $25,000 annually in subsequent years, allowing borough officials to invest in infrastructure as needed.

        His budget calls for spending $186,640 in salaries for East Greenville officers in 2017, compared to a total of $786,606 for all staff members of the Upper Perk Police District.

        According to Sloyer, East Greenville's police budget – which includes a $50,000 expense to convert the borough's clubhouse into a police station – would require a balance transfer of $49,000 from savings in the first year.

        The mayor said no more transfers beyond that would be necessary.

        However, several skeptical audience members at the meeting asked if municipal officials could provide specific proposals for budget line items.

        One council member repeated his bid to reverse the decision to sever ties with the Upper Perk Police Commission.  Lee Steinert offered two motions to rescind the decision to leave the commission on March 6, 2017. However, both motions failed to garner the four votes needed to pass. On both occasions Steinert, Ryan Pugh and Jennifer Moran voted for the motion.

        Lavin said he understood why East Greenville officials made the decision to start their own police department with the desire of saving money. However, on Tuesday morning he said that "what they presented doesn't make any sense."

        According to Lavin, the proposed staffing would only allow the department to conduct a simplified patrol function. He said East Greenville's plan did not consider the investigative and administrative time comittments required by officers.

        "Honestly, I am not here to do anything other than show you the community we have all built together over the years and to educate you on aspects of law enforcement, which I know you are completely unaware of," he said Monday night. "I think that it is important for council to hear from a local and experienced law enforcement official about the totality of what our jobs actually entail and what we have to do, day-to-day, to make our agency work."

        Lavin enumerated the various tasks that would make the borough's officers unavailable to residents, business owners and schools, including when they are attending District Court in Red Hill or county court in Norristown; transporting prisoners to the Towamencin Township Police Department for processing and arraignment; dropping prisoners off for overnight lodging at the Lansdale Borough Police Department or transporting prisoners to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville; prepping for trial with the District Attorney's Office in Norristown; driving an ambulance in an emergency situation to the hospital, while the emergency medical technicians are in the back working on a patient; transporting a dangerous person with mental health issues to Building 50 in Norristown; attending mandatory state related training; and transporting evidence to NMS labs in Willow Grove or the Montgomery County Detective Bureau.

        On Tuesday, Lavin said he and his members are communicating with their Fraternal Order of Police attorneys on labor and other issues related to dissolution of the police district.