While some Southwest Mercer County Regional Police officials don’t agree with complaints about poor police protection, the police commission wants the department to be more visible in the communities it serves.

Police commission Chairman James DeCapua said he read in The Herald’s voters guide Sunday that Wheatland council candidates Lorraine Jones and Dick Campman said they would like to see increased police visibility around the Kedron Avenue playground.

Campman, who already serves on council, said residents have told him police are not responding to calls.

DeCapua said the complaints are "hard to believe" but police should be more visible. He suggested a policy that the police travel on every passable city and borough street each day.

"I want the residents of the three communities to get so sick of police cruisers," DeCapua said.

The commission agreed but left the decision on whether the coverage occurs every day or every shift -- three times a day -- up to Police Chief Joseph Timko.

In the department’s defense, DeCapua said the force has instituted foot patrols in the downtown areas of the boroughs and Idaho Street in Farrell. The police get out of their cruisers during the afternoon and midnight shifts.

"That, in itself, is going to give us more exposure, more of a presence in the community," DeCapua said.

"News to me," Wheatland Mayor Tom Stanton said of the foot patrols in Wheatland, along Broadway between Council and Emerson avenues.

Stanton said while he sees cruisers on his street twice a day, he thinks they should spend more time on Adams Street and by the playground.

Stanton added that the police need to get to know residents and greet them as they drive by.

"The police need to be friendlier with the residents than the people who are causing the crimes," he said. "You’ve got to have that public support."

The police also should get out of their cars at times other than for foot patrols, he said.

"Don’t do away with basketball in the (Shenango) valley," said Stanton, who is seeking re-election. "The police need to go and play basketball with the kids."

Wheatland Councilman George Keryan, the borough’s former police chief, said police need to cruise slowly on patrol, and not "whoosh" by, as they are doing.

In West Middlesex, the department has started walking into school buildings during school hours, and a cruiser is posted by the school at the end of the day. Timko said.

West Middlesex Councilwoman Helen Richardson said when a policeman delivers an agenda, financial statements and other material for her to prepare for commission meetings, residents call her, wanting to know what happened.

The commission approved Timko’s request to extend part-time hours from six hours a shift to eight.

Although Timko made the request before the discussion on police visibility, it will likely help visibility during the summer.

Timko said he needs the extra hours because of staff vacations, the loss of a policeman to an injury and the additional volume of calls that typically occur in warm weather.

The department had reduced part-time hours from eight to six to use the saved money to keep on a full-time patrolman.

An early 2001 budget proposal called for reducing a full-time patrolman to part time.

Timko said the department can pay for the extra hours with the salary freed up due to patrolman Darren Garner’s injury. Officials announced in February that Garner fell while on duty and suffered ligament damage. Workers compensation is paying two-thirds of his salary, Timko said.