Police union urges Pennridge commission to approve hiring to raise sworn ranks to 15

Members of the Pennridge Regional Police Officers Benevolent Association urged the Pennridge Regional Police Commission on Jan. 28 to address what the union described as understaffing in the regional department and to approve hiring to bring sworn ranks to 15.

Nathan Alcott, identified in the minutes as president of the police collective bargaining unit, read a written statement to the commission and provided a Bucks County staffing study and a completed outside study for the record. The letter, dated Jan. 20, 2026, said, “Adequate staffing is not only a workforce concern—it is a critical public safety issue that directly impacts officer safety, service delivery, response times, community trust, and the long-term health of the organization.”

The union’s letter and the materials attached to the minutes said current staffing has required officers to manage higher call volumes, extended shifts, mandatory overtime and reduced opportunities for training and proactive policing, which the authors said increases fatigue and retention problems. The letter requested the commission “to approve the hiring necessary [to] bring our sworn officer staffing level to 15.”

The minutes show the commission received the statement and the accompanying study; no formal action or vote on new hires is recorded in the minutes for this meeting. The agenda continued with routine business and an executive session was held after the public portion. The commission’s next steps on staffing — whether to request additional funding, authorize new hires or direct staff to prepare staffing analyses for future meetings — were not recorded in the minutes.

The union letter is attached to the meeting minutes and was entered into the record at the Jan. 28 meeting.