Shortage of local police, 2 violent crimes have Verona residents on edge

Diana Danko always thought her neighborhood along Second Street in Verona was safe.

That was before two violent crimes happened within hours of each other on April 14 — a Sunday when no borough police officers were on duty.

“It’s very concerning,” said Danko, 55, who lives just blocks from where the incidents occurred. “I view this as a safe neighborhood, but that’s because there’s always been police here.”

The crimes — an assault near popular Cribbs Field and an armed robbery on the 700 block of Maple Street — have residents nervous and borough officials trying to hire more police.

Instead of borough police, state police responded to the assault from their Coraopolis police station nearly 30 miles away, Verona Borough Manager Stefanie Woolford said.

Hours later, the armed robbery occurred. Home doorbell video footage shows several people robbing a home on Maple Street, then driving away.

Local officers weren’t informed until the next day, according to Allegheny County Police, who’ve since taken over the investigation.

Neither state nor Verona police have commented on the incidents.

Woolford said the borough is bolstering its recruiting efforts and benefits package to attract additional officers, with two in the pipeline.

“We’re working on hiring two new full-time officers,” Woolford said. “And there is 24/7 police coverage. It just might not be from Verona.”

Two more full-timers would allow Verona police to provide around-the-clock coverage on its own, Woolford said.

The borough currently has two full-time officers and three part-timers. Police Chief Ron McLemore is recovering from being assaulted during a domestic violence call in November, leaving Sgt. Jerry Frankos as the officer in charge.

Another full-time officer has returned from a nonwork-related injury suffered last year.

Verona is leaning on state police to get through its staffing challenges, though less so than before, according to Councilwoman Trish Hredzak-Showalter.

“Since January, we’ve had less and less shifts covered by the state police, but they are still there, unfortunately,” Hredzak-Showalter said.

Verona has mutual aid agreements with Penn Hills and Oakmont police, but those only kick in if a Verona officer is already on the scene.

“It means that if we call and ask for backup, they will come once our officers are there,” Woolford said.

Would a merger help?

Borough officials say their top priority is restoring 24/7 coverage from Verona police, though merging with neighboring departments remains on the table.

Council hosted Gerald Simpson, a consultant with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, in January for a presentation on regional police departments.

On March 18, the borough got the results of a free study through the DCED examining the feasibility of a merged force. So far, borough officials have declined to share the results of the study. The borough also is undergoing a state Strategic Management Planning Program assessment, which includes a police component.

Hredzak-Showalter noted that bringing on more officers will slash overtime costs and potentially allow for additional hires. The borough allocated close to $675,000 — or about a third — of its $2.1 million budget this year for police.

If Verona goes the regionalization route, Danko said she worries about the borough getting equal coverage among the merged communities.

A few doors down Second Street, Al Raimondi, 63, sees a merger as the best path forward.

“I am all for a shared police force,” Raimondi said. “(Police are) struggling with budgets.”

Pennsylvania has more than 35 regional police departments encompassing more than 125 communities, including Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department, which covers Gilpin, Freeport and Ford City.

Officials from Kiski Township, Leechburg, West Leechburg and Parks Township all have mulled some sort of merger in recent months.

Across the river, the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department was formed in 2019. It includes Cheswick, East Deer and Springdale Township. O’Hara and Blawnox officials are holding weekly talks to work out a merger there.

Regionalization for Verona would take at least a year, according to Hredzak-Showalter.

In the meantime, the Verona police are shifting schedules to make sure coverage gaps don’t happen at the same times or on the same days of the week, Hredzak-Showalter said.

She encouraged residents to rely on borough police as their first line of defense, despite the limited coverage.

“Keep those phones calls coming in,” Hredzak-Showalter said. “And, of course, lock your doors.”