Lansford’s new mayor hopes to bring improvements to the borough’s police, including increased staffing and training, and initiatives that encourage community engagement.

Newly seated Mayor Denise Leibensperger said she wants to foster “a more community-focused approach” with the police department, in addition to finding ways to bolster its numbers and improve conditions.

“Currently, our department is understaffed, which poses challenges in effectively addressing the crime rate,” she said. “My first priority is helping the department become whole.”

Lansford’s police department has three full-time officers and three part-time officers, compared to neighboring departments such as Summit Hill and Nesquehoning, which have twice as many full-time officers, she said.

Other departments, such as Lehighton and Jim Thorpe, employ upward of nine to 11 full-time officers plus part-time officers, Leibensperger said.

“Lansford has the highest crime in all of Carbon County with the least amount of officers and the lowest pay rate,” she said.

The department still provides 24/7 coverage with state police covering any gaps, and Leibensperger said she will look for ways to recruit more officers and seek grants to help fund these resources.

Leibensperger would also like to see the borough hire a police chief, and she advocated for hiring from within for the borough’s next top cop.

“Currently, there is no formal chief,” she said. “Sergeant (Shawn) Nunemacher has been doing the job as chief off and on, since former Chief Soberick retired.”

Nunemacher serves as the officer in charge, in lieu of a police chief, and has taken a leadership role after Jack Soberick’s retirement in May 2022 until Kyle Woodward took over as chief in January 2024, and then after Woodward’s departure last March.

“Sergeant Nunemacher has stepped up to do everything that is required from a chief,” Leibensperger said. “The chief position shows strength in the department and stability. We need to make Sergeant Nunemacher chief.”

She hopes to work with borough council but said she hasn’t had the opportunity to discuss police hiring or the chief position with members, which reorganized with new leadership last week.

“We haven’t had a formal conversation with the (whirlwind) that happened,” Leibensperger said, adding that she believes she and council will work together for the betterment of the community.

She also plans to bring back the “Coffee with a Cop,” initiative which was started with Chief Soberick and Mayor James Romankow, she said.

Those sessions could begin in early April, Leibensperger said.

She also would like to see Lansford hold its first National Night Out this August, she said.

“Lansford has never had a Night Out,” she said. “I will be submitting a request with the open budget for some funding to be available. This first year will be a learning curve.”

Leibensperger will also be looking for other avenues to aid the department, including soliciting donations or fundraising, but wants to ensure that she is able to do so legally in her role as mayor.

“Law enforcement is a thankless profession,” she said. “I hope to change the mindset of the people of Lansford. You will always have some people who will try to tear you down because you don’t do as they demand.

“I’m not here to tear down the department. I’m here to support them and give them the tools they need to do their job and interact positively in all community settings,” she said.