Commissioners back bill for deputy powers
Eggleston wary of specific language in billBy DEAN WELLS dwells@timesobserver.com
The Warren County Commissioners passed a resolution supporting a bill in the state House of Representatives calling for the restoration of full police powers to the state's sheriffs and deputies.
Pennsylvania sheriff and deputies were stripped of full police powers under a legal ruling handed down in the case of Kopko vs. Miller when the court deemed there was no legislation in place that gave those officers the power of investigation.
Commissioner John Bortz noted that the Warren County Sheriff's Department is already involved in patrolling the Allegheny National Forest at the request of the U.S. Forest Service and conducting DUI patrols. However, DUI arrests made by deputies may be declared null and void if a regular police officer is not present.
Commissioner Terry Hawk said he found it ironic that there was a push by the state to have the State Police conduct police and patrolling services for municipalities without a local police force and charge for those services. "I believe I heard a number of $52 a month," he said. "It looks like they are trying to force a monopoly here."
"This is a spot where I disagree with my fellow commissioners," said Commissioner John Eggleston, noting that the County Commissioner Association of Pennsylvania did not support the resolution due to its wording. "I support the intent of this bill," Eggleston said. "I don't support the wording. I'd ask the committee who is handling this to take it back to the drawing board.
"This is one of these issues where everyone is emotional. I don't understand why a one-sentence can't be passed to clear this up. I know there are politics involved and turf wars. It's just ongoing. And I hope they will clear it up," he said.
The commissioners passed the resolution, 2-1, with Eggleston voting against it.
"My opposition isn't toward what you want to accomplish," Eggleston told the group of Warren County Sheriff's deputies in attendance. "It's toward this specific bill."
In other business, the commissioners approved a DUI Enforcement Program Grant for the county from the state at the request of Probation Department director Carl McKee for $30,000.
The grant will be used to pay for the salaries and wages of officers conducting DUI patrols. McKee asked that the overtime pay rate for officers conducting be increased to $40 an hour.
"The problem is there is a lot of overtime out there to be done," McKee said, noting that DUI checkpoints are conducted on Saturdays between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. "It's not very attractive hours."
In other business, the commissioners:
- approved a trail structure agreement with PennDOT;
- awarded a bid for replacement of the Warren County Jail's hot water system with Innovative Construction for $24,800;
- approved an Interlocal agreement with the City of Warren and the Warren County 2010 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant;
- awarded HRSA grant contracts to the Tidioute Area Health and Dental Center.
The commissioners announced their August meeting has been changed to Aug. 12 and will be held in the commissioners' conference room in lieu of the auxiliary courtroom at the Warren County Courthouse.
|
Stormy
|
|
|---|---|
|
07-29-10 9:59 PM
|
Are all of the members of the Warren County sheriffs dept able to perform the duties of the other state law enforcement agencies? If you are rated as obese by the body fat index can you really do your job and run down a felon to save citizens life. I pay my taxes so I should have at the very least some one who is physically if not mentally capable of protecting me....especially at $40 an hour. What if someone tries to run at a DUI check point? Do we have to wait for someone on the force who can try and run the individual down? I feel all should be able to physically do the job we pay for, not just a few.
|
|
Bobtom
|
|
|
07-29-10 10:55 AM
|
True, Just obey the law, but if they obeyed the law in the first place, they wouldn't be out there. Seems they thumb their noses and make their own law. Irritating to be "stopped" by these deputies for roadchecks when you ARE obeying the law. And this isn't something new. Miller vs Kopko was quite a few years ago.
|
|
writer10
|
|
|
07-29-10 9:07 AM
|
PA is unusual in the fact that the sheriff departments are powerless and only the state can run radar. All of it adds up to more money for the state and less for local interest. Waste of a resource by binding the hands of the sheriff department. As far as those crying about it, obey the law and you won't have to worry.
|
|
jaycee
|
|
|
07-29-10 8:50 AM
|
"$40 an hour"?? The UAW has NOTHING on these people!!
|
|
alkalinegram
|
|
|
07-29-10 7:04 AM
|
Interesting...Next thing you know they will be running radar and abusing more powers...It has always been with mankind that the powerful exploit the powerless.
|
|
Bobtom
|
|
|
07-29-10 12:55 AM
|
Deputies haven't had these powers for many years yet the commissioners and sheriff continue to send them out to make basically illegal arrests. I can't believe the county hasn't been sued. And what is a probation officer doing out there doing DUI checks? Only three counties in the entire state have sheriff patrols, Alleghany County, Philaddelphia's county, and Warren County. Someone should be held accountable, and it isn't the taxpayers.
|