Moon Police Explore Possibility of Patrolling Crescent Township

are looking at the potential of providing police coverage to neighboring Crescent Township. 

Moon Police Capt. Gregory Seamon said some commissioners from Crescent recently asked the department to explore the possibility of providing police protection.

“The elected officials have approached us and just asked us to do a study on that, but there is nothing definite,” Seamon said.

Seamon said Moon is still surveying the possibility after being approached this month.

“It’s going to take awhile,” he said.

Patrolling Crescent Township wouldn’t be new territory for Moon. Back in the 1990s, Seamon said, the Moon police department patrolled the neighboring township on the weekends. Moon also provides dispatch servicesand back-up response for Crescent.

Crescent Manager Patience Eckhardt would not comment when asked about the matter.

“At this time we’re not able to answer any questions,” she said.

The inquiry from Crescent to Moon comes a few months after Crescent police .

Teamsters Local 205, which represents township police, said in a complaint that members of Crescent’s Board of Commissioners told a police captain they would eliminate the police force if union members “were to request anything beyond the existing contract benefits in the next collective bargaining negotiations.”

R. Anthony DeLuca, an attorney representing police union members, previously told Patch the police and the township reached a “phone conciliation” regarding the charges. A hearing had been scheduled for April 20. 

Crescent police filed the complaint with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board on November 17. In it, Crescent Police Capt. Ken Longerman said he was told during an Oct. 12 conversation with commissioner Jerry Keller that he and commissioner Bill Cook would "have the police department disbanded and that the  would handle police duties in Crescent Township” if the union did not comply with township proposals during contract talks.

In its complaint, the union said other police officers had heard similar remarks from township officials.

Crescent employs three full-time and nine part-time officers. Interim Chief Martin Zimmel has led the department after former Chief Todd Miller in September 2011. 

What do you think about Moon police providing protection to Crescent?