ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said his proposed budget will include more funding for the city’s police department. Some residents are waiting to see if that will mean an increase in police officers. Tuerk is scheduled to release his recommendations Saturday.
At a recent West Park Civic Association Crime Prevention meeting, Detective Luiz Garcia told attendees the department wants to start doing sweeps for truant students in West Park, where neighbors say dozens of children gather on a daily basis. But he said the police department doesn’t have the staff currently to do the sweeps due to insufficient funding from the city council.
“I’m not in a position to get political, but that’s the key,” he said. “The key is to get more officers.”
- Mayor Tuerk says the Allentown Police Department is short 80 officers
- APD is currently budgeted for 229 positions, with 215 filled
- City council president and vice president did not respond to requests for comment
Neighbors at the meeting expressed frustration with the number of students they say loiter in West Park without adult supervision.
A student was arrested last month inside Allen High School with a loaded semi-automatic handgun after law enforcement was called about gunfire in the park. Several teens were seen running toward the high school after the reports which caused multiple area schools to lock down for several hours.
Garcia said Allen High School had two school resource officers, but is down to one.
“We need to tell city council to say ‘We need more school resource officers.' I mean that’s the bottom line,” he said.
Under state law, students who rack up three or more unexcused absences in a single school year are considered “truant.” That can mean a fine and a court hearing. The Allentown Police Department did not respond to a request to spell out their process when stopping a student who they believe is truant.
“We need to tell city council to say ‘We need more school resource officers.' I mean that’s the bottom line.”Allentown Crime Prevention Detective Luiz Garcia
The department would need up to seven officers to conduct a sweep, Garcia said.
The police department has received about 70,000 calls since the beginning of the year they have had to respond to, he said, adding that with the volume of calls, an officer will prioritize reports of a domestic violence situation over a kid sitting on a bench.
Tuerk said he believes the police department is short-staffed.
The agency is budgeted for 229 officers, he said, with a current staff of 215.
Looking at the rate of residents to the number of officers, Tuerk said, 80 more law enforcement officers are needed.
“We’ve been making it clear to city council for my entire administration that we need to invest in more officers for our police department,” he said.
Part of the shortfall has to do with a tight labor market in the Commonwealth, he said, and if the city had more officers, it could also do more traffic enforcement. A teacher’s aide was killed in September by a vehicle outside Dieruff High School. The city has been doing some improvements around schools.
Requests for comment from Allentown City Council President Cynthia Mota and Vice-President Ed Zucal received no response.
