History
Before 1991 the three municipalities now served by the Northern Berks Regional Police Department, Maidencreek Township, Ontelaunee Township and Leesport Borough, all had their own part time police departments.
All three police departments provided only limited services and part-time police protection. For many hours of each day, the departments were out of service and the residents had to rely on the Pennsylvania State Police for their safety and security. Response time could be as high as forty-five minutes. Dog’s barking, neighbor problems, parking problems, vehicles speeding through neighborhoods, did not normally merit a personal response from the State Police.
In 1991 the two municipalities of Maidencreek and Ontelaunee Township consolidated their forces into the Maidencreek Ontelaunee Joint Police Commission.
In 1998, the Northern Berks Regional Police Department was formed through the merger of the Maidencreek Ontelaunee Joint Police Commission and the Leesport Borough Police Department.
Traffic
There is much more to traffic enforcement than catching speeders. Educational programs coupled with aggressive enforcement equate to less carnage on our highways. To this end, the Northern Berks Regional Police Department is heavily involved in educating our citizens on a variety of traffic safety topics.
Through the Fleetwood and Schuylkill Valley School Districts, we bring the motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic safety message to a myriad of students and age groups. The message is reinforced with the frequent posting of an officer and patrol car at the exit of our high school. No car is allowed to exit until all occupants are buckled up.
Child Safety Seats
A seat belt program would not be complete without a strong child car seat program. To that end, one of our officers is a state certified Child Safety Seat Technician. By calling and setting up an appointment, a residents can have an officer come to their home and instruct them to properly secure the seat and their child in their vehicle. In addition, we are active in presenting Child Car seat and Booster seat information to the parents of all children who attend pre school day care centers in our area.
Driving Under The Influence
The statistics on drunken driving fatalities are staggering. For the year 2008 in Pennsylvania,1,468 people lost their lives in fatal crashes. Of these, 534 were the result of a drunk driver. The Northern Berks Regional Police Department is among the leaders in enforcement of drunk driving laws in Berks County.
Dare
The Northern Berks Regional Police Departments belief in a proactive approach to law enforcement does not stop on our highways. We are very active in our elementary and middle schools with the DARE Program. In addition, an excellent anti tobacco program has been developed within our department and is taken to all 6th grade students.