A lack of officers spurred Rankin officials to have state police respond to overnight calls in the borough starting Nov. 1.
The department has lost several part-time officers recently who accepted full-time positions elsewhere, and the borough is having a tough time finding replacements, Rankin Mayor M. Nicholas Glova wrote in a letter he read to residents at a council meeting this week.
“The decision was not taken lightly and is very much needed at this time,” Glova wrote in the letter.
The borough’s council approved the measure Tuesday. Glova refused to comment further about the matter.
“Please know that this was not a financial issue, but a lack of manpower issue,” Glova wrote in the letter. “Our chief is having a difficult time filling shifts.”
The elected officials of Rankin have a duty to provide adequate police service and that’s the reason they made the move, he wrote.
Police Chief Ryan Wooten didn’t respond to request for comment. State police deferred comment to Rankin officials about the issue.
The state police took over complete coverage of nearby East Pittsburgh in November.
Rankin supports plans for regional departments in the area to stem this problem, Glova wrote.
