Police department in Philadelphia suburb working to get back on track amid staffing shortage
COLLINGDALE, Pa. (CBS) – A police staffing shortage has plagued one Delaware County community for months. But now the Collingdale Police Department is working to get back on track.
Collingdale police chief Shanee Mitchell isn't mincing words about the dire situation.
"Here in Collingdale, we're suffering," Mitchell said. "We're suffering bad. We're down to five officers."
There would be 14 officers at full staff. Mitchell, who joined the force in October 2024, said the problem has been a nationwide issue.
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"Since I've been here, we've had one retirement, one resignation and one who transferred to another department," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said Pennsylvania State Police have been assisting with coverage since October 2024. PSP responded to almost 20% of calls in Collingdale in December 2024, per Mitchell.
Some people in the borough are worried the shortage could harm public safety.
"With these young kids today, I don't know," Lloyd Rochester, of Collingdale, said. "They are going to have to hire somebody real fast."
And hire somebody fast, they did. Over the weekend, Collingdale councilmembers held an emergency swearing-in ceremony to bring full-time officer Kevon Darden on board for immediate service after the borough experienced what it calls a series of unusual call-outs that left several shifts unstaffed.
Three part-time officers are set to be sworn in at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Mitchell said she's planning to offer full-time positions to all the part-timers, something she can't do right away until the civil service process moves forward.
"Our hiring closed Nov. 25," Mitchell said. "The test is Jan. 25, and hopefully we'll get a nice chunk of people from that civil service exam."
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Mitchell said her goal is to have the department back up to full staff by February. She and Collingdale Council President Ryan Hastings are optimistic about the borough's progress.
"The civil service is adding to our rules for lateral transfers to help with the staffing shortage," Hastings said. "Borough council and most of our community is in full support of our chief."
Collingdale police are accepting applications for part-time officers on a rolling basis.
According to Collingdale borough manager C. Michael Robinson, per the contract with Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), full-time officers receive 85% of base pay in year one, 95% of base pay for year two and 100% thereafter. The rate of pay increases by 3.5% each year.
According to historical records, the 2025 starting wage for full-time officers is $38.70 per hour (at 85%), and starting wage for part-time officers is $28.00 per hour, Robinson said.
"It is important to note that the Borough has requested a Consolidated Contract with Base Rate values, as we have not received a contract that articulates this since 2013," Robinson said. "To date, the FOP has not complied with the Borough's request, making it difficult to negotiate the consolidated contract in good faith."
CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Christopher D. Eiserman, president of Delaware County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #27, for comment. Eiserman disputes the borough manager's claim about the contract.
"On October 18th at 1:21 pm, Borough Manager Robinson requested a copy of the draft consolidated contract for Collingdale Borough," Eiserman said. "On October 18th at 2:15, FOP Legal Counsel forwarded a draft of the consolidated agreement. On the same date at 3:08 pm, Borough Manager Robinson responded back and said 'much obliged' and that they will review and contact the FOP ASAP. To this date, we have not heard from Borough Council or the Manager."
