In the News

Friday was a good day to cut some yellow tape and talk about success in cutting red tape.

Law enforcement and elected officials gathered outside the former Pennsylvania State Police barracks in the Borough of Wyoming to formally dedicate it as the new headquarters of the Wyoming Area Regional Police Department (WARPD), snipping a ceremonial band of — what else? — police caution tape.

But many of the speeches also focused on the years of collaboration and compromise necessary to create Luzerne County's first regional police force, combining several smaller departments to cover five municipalities on the west side of the Susquehanna River.

Among the dignitaries gathered at Friday's event was U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, who presented a $963,000 check for new police cruisers, body cameras and other essential equipment.

"It is a momentous occasion, and it is something I am hopeful other regions will take note of," Cartwright said of WARPD's creation.

"I regard public safety as the number one duty of a public official, and we know that when you combine police forces in a region to work together, to row in the same direction, public safety improves," Cartwright said.

"Not only does it enable a police department to specialize, to have detectives, to have specialists, to look into K9 units, to look into undercover police," Cartwright added, it also allows the very basic things to happen — to be able to cover shifts."

Turner said the funding secured by Cartwright would allow his department to purchase body cams, dash cams, modules and "other equipment to protect our officers."