Penn Hills to help short-handed Verona police

Penn Hills and Verona have reached an agreement for mutual police aid, putting a longtime understanding between the two municipalities into writing.

The memorandum of understanding comes at a critical time for a depleted Verona Police Department. Chief Ron McLemore continues to recover from an assualt during a domestic violence call Nov. 20, and another borough officer remains out with a nonwork-related injury.

Verona has reached similar agreements with Oakmont Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police in recent weeks.

Penn Hills Manager Scott Andrejchak said the agreement is simply a matter of being “the neighbor it’s always been” to Verona. He added that the agreement does not force either department to provide aid, but outlines procedures if they choose to do so.

Among the provisions: Officers from the sending department will be under the command of the receiving department and may be recalled at any time. Furthermore, in the event of an injury, the sending department remains responsible for workers’ compensation.

The agreement can be terminated at any time, and, according to Penn Hills Solicitor Craig Alexander, “There’s no contractual relationship.”

Short staffing in Verona could provide the impetus for forming a regionalized police force. On Tuesday, borough council heard from Gerald Simpson, a consultant with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, about the logistics of integrating departments.

Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese was among those in attendance. She said the two municipalities haven’t formally discussed any plans to regionalize police forces.

“Maybe eventually we will become one, but right now it’s just the right thing to do,” Calabrese said.

Staff writer Mike DiVittorio contributed to this report.