A town in Pennsylvania is considering closing its police department. Unsurprisingly, the union that represents the officers there isn’t crazy about the idea.

The borough of Jenkintown is tiny, just over half a square mile and home to about 4,500 people. Law enforcement services are provided by a small force of 10 police officers. Like any governing body, the officials there have to make and keep a budget every year, and that seems to be the driving factor behind the discussion. 

The Jenkintown Police Benevolent Association has been in ongoing contract negotiations with the Borough of Jenkintown. They’re not happy about the fact that there has apparently been some communication between the Borough and a neighboring government about possibly contracting with them for police services. According to a letter that the JPBA provided to local news outlet WHYY, the manager of neighboring township Abington met with officials from Jenkintown to discuss potentially contracting for policing services. How did the union in Jenkintown find out? Why, their fellow union in Abington told them about it, of course. 

If this is a bit confusing to you, you’re not alone. Intergovernmental relations are often a puzzling tapestry of connections between numerous boroughs, towns, cities and counties. When you throw in various unions and different levels of government, it can be hard to remember who’s who. 

The concept at play, though, is a relatively simple one. In most states, counties are responsible for providing a very basic level of local government services. Basic police protection is part of that package (usually through a sheriff). People who want more services than the county provides can pay extra taxes and form a city. Since public safety is the most basic obligation of a government toward its citizens, a police department is usually part of that package.

But, as with all things, police departments cost money. In the case of Jenkintown, the Philadelphia Tribune reports that police department expenses account for over half of the small town’s budget. It’s not unheard of for cities to search for more efficient ways to fulfill that service. Some jurisdictions pay their local sheriff’s office to have deputies provide more coverage to their city than they do to the unincorporated areas of the county. Some places (like Riley County, Kansas) join together with other cities to create an entirely separate, consolidated law enforcement agency that provides services to member cities. More commonly, though, they just sign a contract with a neighboring jurisdiction. Under a contract arrangement, one of these neighboring cities would have their department police Jenkintown, in exchange for a set amount of money each year. 

It’s hard to argue with lower costs, but local government politics isn’t just about bottom lines. As the Jenkintown scenario shows, it usually involves a complicated web of relationships and priorities. So, what’s the JPBA’s argument against the cost-saving measure? 

The union president, Anthony Matteo, says it’s about quality. “We’ve created a department that’s been around, and it’s familiar with the problems of Jenkintown and the faces of our residents. You’re not going to get that with anybody else. It’s not going to happen.”