At their May meeting, Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors members unanimously approved the purchase of a Savvy Citizen notification system that will enable township managers and police to alert residents of important events via text or email messages (in addition to a recently established Cumberland Township newsletter, the first of which is set to be published in June).
Residents will be able to sign up for the alerts and receive real-time notifications of police activity, road closures, traffic alerts, township news, and other key occurrences. Recipients will be able to select from a drop-down list the types of alerts they want to receive. Board member Christine Biggins applauded the initiative, saying that “the Savvy Citizen project will be an important enhancement to improve communication between the Township and its residents, other than the existing website”.
The board accepted the resignation of Steve Tallman, Chairman of the Planning Commission, and approved Robert Bunce to fill the vacancy as an alternate member until the next election. Mr. Bunce came as a highly recommended candidate for the position and the board thanked him for his willingness to step in.
The board further accepted the resignation of Jered Marshall, police department patrolman, and authorized advertising and accepting applications to proceed with the hiring process for a patrolman vacancy. Chief Matthew Trostel emphasized that Marshall was leaving the police department under “most honorable, respectable conditions” and the board thanked him for his service.
In other police business, Chief Trostel reported on the police department’s activity during the preceding month; gave updates on police vehicle upgrades, department training as well as positive communications received commending his staff and the department for exemplary handling of various incidents. A retired police cruiser is now up for sale and is parked outside the Cumberland Township municipal building on Fairfield Road.
Chief Trostel reported that Officers Josh Goodling and Lane Hartley both completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training which Trostel had previously reported on as a key diversion program to reduce arrests of people with mental illness while simultaneously increasing the likelihood that individuals will receive appropriate mental health services. “This training will give police officers more tools to do their job safely and effectively”, said Trostel, “because research shows that CIT is associated with improved officer attitude and knowledge about mental illness”. The Cumberland Township Police Department now has five officers trained in CIT (half of the department).
Trostel was also pleased to report that Cadet Dakota Myers completed the active shooter portion of his training and is now considered a “qualified expert”. Officer Barbagello was recently recertified in hostage negotiations and is now credited as being a Master Negotiator. In addition, A/Sgt Steve Higgs completed TAC (Terminal Agency Coordinator) training, a role required by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy, which necessitates the presence of one TAC officer for each agency that has access to CJIS systems. A/Sgt Higgs and Officer Barbagello were recently recognized by the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Task Force with certificates of appreciation.
Information on other business discussions, including Farmland Preservation updates, subdivision plans, land development plan, and other engineering projects, as well as bills/budget approvals and other committee reports presented at the meeting can be found in the Regular Board Meeting Agenda: Cumberland Township BOS Meeting Agenda May 23, 2023, and will be available in further detail on the Cumberland Township website, once the minutes of this meeting have been posted: Cumberland Township BOS Meetings 2023.
Donate Gardner is a freelance writer and journalist who came to Gettysburg from Montgomery County, Maryland. A former linguist-turned-legal professional, Donate recently retired and is eager to support her new community in a variety of ways. She currently serves as the news communicator for the Adams County migrant outreach program, Pasa La Voz and supports various pro bono legal services to migrants in the area.
An immigrant born, raised, and educated in Western Europe, Donate uses her multi-lingual background to maintain connection to other cultures, both as a writer, historical researcher and advocate.
Donate is also an active musician, multi-instrumentalist and award-winning songwriter, enjoying the rich music and arts community in Gettysburg, and supporting traveling musicians coming through the area. Donate can be reached at: dvbgardner@gmail.com.
Any news on the apartment development on country club lane?
Chief Trostle is an amazing man and leader and his department is a really great example of how safe community policing can be for all involved. Blessed to live in Cumberland Township.