Franklin Township has taken the next step to beef up its police force.

Supervisors on Tuesday hired Jared Green as a full-time police officer, retroactive to the start date of Sept. 1.

Green will start at a salary of $25.69. His hiring now gives the police department five full-time officers, including the police chief.

The board’s decision comes one month after residents continued to press supervisors for a stronger police presence.

Resident Stephen DeLello voiced concerns about expanding the force following the addition of the new St. Luke’s hospital.

Resident David thor Straten-Mohr supported DeLello’s presented a proposal of his own to the supervisors.

Along with the St. Luke’s hospital in Franklin Township, Straten-Mohr also mentioned that Mahoning Township will also have a new hospital by next year.

Straten-Mohr then proposed the creation of a regional police department consisting of at least Lehighton Borough, Mahoning Township and Franklin Township.

He stressed the importance of police involvement regarding the new hospitals in particular, stating they need “24/7 local coverage by multiple officers because of possible incidents of violence, drugs, weapons and mental health emergencies at these kinds of facilities.”

Vice Chairman Robin Cressley said at that time a similar proposal for a regional police force had been made to Lehighton Borough and Mahoning Township back in 2016, but received little interest.

Cressley said at that time he would like to discuss the idea with Franklin Township’s Chief of Police, Jason Doll, before bringing up the idea to Lehighton Borough and Mahoning Township.

Chairman Jason Frey said the idea was worth discussing, but he was worried about the costs surrounding the idea considering that they would likely need to purchase property, build a new facility and increase officer wages.

Frey also expressed concern that if the police force became unaffordable for one of the involved entities, reliance would fall upon the other townships to pick up the costs.

He also brought up the possibility that there would not be enough officers per shift to be able to cover everything, as hiring officers has become increasingly more difficult.

Straten-Mohr countered that a regional department could actually bring in more applicants to the area.

In related police department matters, supervisors on Tuesday:

• Agreed to end David Roberts’ probation period as a full-time police officer. His hire date was Sept. 20, 2020.

• Approved letters of request for Roberts and Green to attend an in-person training seminar being held at the Lehigh Township Regional DUI Enforcement Program at the Lehigh Township Building on Oct. 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the cost per officer at $103.