Police Safety Not Compromised by Virus on Home PC, Mayor Says

Mayor Rick Hoffman called Patch to answer concerns raised at Macungie Borough Council meeting about the security of the GPS system in borough police cars.

Macungie Mayor Rick Hoffman had a short answer to the question “Did Computer Virus Risk Safety of Macungie Police?” raised earlier in the week by Macungie business owner Tim Romig in front of Macungie Borough Council. “No.” Hoffman called Patch on Thursday after reading a Patch article summarizing the concerns raised by Romig about the email virus on the mayor's PC, which Romig documented using printouts of an email exchange between Hoffman and Macungie Police Chief Ed Harry. In those exchanges, which Romig obtained through a right to know request, Harry told the mayor about the virus and suggested he try to get it taken care of. Even if his computer did have an email virus, Hoffman explained, there is no way a virus in his email could put…

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Borough of Macungie

Macungie Council Votes to Install GPS in Police Cars

The reopening of the issue is a surprise at Monday's council meeting.

Though it was not on the meeting agenda, Macungie Council on Monday voted to equip borough police cars with private GPS units. Mayor Rick Hoffman introduced the topic during the "Mayor's Report" segment of the meeting. The vote, with a motion initiated and seconded by Council members Linn Walker and Gregory Hutchison, respectively, was split. Walker, Hutchison, Christopher Becker and Council President Jean Nagle voted in favor. Council member Debra Cope voted against. Councilmen Joseph Sikorski and David Boyko were absent. Council voted against installing the units in April. The reason then was that it was going to cost thousands of dollars to install and use the units for the length of the proposed two-year contract. This time, however, …

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get real

7:26 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013

Mr. Becker, i believe it is you who should read the Borough Code since it appears that you support our ignorant Mayor who feels he has sole absolute power over our Police department. We have a system of divided powers and checks and balances. If the Mayor had absolute power, he would not have needed the council's AUTHORITY to put the GPS units in the Borough vehicles. You stated that council …   more ›

Borough of Macungie

New GPS System Would Track Macungie Police

Mayor Rick Hoffman has asked the budget-strapped borough to pay for most of it.

Macungie Mayor Rick Hoffman’s quest to install GPS systems in borough police cars advanced a bit at last week’s Macungie Council meeting when the mayor asked council to commit to paying for the second two years of the devices’ three-year binding contracts. The GPS units will allow authorized personnel – limited to the police chief and himself, the mayor said – to view officers’ locations, the speed of their cars and the length of time they spend at a location. "It’s a good management tool,” the mayor said. The units will cost $295 per year plus some maintenance fees to run in each of the three borough vehicles, he said, which comes to about $1,100 per year. Hoffman asked Macungie Council to pay $2,200. At his first mention of installing …

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