Two Local Police Departments Merge Into Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department

SPRINGDALE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - The merger of two local police departments in Allegheny County is a big deal. It's only been done once before in about 50 years.

Combining both Cheswick Borough and Springdale Township's police departments may not have been easy, but officials in both communities say it's a move they hope will make things better in the future.

The move to combine Cheswick and Springdale's forces was also somewhat necessary after if was recommended by the state.

The first shift of the newly created Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department got to work right away, immediately following a ribbon cutting by officials from both Springdale Township and Cheswick Borough.

Officers were sworn in and given their badges.

There will be 8 officers -- two full-time and six part-time. The department will be staffed around the clock.

"Once we looked at the crime stats and looked at the numbers, I mean we're going to be doing the same jobs that we were doing before," said Michael Naviglia, Chief of Police for the Allegheny Valley Regional Police.

Among the concerns of residents in both communities: would police response take longer?

"If we have to get to an emergency call we have lights and sirens. But for us, the Springdale Township guys that were already patrolling, we have to drive through Cheswick anyway," Naviglia said.

Merging the two departments will save both communities about $200,000 each.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald says the hope is for more regionalization of other communities and that it may help pay for things the departments and communities need, but couldn't afford before.

"Certain towns have lost a lot of population, lost a lot of tax base," said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

"They don't necessarily have the tax base to afford what they were able to afford, particularly in some of our older industrial towns in the Allegheny Valley and the Ohio Valley and the Mon Valley."

But for now, Chief Naviglia says knowing this hasn't happened in Allegheny County in a long time means the hopes for future regionalization rests on their shoulders.

"I've been in law enforcement for awhile, from my dad, from my brother and then to me but it's kind of scary because you don't want to be the one to screw this up either," Naviglia said.

The only other regional force in Allegheny County is the Northern Regional Police which combines Pine and Marshall Townships and Bradford Woods but it was the Southern Butler County Regional police of Seven Fields and Evans City that was used as a model here.

There is talk about this regional force becoming larger in the future if other smaller communities nearby decide to join this department.