Continuing a hard stance on drug dealers and improved coordination of coverage for events and festivals in the borough are two of the top priorities for the Jim Thorpe Police Department in 2020.

The department ended 2019 with 3,246 total incidents logged into its system, according to a report this week by Mayor Michael Sofranko and Police Chief Joe Schatz. That is up from 3,171 incidents in 2018.

The statistics included 656 traffic citations, 101 non-traffic citations, 154 criminal arrests, and 68 drug arrests.

“Crime has steadied off in Jim Thorpe and the chief and his department have done it in a very diplomatic manner,” Sofranko said during the borough’s reorganization. “At times we have worked without full manpower, we’ve had men out or they went on to find other jobs, but we’re hoping this year we can get through it with our full compliment of full-time officers.”

The 68 drug arrests were the exact same number as the department had in 2018 and Sofranko said that remains the number one priority moving forward, but it isn’t the only focus.

“Also, I think you’ll notice that crimes against seniors and minors are declining,” Sofranko said. “If you want to do that, it’s not going to be happening in Jim Thorpe. We’re also doing as best we can with traffic, but that’s a continual problem in every borough.”

Event coverage

Moving forward, Schatz said the department is also focused on working in advance with groups holding events in the borough to make sure a plan for police coverage is in place well before it takes place.

“We want to take a good stance on that this year,” Schatz said. “Too many times in the past, event organizers have said they’ll be able to handle everything and things have gotten a little chaotic. That isn’t going to happen anymore. We’re going to have better management of traffic control, emergency plans and things like that. Ultimately, we’re liable if something happens and we can’t take that chance.”

Schatz said he hopes to look into grants and other opportunities such as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Green Light — Go Program, which provides state funds for the operation and maintenance of traffic signals along critical and designated corridors on state highways. The department is also looking to purchase additional traffic control devices such as delineators for Lehigh Avenue and more barricades for use during events.

“We want it to be safe for pedestrians, motorists and residents,” Schatz said. “We’re bringing every player on board and we won’t have what we had last year when this borough was stuffed with people and we had a hard time managing it.”

Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said Jim Thorpe would like groups to submit their information, at a minimum, two months ahead of time.

Council President Greg Strubinger said the borough isn’t against hosting those types of events, but is ultimately responsible for them.

“We should have the hammer that if we don’t have the information we need, the event doesn’t happen,” he said.

Part-time police pay

Sofranko told council the borough is, on average, $2 behind what other area municipalities pay their part-time police officers and hopes that will be brought in line for 2020.

“We’re at $16 per hour and others are at $18,” he said. “It’s extremely difficult to keep officers when you’re out of line with the payment scale.”

There is money in the 2020 budget, he said, for that adjustment.

“We just sent out two letters again looking for part-timers,” Sofranko said. “We’d like to have a good pool of people so the chief can staff the events we have in the borough.”