Allegheny Valley Regional Police force moves office over covid-19 concerns

The Allegheny Valley Regional Police moved its office from the Springdale Township municipal building to Cheswick’s borough building as a precaution to prevent the spread of covid-19 and to make more room for other township employees.

“This is more a shift to an office than a move,” said Michael Girardi, Cheswick Council president and a board member of the regional police department.

The regional police force, which was formed by Cheswick and Springdale Township a year ago, has leased space for equipment, cars and storage items at both municipalities, he said.

Police started their office move in late June and are set up in Cheswick’s borough police office. The move will not impact coverage or business operations of the police force, he said. The two offices are about a mile apart.

Springdale Township Commissioners Chairman Anthony Rozzano said he meet with the police department board with his request to move the main police office out of the township building and it was well-received.

“They have three times the space in the Cheswick building than we have here,” he said. The police department room in the township is roughly 10-foot-by-12-foot, he said. The move was driven by several issues: minimizing contact during the pandemic for all township employees, accommodating a new third full-time police officer and making room for office space for the code enforcement and zoning officers and others, Rozzano said.

No one has tested positive for covid-19 on the police force or in the municipal offices, according to township and borough officials.

Like other communities, Cheswick’s and Springdale Township’s municipal offices limit public entry to the building to lessen the risk of exposure to covid-19.

The police office in the Springdale Township municipal building is next to the main township office and common area. In Cheswick, the police office is more segregated from the rest of the municipal office, which will prevent less interaction between the two staffs, Girardi said.