East Greenville will end discussions with a neighboring municipality about recreating a regional police department. On Monday, council reached a consensus to opt out of the process started by Pennsburg council President Patrick Suter.

            The members decided to maintain the Borough of East Greenville Police Department, started nine years ago following the dissolution of the Upper Perk Police District, after hearing from council President Alison Palmer. They directed Mayor Stephen Westcott – in his capacity as head of the department – to send that message to Suter.

            "There are way too many variables," Palmer said.

            During the meeting, Palmer disclosed that she and Westcott participated in an April 30 meeting with representatives from multiple municipalities in the Upper Perkiomen Valley. After the council meeting, she said representatives from her community, along with Marlborough, Pennsburg and Hereford sat around a table in a meeting room at the Pennsburg Municipal Building for between 60 and 90 minutes. Red Hill was not represented, according to East Greenville's council president.

            Palmer said Suter's proposal included an emotional pitch to make sure families remain safe from concerns of rising crime and a desire to avoid the eventual cost of paying for state police coverage. She said Suter did not provide any paperwork.

            After the meeting, Palmer said she was expecting more of a substantive presentation. She claimed Suter said it was too early in the process to provide specifics, and that interested parties can expect at least another year of discussions.

            "It was a healthy conversation for the community to have," Palmer said after the meeting.

            Suter, responding to a series of questions about the meeting, confirmed the time, location and communities represented. However, he did not answer questions regarding his presentation or the response from attendees in a reply forwarded on Tuesday morning from Lisa Hiltz, Pennsburg's administrative manager.

            According to Palmer, Suter proposed hiring an independent solicitor to run the police commission that would oversee the department. Several East Greenville council members expressed their opposition to the idea.

            During the meeting, Palmer expressed concerns that a regional police department would enforce borough ordinances. She also said it didn't make sense to abandon the department after spending multiple years building it up. The council president assured the public that East Greenville's officers will continue to provide mutual aid with neighboring departments.

            Member Melissa Leinbach described the proposal to return to a regional department as reckless. She said it would be detrimental to the residents.

            "We've spent a lot of time and money acquiring the resources to create the police department this community deserves," Leinbach said.

            Police Chief Joshua Haltmeman, the first full-time officer hired by the reconstituted department, expressed his opposition to returning the borough to a regional police. He said it doesn't make sense to return to a situation that does not work.

            Halteman claimed his department, compared to Pennsburg and Marlborough, was in the best position based on personnel and equipment.

            According to Palmer, the creation of a regional department would force East Greenville to lay off its current officers and force them to apply for the new agency.

            "I don't want to risk losing my people," Halteman said.

             In September of 2016, East Greenville Council – including Ryan Pugh, a current member – voted unanimously to end the agreement with Pennsburg that established the Upper Perk Police District. Former council Vice President Tracey Hunsinger said her community's partnership with Pennsburg "has deteriorated to the extent that it is irretrievably broken."