The Conneaut Lake Regional Police Department was formed in 1995 when Sadsbury Township and Conneaut Lake Borough, Crawford County PA, made official a cost sharing agreement entered into in 1963-1964.
In 1962 Conneaut Lake Borough had two police officers and one police cruiser, Sadsbury Township had two police officers and one police cruiser and Conneaut Lake Park had its own police department. During this year talks between the township and borough police departments began regarding the sharing of fuel costs as well as other expenditures.
During the years of 1963-1964 these talks became reality when the municipalities began a 75/25 split in costs to run the departments. As a result of this agreement in conjunction with Conneaut Lake Park Police and Vernon Township Police, the four police departments were among the first in Crawford County to install and use in car police radios.
At some point, the Conneaut Lake Park Police Department was disbanded, and in 1995 Sadsbury Township and Conneaut Lake Borough entered into a mutual municipal agreement to form the Conneaut Lake Regional Police Department, a single agency as opposed to separate agencies sharing costs. The department employed a Police Chief and five patrol officers and was a part time police department, as the officers were not on duty for an entire day or week. Partial coverage of the municipalities was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police. The department was based in the community building in Conneaut Lake Borough and had two police cruisers.
The department now employs a Police Chief and between six to eight officers with officers on duty 24 hours per day, 7 days per week patrolling 25 square miles. The department moved from Conneaut Lake Borough to its current home in Sadsbury Township on State Highway 285. In addition to regular patrol and law enforcement duties, officers are involved in community service programs such as the Officer Phil elementary school safety program, the Crawford County Career Camp conducting presentations and workshops for middle and high school students providing hands on law enforcement activities, the Crawford County DUI Task Force and the Pa Aggressive Driving campaign.
