Fritz Cooper wipes his eyes after speaking of the racism he said he has experienced in Wrightsville and how it has affected his 5-year-old son. (Daily Record/Sunday News - Kate Penn)

A majority of the residents who spoke at a Wrightsville meeting Thursday night said they want to keep the borough's police department -- even if it means a tax increase.

Dale Singer, who's lived in Wrightsville for more than 40 years, said he's seen police drive by his house two to three times a day. The town has good protection now, he said.

"I never saw a Hellam Township police car go down our alley in back of our house or on Locust Street," he said.

More than 100 residents overflowed the council chambers to express their thoughts on whether the council should consider disbanding the borough's two-year-old police force.

The council voted 4-1 Monday night to



send a letter to the police chiefs of Columbia and Hellam Township to discuss police coverage for the town.

Resident Mark Lentz said he fully supports the police department.

"If they need more money, I'm willing to pay more, because my safety, my family's safety and all of your safety doesn't have a price tag," he said.

But some residents said they'd like to get rid of the department because they feel the force hasn't been responsive.

Fritz Cooper said he's called police about a neighbor hanging a Ku Klux Klan flag in the yard, which his 5-year-old son, Gabriel, sees when he goes outside. The police have said that it's his neighbor's First Amendment right.

"What about my little boy?" he said with tears in his eyes. He said his son does not know anything "about color or anything else."

He and his wife, Amanda, said they have called police about other problems, such as cars being destroyed and their son being called the

n-word, but they said that nothing is ever done.

"Every time I called Hellam, I never had those kind of problems," Fritz Cooper said.

Mayor Steve Rambler said he didn't know about the Coopers' case. He said he found it "personally offensive and upsetting" and said he will look into it.

"That type of attitude is not welcome in Wrightsville," he said.

Some criticized the council for not being able to work together and said the publicity has been bad for the town.

"I feel that there are certain members on our borough council who have their own personal vendettas and agendas because things have not gone their way," Sharon Amato said.

Council members indicated at the end of the night that they will honor the wishes of the residents who spoke.

Councilwoman Mel McDonald said she's willing to give it a try because this is what the people want.

Larry Kirkessner Jr., vice president of council, said he was looking at trying to save the borough money. He said he will look for alternatives to fund the department.

"If that's how everybody feels, I have zero problem with raising the taxes if that's how we're going to have to get the money," he said.

QUOTED

Here are some comments from the meeting Thursday night in Wrightsville on whether the borough should keep its two-year-old police department:

--- "I think our next step is to put it on the ballot, and let the people speak on the ballot. . . . That's what I would like to do. That way everybody gets to say 'yes' or 'no.'"
-- Council President Sharon Young

--- "When we call the police, nothing is ever done."
-- Resident Amanda Cooper

--- "I see them throughout the day all the time."
-- Resident Martin Peak

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