CLEARFIELD – After an executive session that included topics regarding personnel during a special meeting, Clearfield Borough Council moved to strengthen security within their police department.
Council decided to have the keys to the Clearfield Borough Police Department collected then later have the locks changed. This would include keys the solicitor and the mayor have.
According to F. Cortez “Chip” Bell III, solicitor for the borough, members of the public, members of Clearfield Borough Council, the Mayor of Clearfield Borough, members of the district attorney’s office and others will need to be accompanied by police officers before entering the secured area of the station. New measures will also include a sign-in sheet as well as others.
Patty Gilliland, mayor of Clearfield Borough, seemed to take offense to this. Council voted unanimously in favor of the issue.
Under borough code the mayor is the head of the police department.
Bell said after the meeting that the new measures would not impede Gillilands duties, that she would still have access to her office without escort. Like everyone else, however, she would need a police officer present to enter the station’s secured areas.
Gilliland took issue with the proposal before the vote was cast and left after the special meeting and before council’s regular work session.