North Apollo issues ultimatum to Kiski Township ahead of possible Armstrong County police shake-up

North Apollo officials say they need proof that Kiski Township is holding up its end of a $58,000 contract to provide police coverage to the borough after two officer departures and an anecdotal decline in patrols.

Council will draft a letter giving Kiski Township 15 days to produce police schedules for June, July and August.

If it fails to do so, North Apollo officials plan to start a 30-day clock to terminate the deal.

The Southern Armstrong County Police, which covers Freeport, Gilpin and Ford City, has offered to match the terms of this contract through the rest of the year, according to Chief Chris Fabec.

Mayor June Kilgore said she has been repeatedly denied schedules on the grounds of confidentiality. That led North Apollo resident Carol Ward to ask: “Do you think they’re hiding something?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kilgore replied.

Requests for comment to Kiski Township Supervisor Chairwoman Brittany Hilliard, Supervisor Mary Long, Solicitor Ryan Fritz and Officer-in-Charge Chris Tessmer all went unanswered Friday.

There’s no question that Kiski Township has less manpower than it did a few months ago.

In June, supervisors approved the resignation of Chief Lee Bartolicius. An accompanying severance agreement obtained by TribLive did not include a reason for his departure. He was not compensated for waiving potential claims against the township.

Furthermore, despite the hunches of some residents, there is no record of a nondisclosure agreement related to Bartolicius’ resignation, according to Secretary Patrick Bono.

Officer Zachary Byers left Kiski Township’s force in July.

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, said the public is entitled to know how many officers are on duty in a 24-hour period but necessarily not where they’re stationed. Courts have ruled details such as patrol areas or shift schedules can compromise safety and may be withheld.

“What shouldn’t be happening is a straight denial,” Melewsky said.

And that’s just for ordinary citizens.

“A co-employing law enforcement agency may be entitled to additional access,” she added.

Regional force in the works

As soon as January, North Apollo and Kiski Township might be law enforcement collaborators in a different capacity: the proposed Kiski Valley Regional Police Department, which has garnered interest from Leechburg, Apollo and Parks Township.

West Leechburg was briefly involved in discussions before withdrawing. Prior to West Leechburg leaving, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development estimated that a merged Kiski Valley police department could run off a $1.2 million budget in its first year, including a state grant o up to $150,000 for new regional departments.

Mary Ralston, a Parks Township supervisor and member of the Kiski Valley steering committee, said stakeholders are working to revise those figures and comb through a sample charter provided by the state. The committee’s next private session is set for Monday.

She hopes municipal leaders will be able to vote on a charter at their October meetings. A joint public meeting will be held before the regional force is made official.

According to Ralston, Kiski Valley would bring around-the-clock police coverage to 13,000 people in its member communities — something that each municipality engaged in discussions has consistently struggled with, except for Kiski Township.

While none of the details are final, Ralston detailed the steering committee’s preliminary vision for the regional force Tuesday.

Kiski Valley would have about 15 full-time officers, plus three or four part-timers, with a fleet of nine cruisers. All current officers would have to interview for the new force, and none, if hired, would see a decrease in wages.

The Apollo-Ridge School District would reimburse Kiski Valley for two school resource officers, Ralston said. Kiski Valley would be headquartered at the Kiski Township station, with substations in Leechburg and Parks Township.

She noted that cosmetic concerns, such as new uniforms and car wraps, may be deferred to future years to reduce startup costs.

“I am really pushing that we just keep it basic for the first year,” Ralston said.

Each community that approves the charter would appoint two members to a regional police commission to take over for the steering committee.

The charter would be up for renewal after four years. If a majority of communities want to back out, it would take a year to decommission the force.

But first, the communities have to navigate the start-up process over the next few months.

“I’m not saying all five will stay in,” Ralston said. “I am saying definitely that Parks and Leechburg will. I hope North Apollo will for a little more than what you pay to contract.”

Though careful not to speak for the borough at-large, Leechburg Councilman D.J. Zelczak told TribLive on Friday he generally agreed with that assessment.

“I feel very strongly that there are many municipalities in this group that are looking very positively about this happening,” Zelczak said. “The vibes are good.”