A recurring theme in the County Commissioners Meeting is lamenting the number of issues that they must deal with that were caused by previous administrations. The most classic albatross was the county’s endeavor to build a water park near the White Deer Golf Course back in the 1980s. The business plan was doomed from the start, not the least of which was neglecting to consider that the weather in northern-central Pennsylvania is not exactly ideal for an outside water park. It never got off the ground (pun intended) and saddled the county with a massive debt, covered by other county enterprises such as the landfill. It is an impact that is still felt today.

Yet, at the time, it seemed like such a good idea. So why do bold actions sometimes hit and sometimes miss? In my book, Ideal Leadership: Time for a Change, I identify these opportunities that come along as either GOLI’s (Gateways of Leadership Initiative) or FOLI’s (Failure of Leadership Initiative). The problem is that we don’t know if they will be a “Golly” or “Folly” at the time, it is only after some time passes that it becomes evident.

But opportunities do not hide themselves. For instance, there is a strong movement toward regionalization of police services throughout Lycoming County right now. At the Williamsport mayoral debate, regionalization of police forces was a hot topic. To the west is the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department, which began with the merger of Jersey Shore borough and Porter Township police departments and has since added Nipponeose and Piatt townships. Old Lycoming and Woodward Townships are now considering joining as well. To the east, Hughesville Borough already contracts with Picture Rocks for police protection, and currently, Wolf Township is discussing coverage for their residents as well. And in the south, Montgomery Borough has gone through a lot of challenges in maintaining their police department, and this has brought serious interest in a regionalized police force involving Montgomery Borough, Muncy Borough, Clinton Township, and Brady Township.

There are two powerful drivers at work — the increases in community crime and the threat from Governor Wolf’s administration to charge townships a surcharge fee for Pennsylvania State Police protection. Currently, some 1,300 Pennsylvania communities have no police force and count on coverage from the state police. Ironically, Pennsylvania has more police departments than any other state in the country, but many are too small to provide a full range of police services. In fact, eighty-three percent of the municipal police departments have less than ten officers.

This is why it appears to be a GOLI moment for regional policing. It provides better use of resources and manpower. It stretches a dollar further through cost sharing of administration, supervision, training, investigation, patrol, and specialty services. Currently, there are some 35 regional police departments representing roughly 125 municipalities in the Commonwealth but expect this number to rapidly rise in the not so distant future.

Or it could be a FOLI moment for those local officials who choose a “wait and see” attitude. If a surcharge for state police coverage does come about, there may be a mad scramble among municipalities to join various regional police forces, which would result in higher costs. For regionalization in the formation stages, it would mean missing an opportunity to have a voice in the critical genesis juncture, and perhaps cost savings that may come from grants available in the inauguration phase.

This is a critical time for many municipalities in the county for regionalization of police protection. Unlike a water park, Pennsylvania law designates municipal government’s primary responsibility to provide public safety services, including emergency management, police, fire, and ambulance service. It seems like a GOLI moment for police protection is right now.