Pa. state troopers will take over Collingdale’s nighttime police calls

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Starting Oct. 31, Pennsylvania State Police will respond to overnight police calls in the Borough of Collingdale for the foreseeable future.

State troopers from the Media station will serve the borough between the hours of 12 a.m. and 8 a.m. Collingdale Police Department officers will continue to cover the daytime shift.

In a Monday afternoon news release, a state police spokesperson said the borough’s police department is facing an “extreme staffing shortage.” As a result, officers cannot safely meet the full-time police coverage requirements until more officers are hired and trained. Collingdale Mayor Donna Matteo-Spadeo coordinated with state police to assist the borough.

“The Pennsylvania State Police will continue to work with the Collingdale Borough and Collingdale Borough Police Department to coordinate and provide the necessary police coverage to the residents of Collingdale until the full-time staffing requirements have been met,” the press release said.

Matteo-Spadeo issued a public notice Sunday, informing community members to not delay calling 911 in the event of an emergency. Matteo-Spadeo and Borough Manager C. Michael Robinson did not respond Monday to multiple requests for comment.

The latest string of issues with the Collingdale Police Department dates back to June when Collingdale Borough Council voted to demote then-Chief Patrick Kilroy from his post, citing excessive overtime costs under his command.

The latest overhaul in policy comes more than a month after Collingdale officials attempted to hire Chester City police detective Rhaheem Blanden — the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation — as its new chief.

The push to crown Blanden top cop was met with widespread community backlash. In October, Collingdale officials voted 4-2 instead to hire Shanee Mitchell as the new police chief. She was previously chief in Selinsgrove, Snyder County.