Pennsylvania State Police Coverage in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania Municipalities June 2017

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1 Pennsylvania State Police Coverage in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania Municipalities June 2017 Introduction To get a clearer picture of Pennsylvania State Police coverage in rural Pennsylvania, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania worked with the Pennsylvania State Data Center to examine the number of incidents to which the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) responded over the 5-year period of 2011 to The findings are: More rural municipalities rely on the PSP for full-time or part-time police services than urban municipalities. The PSP responds to incidents in nearly every Pennsylvania municipality. The types of incidents to which the PSP respond vary by the type of police coverage in municipalities. Municipalities with a high number of incidents to which the PSP respond have larger populations, revenues, and vehicle crashes than municipalities with a medium or low number of incidents. A proposed $25 per capita fee would have a larger impact on the budgets of rural municipalities than urban municipalities that are served primarily by the PSP. Methods Summary The Pennsylvania State Data Center and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania used data from the Pennsylvania State Police to analyze the types of police coverage in each Pennsylvania municipality. Municipalities were divided into three groups: municipalities with full-time local police, municipalities with part-time local police and part-time PSP coverage, and municipalities that rely on the PSP for full-time coverage. The first group has local police departments that provide 24/7 police services. The second group includes municipalities that have local police departments that do not provide 24/7 police services. The third group includes those municipalities without any local police department. It is important to note that nearly every Pennsylvania municipality calls on the PSP, including those with full-time local police departments. The Pennsylvania State Data Center and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania analyzed the number and type of PSP incidents using 5 years of data from the State Police (2011 to 2015). The centers also used April 2017 PSP data on the type of police coverage provided to municipalities. These data were analyzed along with municipal demographic and financial data. (See Page 7 for a more detailed methodology.) Finding #1: More rural municipalities rely on the PSP for full-time or part-time police services than urban municipalities Police Service Providers in Rural and Urban Municipalities, 2015 There are 1,703 municipalities that have PSP coverage either full-time or part-time; 1,468 are rural and 235 are urban. Data source: Pennsylvania State Police.

2 Location of Municipalities with PSP for Full-time or Part-time Coverage and Those with Local Full-time Police Data source: Pennsylvania State Police. Finding #2: The PSP responds to incidents in nearly every Pennsylvania municipality Percent of PSP Incidents by Type of Police Coverage, 2011 to 2015 (n=3.92 million) From 2011 to 2015, 2.89 million (74 percent) PSP incidents occurred in municipalities that rely on the PSP for full-time or part-time coverage. However, 952,402 PSP incidents (24 percent) occurred in urban municipalities with full-time local police departments. Data source: Pennsylvania State Police. 2 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

3 Number of PSP Incidents by Type of Police Coverage per 1,000 Residents, 2011 to 2015 Data source: U.S. Census Bureau and Pennsylvania State Police. Finding #3: The types of incidents to which the PSP respond vary by the type of police coverage in municipalities In municipalities that rely on the PSP for full-time or parttime coverage, approximately 36 percent of the incidents to which the PSP responded were crimerelated, 34 percent were noncrime and other, and the remaining 31 percent were vehicle/ traffic-related. Among municipalities with full-time local police, the largest percent of incidents to which the PSP responded (47 percent) were vehicle/traffic-related. PSP Incident Response by Type of Police Coverage Data source: Pennsylvania State Police. Pennsylvania State Police Coverage in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania Municipalities 3

4 Finding #4: Municipalities with a high number of incidents to which the PSP respond have larger populations, revenues, and vehicle crashes The analysis indicated that municipalities with a high number of incidents to which the PSP responded have larger populations, revenues, and vehicle crashes than municipalities with a medium or low number of incidents. Municipal Characteristics and the Number of PSP Incidents Data source: U.S. Census Bureau and Pennsylvania State Police. Finding #5: A proposed $25 per capita fee would have a larger impact on the budgets of rural municipalities than urban municipalities that are served primarily by the PSP Percent of Total Revenues for Full-Time PSP Coverage in Rural and Urban Municipalities if $25 Fee is Imposed, The proposed $25 per capita fee would have a larger impact on the budgets of rural municipalities that rely on the PSP for full-time coverage. While the impact of the proposed fee on municipal budgets varies overall, 26.1 percent of rural municipalities and 16.5 percent of urban municipalities would spend 10 percent or more of their current total revenues on the fee. Data sources: Governor s Center for Local Government Services and the Pennsylvania State Police. 4 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

5 Municipalites with Full-time PSP Coverage Spending 10% or More of Revenues on Proposed $25 Per Capita Fee Data sources: Governor s Center for Local Government Services and the Pennsylvania State Police. Pennsylvania State Police Coverage in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania Municipalities 5

6 Rural and Urban Municipalities by Type of Police Coverage Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Governor s Center for Local Government Services and Pennsylvania State Police. 6 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

