DUNCANSVILLE — Police patrol became a hot topic at a Duncansville Borough Council meeting Wednesday night when board members said they would reevaluate their on-duty coverage.

A few residents in the crowd voiced concerns about individuals allegedly riding electric bicycles and scooters at night and about young adolescents allegedly destroying private property.

Borough Manager Rodney Estep told the crowd that he had 12 interactions with kids on e-bikes while on duty as the borough’s police chief.

He said his first goal is to educate those children about the law, noting that his officers have a PennDOT-approved printout explaining which bikes can be ridden, which age groups can use them and the consequences of riding a bike under 16.

To crack down on underage e-bike usage, Estep said he found the kids, spoke to their parents and educated them about e-bike laws.

“We’ve been addressing them as we encounter them, and we have the same concerns you have,” he said. “We have changed a number of the kids’ behavior in town.”

A woman who wanted to remain anonymous said she witnessed an elderly lady blow through a stop sign while riding an e-bike through town.

Estep said he recently attended a Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs conference, where he discovered many other communities are dealing with the use of e-bikes as well and attempting to catch up with the advancement of technology.

The conversation then shifted to the number of police officers who patrol the streets overnight, as resident Gary Detwiler asked about what the council is going to do to address the problem.

“I know three people had their cars entered, and they know (children have) been out there because the amount of doors open on them,” he said.

Detwiler said a neighbor’s door was dented because of the kids allegedly destroying private property. Children were also running through the streets at 1 a.m. Sunday morning, he said.

Board President Annette Lewis asked Detwiler whether those neighbors had doorbell cameras capturing video footage, to which Detwiler said it was irrelevant if council members couldn’t get those kids off the streets.

He added that the residents most likely do not have those types of doorbell cameras installed, as many living in that area are elderly and living on a limited budget.

Estep asked Detwiler if those residents reported the incidents to the police department.

“We have a part-time police department, and I can tell you in the last two months, we’ve had more part-time coverage than since I’ve been here in four years. But it’s not full-time coverage,” Estep said.

He said taxpayers can approach the council about funding a full-time police department, but they cannot offer full-time police coverage throughout the night with the resources they have.

When residents in the crowd began to speak about the decreased police coverage in the borough, Duncansville Mayor Eric Fritz said the borough has a police budget they must operate under.

“I will take a look at what our patrols are and do everything I can to increase them if we’re limited on what we can do,” he said.

According to the borough’s website, there are currently four employed patrolmen, with Estep as the police chief.

One of the major problems the borough is currently facing is the payment of police officers, Estep said, mentioning that part-time employees are paid $21 per hour, while other departments pay $26 to $27 per hour.

He said there is a shortage of good, part-time police officers at the moment, and he wants to avoid hiring someone who isn’t qualified and could cause problems in the future.

“At $21 an hour, it’s very hard to attract police officers,” he said.

After residents went back and forth with council members, Lewis said children know what a police car looks like, and they can avoid one if they want to. She suggested that residents with video-capturing doorbells bring their footage to the borough office, and they can go from there.

Borough resident Debbie Polito told council members that she no longer felt safe in her neighborhood, contrary to how she felt when she first moved to town.

“Nine years ago, I was happy because I felt safe because I would see a patrol car at night if I’m sitting on my porch,” she said after the meeting. “But now, I don’t see a soul.”

She said she started to feel unsafe about two years ago. She used to call the police department about previous disturbances, and an officer would immediately be at her residence. Now her calls go to the state police.

Moving forward, she suggested that the council hire new cadets and task them with driving around the neighborhood and “making their presence known.”

Their next council meeting is slated for 7 p.m. July 8 at the Community Center building on 315 14th St., Duncansville.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414. ncerns you have,” he said. “We have changed a number of the kids’ behavior in town.”