BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — With testing for police force candidates coming soon, Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners on Monday voted to waive part of the education requirement for entry-level candidates.
The vote was 4-1, with Commissioner Luke Verdes opposed. The township Civil Service Commission had previously recommended the change.
- Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 Monday to waive some education requirements for patrol officer hopefuls
- All of the board agreed that well-rounded candidates can come from various walks of life
- Flooding issues at Santee Road and Easton Avenue to be addressed following Monday vote
“The current requirement for patrol officer candidates is they have to have either Act 120 Certification, having been through the police academy, or they have 60 college credits,” township manager Doug Bruce said.
“We’re suggesting that we waive those two requirements, which is the exact requirement we had from 2005 to 2015: Any candidate that would be hired that hadn’t been through the academy, we would put them through the academy.”
That would open the application process to anyone who’s 21 or older, has a high school or general equivalency diploma, possesses a valid driver’s license, is a U.S citizen, is physically and mentally fit to perform an officer’s full duties and can also speak, read and write in English.
'Cast a wider net of applicants'
Based on a memo Bruce sent to the board, 2003 saw 29 patrol officer applications, under a requirement of Act 120 Certification. From 2005-15, a decade of no prior Act 120 or college credit requirements, the number of applicants jumped nearly 2 1/2 half times in the second year, to 13 times the 2003 turnout seven years later.
“Last time we went looking for a police officer we got about 20 applicants; we used to get well over 100. What we’re looking to do is cast a wider net of applicants.”John Merhottien, Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners president
That number has lowered again in the past few years, following a rule change in 2015 that again called for either Act 120 Certification or 60 college credits.
During 2022 and 2023, the township saw 48 applicants and only hired one officer because of a number of factors involving readiness and candidate quality, the memo stated.
“Last time we went looking for a police officer we got about 20 applicants; we used to get well over 100,” board President Merhottien said. “What we’re looking to do is cast a wider net of applicants.”
The patrol officer testing process includes:
- Physical agility test
- Law enforcement written examination
- Oral examination with police board
- Background investigation and polygraph test
- Civil Service Commission approval
- Appointment from the board of commissioners, after passing psychological, medical and drug-test screenings
“Chief Gottschall, Captain Powell, and I, and the Civil Service Commission, believe the township needs to recruit from a broader group of potential candidates, with more diverse backgrounds, experience, education, training, and skills,” Bruce wrote in the memo.
“We believe the Civil Service testing process and particularly the background investigations process are robust enough to identify both excellent candidates and those who are not township officer material.”
'Whatever we have to do'
Commissioner Luke Verdes said he recently went on a ride-along with a township officer who had previously gone to school for nursing.
Following a conversation with the officer, Verdes said, he saw the education requirement potentially factoring into having stronger staff across the board.
“Whatever we have to do to keep this filled, go for it and see if we can add the credits later, that they can go back for ongoing education. But you have people that are going to retire. If somebody gets hurt, you could have a big gaping hole like we had a couple of years ago.”Barry Roth, Bethlehem Township Planning Commission member
Verdes said more thought should be placed on the initial recruitment process, and a streamlined action plan should be set in place to address the turnout before voting on the measure in question.
“I understand Commissioner Verdes’ concern that 60 college credits would make [for] a more well-rounded candidate," Gallagher said.
"But I’m also a strong advocate for on-the-job training, especially for our police department … I think we’ve got a process in place that will yield us high-quality officers.”
“Whatever we have to do to keep this filled, go for it and see if we can add the credits later, that they can go back for ongoing education,” township planning commission member Barry Roth said.
“But you have people that are going to retire. If somebody gets hurt, you could have a big gaping hole like we had a couple of years ago.”
Stormwater at Santee, Easton
Commissioners also Monday unanimously approved an agreement between the township Municipal Authority and Bethlehem to complete and maintain “stormwater best management practices,” specifically regarding a basin off Easton Avenue and just down the road from city limits.
Commissioner John Gallagher mentioned that the stormwater committee and township staff joined heads with the city to make the deal happen.
“This is the very first step in a whole line of steps to get our flood mitigation project for Santee Road and Easton Avenue to move forward."John Gallagher, Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners
“This is the very first step in a whole line of steps to get our flood mitigation project for Santee Road and Easton Avenue to move forward,” Gallagher said.
Money from the stormwater fund will be used to cover the expenses of the work, board President John Merhottien said. He said residents should rest assured that, along with the project, there’s a list of others the township is looking to handle.
“There’s $40 million projects out there, people griping that things aren’t done,” Merhottien said. “We’re going to get there, but it’s going to take a lot of time.”
Also, the board approved $437,791.75 to cover a road recycling and overlay project for the College View and Rolling Greens neighborhoods.
The second phase of the project to come will involve topping the paving base in a few weeks, according to a memo the public works director sent to the township manager.
