No detective for Cameron

There will be no county detective hired to boost Cameron County law enforcement in the near future.

Meeting as the county's Salary Board, Commissioners JoAnn Smith, Glen Fiebig and Phil Jones, along with Treasurer Staci Brown, turned down District Attorney Paul Malizia's request to hire a part-time detective.

Smith, who chairs the board, said the proposal will be further investigated and considered as the commissioners work on the county's 2009 operating budget.

Malizia believes the detective position would enhance local law enforcement, particularly in the townships, where Pa. State Police from the Shippen Township barracks are thinly spread.

Malizia, who would supervise the detective, also points out that the individual would be helpful in drug investigations, on the heels of a major roundup of drug offenders in the Emporium area last fall.

Both Potter and McKean counties have a county detective.