Narberth Police Department, Our Heart, Our Safety

By Andrew W. "Andy" Bees

Narberth Police Department make us unique. We must learn from our time without them and now support them in all ways possible.

Our time without a full staff has taught us all several lessons. Narberth is a small town, and it is important to keep its small town feel. Finding the right candidate is more important than just filling a position. For cost saving purposes we hire only trained officers. This creates and extended cycle to find replacement officer, however it gave us an understanding of what is sacrificed when we do not have our own officers.

Addressing rising taxes are a major part of my campaign, it would be short sighted of me to overlook anything that can potentially reduce cost. However the secretive manner in which it was executed warranted the immense community response it received. Fiduciary responsibility is a key component of any effective council, but communication, especially on issues as personal as the Narberth Police Department, is paramount. As far as I can tell from my review of the budget the perceived savings could not warrant the intangible peace of mind our Borough Police provide. You buy insurance for the hope of not needing it.

In 0rder for our police department to effectively protect us we need to arm them, not with tazers and tear gas but with clear regulation and guidelines to execute. We live in a litigious society. I live across the street from the park, and there have been occasions where I as a citizen felt in necessary to walk my dog over to the dugouts tell them to quiet down and move along. Police are great but it takes a Community of Accountable parents and neighbors to help fill the gaps. Letting kids know somebody is always watching is a good message to live by.