At the beginning of the year, Southwest Mercer County Regional Police downgraded the status of two full-time policemen to part time.

Chief Joseph Timko told the police commission Tuesday it's "imperative" that they try to bring one of the policeman back to full-time status.

Timko said the staff reductions left one of the three patrol shifts a man short. Come vacation season, the department will be scrambling to fill the daily patrol roster, he said.

"We are certainly in a bind officer-wise," Timko said.

Timko added that he is limited in the part-time hours he can provide for patrolman David Moyer because he is receiving unemployment compensation.

The second patrolman, Darren Garner, has accepted a full-time position with Shenango Township Police Department, Timko said.

The department has four other part-timers.

The commission did not act on Timko's request. Chairman James DeCapua said he wants to wait until Mercer County District Attorney James Epstein reports on how much money will be available for the department.

Epstein said in December he could provide funds, but Timko said he has not heard back on how much.

Epstein had asked the commission to appoint a second, full-time detective, but the commission members responded they could not afford it, Timko said.

Timko said he passed along to Epstein the costs of bringing one part-timer back to full time -- about $30,000 -- and hiring a part-time detective --about $22,000.

Commission members said they are open to splitting a full-time policeman's duties between patrolling and investigating.

DeCapua said that even if Epstein can provide enough to bring Moyer back full time, the move would be "a Band aid approach."

"After that money runs out, we're back to square one," DeCapua said.

Farrell Mayor William Morocco appealed to Wheatland and West Middlesex councils to consider giving more money to Southwest.

In arguing his point, Morocco said Farrell's police costs have risen 21 percent since 1989, with Wheatland's climbing 11 percent and West Middlesex's, 15 percent.

West Middlesex Mayor David George said he has talked to council members about allocating more money to Southwest, and they are against it.

"I think we're paying our fair share," he said.

Outraged at a recent report on the money state legislators are spending for airfare and motor-vehicle leases, George said the state should contribute money to local police.

Wheatland Councilman George Keryan did not comment.

Morocco said he might be willing to ask Farrell council to reopen its budget to look for more police funding, but noted that Farrell will likely have to use an annual federal grant to meet its assessment.

During Farrell's budget process, Morocco had said the city had a 4-percent increase in its budget for Southwest, while Southwest was only asking for a 2 1/2-percent increase. He left open the option of passing the additional 1 1/2 percent to Southwest.

But the figure between Farrell's and Southwest's budgets didn't match. Southwest's budget said Farrell was assessed $799,124, but Farrell's budget said it would contribute $781,698.

Morocco called the differing figures the result of "an accident in communication."

Farrell City Manager LaVon Saternow was using the 2000 budget figure in calculating what she expected Farrell's assessment to be, not the 2001 figure, Morocco said. She is required to prepare a budget months before Southwest is.

Morocco blamed himself and former Mayor Eugene C. Pacsi for not passing on Southwest's budgets to Mrs. Saternow.

"It seems that we're talking about a bureaucracy in Washington, but this is little old Farrell," Morocco said.

DeCapua said part of the confusion also could stem from Farrell using a Department of Justice grant it gets each year for police equipment to meet its assessment. That money would not be part of the general fund, which is where the rest of Farrell's payments come from.

Mrs. Saternow had said she did not use the grant, which amounts to about $14,500 a year, in figuring the 2002 budget, but Morocco said it will have to be used for the city to meet its assessment.

DeCapua said he understands the crunch the local governments are under to keep up with rising costs. He said the department had been supported by several state and local grants since it formed in 1992, but those have run out, putting more burden on local tax dollars.

"We've reached the point where additional local funds are going to be hard to come by," he said.