Jenkintown spends 40% more per capita on policing than other Montgomery County towns

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The Borough of Jenkintown spends more on police than the average municipality in the greater Philadelphia region, according to a recently released cost-to-benefit analysis.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) found Jenkintown spends 40% more per capita on law enforcement than similarly sized towns in Montgomery County.

DCED’s report concluded the Jenkintown Police Department is “overstaffed” by three police officers. There are 11 full-time personnel, including Chief Thomas Scott, and for all its services, it absorbed nearly $2.5 million in 2023 in taxpayer revenue.

“The biggest takeaway for me would be that we’re just spending too much money on our police force and that there are alternatives,” Jenkintown Borough Council President Jay Conners said.

Jenkintown’s elected officials and Scott have been exploring the possibility of disbanding the police department and contracting out services, citing increasingly high costs. The half-square-mile community of 4,000 residents dishes out nearly 50% of its annual general fund budget to policing.

As far as the options go, DCED highlighted several, including dissolving the department, creating a hybrid local police force, partnering with a neighboring community or outsourcing. Raising taxes is not an option.

“I would say that the forecast for some kind of decision to be made, as to how we’re going to proceed, will be made no later than January of 2025 — but that decision could be no decision too,” Conners said.

Jenkintown police union: ‘Residents are afraid of a reduction in force size’

The Jenkintown Police Benevolent Association (JBPA) rejected the plan to dissolve the department.

“We have spent years inserting ourselves into this community and working to form relationships with residents,” JBPA President Anthony Matteo told WHYY News in a written statement. “It is evident when you speak to residents and see how passionate they are about keeping a fully staffed and operational police department. Residents are afraid of a reduction in force size, staffing, and services. The JPBA shares those feelings.”

In September, the police union held a vote of “no confidence” in Scott, accusing him of undermining officer morale. Scott disputed the allegations as borough officials rallied behind their top cop.

As the dust settled, Conners signaled in October the involvement of the Commonwealth in searching for a solution. Jenkintown officials held a public presentation Wednesday evening to share the findings with the public.

“When we talk about dissolving our police force, every step we take as we look into this as a council, it just keeps making more and more sense and the longer you let this problem fester, the harder it becomes,” Conners said.

Matteo described the report as a “cost-to-benefits analysis without the benefits being highlighted or even mentioned.”

“Per the DCED, communities don’t find themselves in this situation overnight; it takes years for such issues to develop, due to a series of suboptimal management practices or decisions,” he said. “Maybe the effort would have been better for the community if it focused on best financial management practices for government officials rather than effectively endorsing police layoffs.”

Jenkintown residents have the second-highest school taxes and the sixth-highest municipal taxes in the county.