LH city council discusses merits of armed guard at City Hall
LOCK HAVEN, PA – While no decisions were reached, members of Lock Haven City Council spent a portion of council’s Monday night meeting discussing the need for an armed guard inside City Hall’s front door.
Council member Doug Byerly started the discussion, stating he had been approached by someone he did not identify, that party put off by the presence of a security officer at the City Hall entrance. Byerly passed along several questions. These included, “Why do we still have an armed guard at the entrance…a pretty unfriendly approach to City Hall?” Who is paying for this and how much? And is there a more cost-effective way to provide security? Byerly said, “I am not saying I agree or disagree with all of; them.”
City Manager Greg Wilson offered answers. Information on the cost of the service is in the city budget document. He said the cost is $180 a day ($46,800 a year). The city manager said the service is provided by VetForce Inc., a Lock Haven-based firm utilizing veterans. He said the guard system was introduced pre-COVID, then stopped during the pandemic, then restarted.
Wilson said the city manager has the authority to put the security service in place and termed the system “the most cost effective way” to operate. He said if employees within City Hall were asked, they would be unanimous in support of the current set-up.
Newly sworn-in Police Chief Matt Rickard, asked to comment, said the city would be “taking an awful risk not having somebody there.” He said he has heard nothing negative about the current set-up and said the VetForce officers are “super friendly.”
Council member Steve Stephenson noted that alternatives could be looked at as part of any study to carry out alterations at City Hall which houses the police department, city code office and city administrative staff. Council member Jeff Brinker, a teacher at Central Mountain High School, noted that building uses a buzzer system, access to the high school controlled by a secretary in a windowed office setting within the school lobby.
