As the notion of police regionalization begins to brew in Lancaster’s public sphere, recent efforts in York provide a glimpse of how this dialog could develop in our community. Coordinated largely by the nonprofit YorkCounts, five municipalities, including the City of York, are now close to ordering a public safety study that would explore the possibility of a consolidated police force…

To find evidence of successful regional police departments, one need only look to the national scene, with a number of metropolitan areas consolidating their police forces. From Las Vegas to Savannah, regionalization is becoming a national trend—as Mayor Rick Gray said, “It’s the way things are going.” For the time being, however, it may not be the way things are going for small cities in the State of Pennsylvania.

As Lancaster Township officials iron out the final details of a new police contract with Manheim Township, it may be easy to forget about the most far-reaching and provocative proposal raised during last month’s contract negotiations: The possibility of a consolidated, regional police force in the Lancaster metropolitan area.