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Resident presses council on slow police response; chief says patrols frequently down to two officers
Summary
A Columbia resident told council she waited up to two hours for police after a hit-and-run. Police Chief Hart said the department logged 517 calls from July 1–14 and explained many shifts have only two officers on duty; staff and council discussed recruitment and liability limits on using non-certified staff for enforcement.
A resident identified in public comment as Thomas told the Columbia Borough Council July 14 she waited more than an hour after reporting a hit-and-run and described ongoing neighborhood noise and suspected drug-house activity, asking whether the police department’s finances or staffing explain slow responses.
"I waited around for an hour and a half, two hours for chief or for police response," the resident said, describing calls that she said resulted in instructions to file reports online rather than an in-person response.
Councilmembers probed whether the problem was funding or personnel. Several council members said the police budget has been approved but that the department is not fully staffed. Chief Hart (identified in the meeting transcript as the police chief) told the council she would need to examine the specific call but said staffing and call volume are the main drivers.
"Right now, we have 12 officers on patrol… 99% of the time, there’s two people working," Chief Hart said, adding that from July 1–14 the department handled 517 calls and had responded to shootings and a homicide during the period. She said some calls receive higher priority, which can delay response to lower-priority complaints.
Chief Hart and council members said two-officer shifts are unsafe for officers and limit the department’s capacity. A councilmember asked whether parking-enforcement staff or other municipal employees could be used for low-priority calls; other members cautioned that non-police staff must be Act 120 certified to perform law-enforcement duties and that liability remains a concern.
During the staff report, the police account also highlighted several arrests: Officer Frank Amber arrested a wanted suspect related to a Lancaster City shooting and recovered a firearm; officers arrested Yasua Hussain after a traffic stop and recovered narcotics and firearms-related evidence; and officers took into custody Skyler Barr on attempted-homicide charges and found a loaded firearm during that arrest.
Council members and the chief discussed recruitment challenges and asked staff to continue exploring options to increase staffing while balancing training and liability constraints. The council did not adopt any immediate staffing policy at the meeting; Chief Hart said she would follow up on the specific neighborhood call the resident described.
