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Understaffed police dept in Delco continues to have issues as PSP requested to step in
Collingdale continues to look for answers in its understaffed police department, saying Pennsylvania State Police will be available, if needed, during overnight hours, while the borough looks to hire new officers.
COLLINGDALE, Pa. - This week a new police chief started in the Borough of Collingdale as the saga over policing and public safety continues in the Delaware County community.
Chief Shanee Mitchell said her priority is hiring new police officers. She said the police department will soon be down to just five officers on staff and her goal is to get ten new officers in as soon as possible.
As request by Mayor Donna Matteo-Spadea, Pennsylvania State Police will provide coverage during overnight hours as Chief Mitchell said she looks to restructure the organization after reviewing staffing and peak 911 hours.
Chief Mitchell said she understands she’s entering her new role as a chief during a tumultuous time.
"We can agree to disagree, but we have to learn to respect one another. Everybody has to come to the table with respect. No pride, no egos. Let’s do what’s best for the community. So, there’s been a lot of talk about who’s the boss and who’s in charge. At the end of the day the community is in charge," said Chief Mitchell.
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Mitchell said her husband describes her as a "fixer" and that she carries the ability to empower people everywhere. She’s taking his advice and betting on herself in this new position. She hopes to be a chief who can bridge the gap between law enforcement, the borough council and the community.
"I’m coming in with a clean slate," said Mitchell. "I have no opinions of anyone or any group. My first encounter with community will be the first council meeting on November 19th."
On Friday afternoon, the Borough Manager C. Michael Robinson coordinated a meeting with state police, state lawmakers, the mayor and borough council members to discuss public safety in Collingdale moving forward and believes progress is being made as they work through previous breakdowns in communication.
"We had a pretty well-rounded conversation, not just about the issue with PSP coming in and supporting us, but also developing a plan to move forward and ensuring the Collingdale Police Department has the resources it needs to be fully staffed and successful in its endeavors," said Robinson.
Meanwhile, the Delaware County Lodge No. 27 Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) filed a Complaint in Mandamus with the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas against the Collingdale Borough, Mayor and Borough Council.
The President of the FOP, Christopher Eiserman, said Collingdale leadership knew about the critical staffing issues for a year and failed to act on it. The complaint states as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement the borough committed to fill a vacancy in the police department within 120 days and states at least three positions have not been filled within that timeframe.
"Collingdale Council is putting their residents and business owners in great danger by not having the proper police coverage that they should," said Eiserman.
Over the last several weeks, there have been some very heated exchanges during borough council meetings that show the division within the leadership. Community members have shown up in numbers to the meetings with concerns about safety in their neighborhoods.
"We’ve never had this issue. Like I said, I’ve been here for 51 years, we’ve always had police who’ve been there willing to help there on the spot and now we’re depending on the state police who are how far away?" said Collingdale resident Rose Blythe.
Mitchell said the Civil Service Commission is actively reviewing applications for the police department until November 25th. He said the borough hopes to hire new officers by December or January.