Those of you who have read my columns on this issue know that I have been a fierce supporter of having small police departments in our area look into regionalizing to better serve their communities.

There has been periodic interest in exploring the pros and cons. Most recently, Carbon County District Attorney Michael S. Greek, a native of Nesquehoning, suggested that Lansford, Summit Hill and Nesquehoning look into whether regionalization makes sense for these communities whose total population in 2020 was a mere 9,989.

For any number of reasons, it is a daily struggle to keep these police forces fully staffed. Often, after a trainee has completed the necessary requirements to join the force, his or her eyes wander to larger departments where the pay, benefits and resources are considerably more appealing.

Several members of borough councils and township supervisors who discussed this issue with me are mainly concerned about the loss of local autonomy. They believe that smaller departments provide a personal touch. They also believe that a local force breeds loyalty, whereas a regional force has shared loyalty among its member communities.

Critics of these small departments point to their lack of training, expertise and accountability that officers are expected to have in a modern world where heavily armed criminals can outgun the police. Along with that is the intense spotlight that falls on police officers, especially when they are involved in controversial encounters such as the school shootings in Uvalde, Texas.

In this new world of policing, the public rightly wonders whether these forces are equipped to be the first line of defense in thousands of small communities throughout the nation.

As these pressures build on the inexperienced officers in these communities, they are leaving for other, less-stressful jobs.

Sometimes communities get experienced officers. Some are state police retirees or those who have worked for larger county departments, but they sometimes get the retreads and rejects from other agencies when the temptation is to fill positions with “warm bodies.’’

Police departments with fewer than 10 officers make up nearly half of the nation’s more than 12,200 police units. It’s not uncommon for the police chief and officers to be baseball coaches or serve as members of the community’s volunteer fire company.

There is a certain coziness in knowing many of the townspeople on a first-name basis. Maybe so, but it is difficult for these departments to match the resources of well-equipped departments when it comes to training, sophisticated communications systems, body cameras and a commitment to professional standards and ethics.

These smaller communities are relying more on part-timers, some of whom are also employed in other communities on a part-time basis. As a result, these communities spend a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to keep the police forces operating at levels that give adequate protection. These cash-strapped communities are finding it tough to do it, especially now when police officers are demanding higher compensation commensurate with the duties they perform and the risks they take.

Here in Pennsylvania, this also has a trickle-down effect, because state police are often called to fill in the gaps of coverage. Of course, our area is not alone. More than 80% of police departments in Pennsylvania have fewer than 10 officers. Only about a fifth of all departments are regionalized. Some smaller communities have disbanded their police forces altogether and now rely exclusively on state police coverage.

A few years back, a federal study commission strongly recommended that departments with fewer than 10 officers consider consolidation to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

There are a few really strong regional police forces in our area. Most notable among them is the Stroud Area Regional Police force which serves the boroughs of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg and Stroud Township, with a combined population of about 35,000.

Another is the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department which came into existence 28 years ago and includes Mount Pocono, Tobyhanna Township, Barrett, Coolbaugh and Tunkhannock townships.

“The regionalization of the departments gave the communities the opportunity to use manpower to the greatest potential while maximizing police coverage,” a Pocono department spokesman said.

By BRUCE FRASSINELLI | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.