OXFORD BOROUGH, Pa. — The police department for Oxford Borough will be disbanded as the town seeks law enforcement coverage from a regional agency, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The borough council voted 5-2 on Aug. 17 to join the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department and approved a memorandum of understanding for the services. Officials cited cost concerns as reason for the closure.
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Community members protested the idea of disbanding in the weeks and months leading up to the council meeting, the Inquirer reported. The meeting itself was disrupted by protesters demanding that councilmembers resign.
The 11-officer department responded to approximately 4,400 calls for service in 2023, the most recent year with available data from analysis from Keystone Municipal Solutions, according to records obtained by the Inquirer.
The department will be dissolved and police services by the regional department will begin Jan. 1.
The population of Oxford Borough was 5,733 at the 2020 census.
