Nesquehoning has agreed to join a study regarding regionalizing police.

On Wednesday, borough council approved allowing the state Department of Community and Economic Development to complete the study. So far, Lansford and Nesquehoning have approved participating in the study.

Council President David Hawk said there is no cost to the borough for the study, and the town is not under any obligation to follow the study’s findings once completed.

Council asked police Chief Michael Weaver and he said he was willing to participate in it.

Council members agreed that if nothing else, the borough may learn about some things that the police still need that they didn’t realize.

Nesquehoning has been rebuilding its police force over the last year, with several new hires joining the department.

But the problem with finding enough police in various towns throughout the region continues to be a problem.

In other police matters, the borough approved purchasing two smartphones for the police to use during investigations and at various scenes. This will allow officers to use the phones strictly for work purposes in the event the phone needs to be seized for an investigation.

Currently, Weaver said the officers use their personal phones to take pictures at the scene and make phone calls, but if a phone would need to be seized, having personal information on the phone would cause problems for an investigation.

Council asked if the department also needed a digital camera. Weaver said that would not be necessary since smartphones are already equipped with cameras.