(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Dauphin County, PA) Democratic Pennsylvania State Representative Justin Fleming of Dauphin County is making a proposal that has not been made public yet which would consider billing townships that lean on Pennsylvania state troopers rather than getting funds for their own police forces. Fleming believes that system is unfair to taxpayers that support the Pennsylvania State Police while also giving a payment for their own police departments that are local. Fleming made a proposal on Wednesday that would charge municipalities that use the state police for law enforcement services to try to regain some of those costs. According to Fleming, townships that only rely on part-time state policing would pay one-third the rate and those with their own policing agencies would be exempt. 82% of the land area of Pennsylvania is patroled by Pennsylvania state police, and about a quarter of the population in Pennsylvania is what this region that is patroled by Pennsylvania state police encompasses. Fleming also confirmed in his proposal that the Pennsylvania State Police estimates it provides over $641 million in free services every year to communities that do not have their own departments. Fleming still has to introduce this proposal and attempt to get it passed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.