State grant offering 'hero-pay' to municipal police officers

Sep. 24—MINERSVILLE — Minersville Police Chief Michael Combs said "hero-pay" retention bonuses designed to address the shortages of sworn police officers are welcome, but they will have little effect on filling gaps to provide 24-hour protection for citizens.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said hero-pay retention bonuses and new officer's sign-up bonuses will be offered through the recently authorized Local Law Enforcement Support Grant Program administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

The grant program, he said, will award $135 million to local police departments to upgrade equipment; establish new units, including crisis intervention teams; retain law enforcement personnel; and recruit the next generation of police officers.

Hero-pay also includes monies for officers who have been working in short-staffed departments.

Combs said his department plans to apply for the money through the grant program in hopes of getting additional equipment and giving full-time officers the $1,200 bonus they deserve for working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They all stepped up to the plate when we were short-handed and should be recognized," Combs said. "The bonus is our way of saying we do appreciate what you do."

However, the retention bonuses will not help a department in the long term, he said.

As far as expanding the number of officers in his department, Combs said, Minersville and most other Schuylkill County departments cannot compete on a pay scale level with larger departments or departments in neighboring counties.

"They're (Act 120 certified police officers) in high demand and go to the departments that offer them the most money and career opportunities," said Combs, who is also president of the Schuylkill County Chiefs of Police Association. "We (smaller departments) just can't compete."

And the problem is not only with full-time officers. The chief said the field of trained candidates for part-time positions is dwindling.

"The bottom line is the people are not there no matter how much grant is available," he said.

In Rush Twp., Police Chief Richard Weaver is the sole full-time officer.

Like Combs, Weaver said although grant money can only help, it will do little to help departments retain officers or recruit new officers.

"It's a dying profession," said Weaver, former Tamaqua police chief. "No one wants to be a police officer any more."

At one time, Weaver said, Rush Twp. had four full-time officers. Now he is having trouble recruiting part-time officers.

He also said that hiring part-time police officers is not the solution.

"Part time has never worked," Weaver said. "In Tamaqua, we trained them and they moved on."

Weaver said although Rush Twp. will be applying for funding through the program, he believes it will not help to bolster manpower and fill vacant shifts.

"The people just aren't there," he said.

Combs said the shortage of police officers is backed up by data compiled on a statewide basis.

According to the PA Municipal Police Officer's Training Education and Training Commission, one-third of accredited law enforcement agencies reported 1,229 officer vacancies statewide, as of the beginning of 2022.

A survey of Pennsylvania's 911 call centers from the same time shows one in five positions are unfilled with at least 350 openings statewide.

Although the grant money is a benefit, it will not help the long-term problem of a lack of police officers, Combs said.

In a statement, Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for governor, agreed: "I know that money alone will not reverse the shortage of officers in our departments. Being a police officer is an honorable profession and is one of the best ways to serve the public.

We need a coordinated statewide response that includes recruitment programs that create new pathways to policing by introducing young people and the public to all the positive impact they can make in law enforcement and other in-need public safety careers."

An email set to the Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano for comment on the grant program was not answered.