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Duncansville to hire full-time police officer

DUNCANSVILLE — Duncansville Borough is in the process of hiring a new full-time police officer and purchasing body-worn cameras, Mayor Eric Fritz said Monday during a borough council meeting.

While information presented about the new officer was minimal, Fritz told council members certifying the new officer’s credentials was taking longer than expected, because the officer was coming from out of state.

“All of his certifications and exams have been turned into (the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission) as of a week ago,” Fritz said. “But, we’re a couple weeks out before we have that new officer on board.”

The council unanimously approved Duncansville Police Chief Jeff Ketner’s request to use money gained during a 2019 fundraising campaign to purchase body-worn cameras for Ketner’s department.

The police department raised $4,500 during the campaign, and Ketner requested the amount be used to help with the initial purchase of the cameras as well as the maintenance fees, which were not disclosed to the public. Council members did not clarify what additional funds would be used to make the purchase, but directed Ketner to place an order.

“This was the best deal we found,” Ketner said, though it was unclear what other options were sought out or what the sum of the approved purchase would be.

The full details contained within the borough council’s meeting packet — including the cost to taxpayers — about the purchase of body-worn cameras for the police department were not shared with the public during the meeting, despite being presented to the council and deliberated Monday.

According to Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Act, materials presented for deliberation in a public meeting are to be considered public documents, unless they meet the exceptions listed in the act.

Duncansville Borough staff did not respond to requests for copies of council meeting materials, nor did staff respond to prior requests for meeting materials in January and March.

Fritz told council members some Duncansville Borough staff were recently isolated because of a potential exposure to COVID-19 within the borough office, but he did not clarify whether those staff members were working from home or taking time off.

The council also heard a presentation from AMED about the effectiveness of a current partnership between AMED and the Duncansville ambulance service. During the council’s March meeting, council members expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of emergency response within the borough.

A council work session scheduled with dispatchers, Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance Service and AMED was canceled in March.

Following AMED’s presentation, a HALAS representative asked the council to give HALAS a chance to present its information, because HALAS Executive Director Jessica Sorge was unable to attend Monday’s meeting.

Council members agreed to take no action on the state of the borough’s ambulance service until after the next scheduled council meeting.

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