7 Data Sources and Methodology Data Sources PSP Incidents: The number and type of State Police incidents came from the Pennsylvania State Police and included all incidents that occurred over a 5-year period from 2011 to The incidents were geocoded to the municipalities in which the incident took place. Demographic and Socio-Economic Data: 2015, 5-year average, American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau. Transportation Data: Number of miles of roadway and vehicle crashes ( ) came from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Municipal Finances: Municipal finances came from the Governor s Center for Local Government Services and include 2011 to These data represent a 5-year, inflation adjusted, average. The financial figures were adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index with 2015=100. Within this data set, 69 municipalities reported fewer than 3 years of data. Definitions Rural and urban municipalities: A municipality is rural when the population density within the municipality is less than the statewide density of 284 persons per square mile, or the total population is less than 2,500, unless more than 50 percent of the population lives in an urbanized area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. All other municipalities are considered urban. Types of State Police Coverage: Pennsylvania s municipalities were grouped into one of three categories based on the type of police coverage: Full-Time Local Police: 854 municipalities (33 percent) have a local police force that provides 24/7 coverage. Pennsylvania State Police provide services as needed. Part-time PSP: 411 municipalities (16 percent) where the State Police provide part-time services. These municipalities have a local police force, but the local police force does not provide 24/7 support. Pennsylvania State Police provide coverage as needed. Full-time PSP: 1,292 municipalities (51 percent) where the State Police provide full-time services. These municipalities do not have a local police force. Data from the types of State Police coverage are from April Over the study period of 2011 to 2015, 160 municipalities changed their coverage status. For example, 45 municipalities went from full-time local police to either part-or full-time PSP; another 45 municipalities went from part-time PSP to full-time PSP. Forty-one municipalities went from either part- or full-time PSP to full-time local police. Twenty-nine municipalities went from full-time PSP to part-time PSP. The April 2017 data on the type of police coverage was used to provide the most current and relevant snapshot of municipal police coverage. Types of Incidents: Each incident the State Police responds to has a classification code. There are more than 400 different incident classification codes. This analysis grouped the codes into three categories. From 2011 to 2015, there were more than 3.92 million reported incidents. Crime Related Incidents: 1.31 million incidents (34 percent) were crime related. Examples include investigations into assaults, homicides, disorderly conduct, and drug sales. Non-Crime and Other Incidents: 1.23 million incidents (31 percent) were non-crime and other incidents. Examples include home checks, polygraph, and background checks. Vehicle/Traffic Incidents: 1.37 million incidents (35 percent) were vehicle or traffic incidents. Examples include motorists requesting assistance, traffic violations (DUI, speeding, etc.) and vehicle crashes. (continued on next page) Pennsylvania State Police Coverage in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania Municipalities 7

8 Incident Occurrence Pennsylvania s municipalities were grouped into one of three categories based on the number of incidents to which the State Police responded between 2011 and These municipalities include both part- and fulltime PSP and those with local police departments: Low-Incident: 797 municipalities (31 percent) where the State Police responded to fewer than 250 incidents. Medium-Incident: 1,161 municipalities (46 percent) where the State Police responded to 250 to 1,499 incidents. High-Incident: 599 municipalities (23 percent) where the State Police responded to 1,500 or more incidents. Data Exclusions and Limitations Municipalities with No Incidents: According to the PSP data, there were five municipalities with no reported incidents from 2011 to These municipalities were excluded from this analysis. The five are: South Versailles Township, Allegheny County; Luzerne Township, Fayette County; Newell Borough, Fayette County; Lumber City Borough, Clearfield County; and Strausstown Borough, Berks County. After 2013, Lumber City Borough and Strausstown Borough merged with adjoining municipalities. Gaming Incidents: Excluded from this analysis were incidents involving gaming, which generally occur at casinos. Municipalities in Two Counties: In Pennsylvania there are 11 municipalities that are in two counties. PSP data includes information for each portion of the municipality. For example, boundaries of Shippensburg Borough straddle both Franklin and Cumberland counties. The PSP data report incidents for both Shippensburg s Franklin County side and Cumberland County side. For ease of reading, data for both sides of Shippensburg Borough and the other 10 municipalities were combined so that each of these 11 municipalities only reported data once. Tunnel Hill Borough: Tunnel Hill Borough straddles both Blair and Cambria counties. The PSP listed the Blair County side of the borough as having full-time local police and the Cambria County side as having part-time PSP. According to data from the Governor s Center for Local Government Services, the borough spent less than $7,000 for police services during the study period. This funding level would be typically unable to support 24/7 police coverage. As a result, the entire borough was recoded as part-time PSP. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors Chairman Senator Gene Yaw Vice Chairman Representative Garth D. Everett Treasurer Representative Sid Michaels Kavulich Secretary Dr. Nancy Falvo Clarion University Dr. Livingston Alexander University of Pittsburgh Stephen M. Brame Governor s Representative Dr. Michael A. Driscoll Indiana University Dr. Stephan J. Goetz Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development Dr. Timothy Kelsey Pennsylvania State University The Center for Rural Pennsylvania 625 Forster St., Room 902 Harrisburg, PA Phone: (717) P The Center for Rural Pennsylvania