East Penn Township is disbanding its police force after months of discussion.

During Monday's supervisors meeting Vice Chairman Richard DeLuca said, "We went round and round on this. We need to decide what we are doing.""Well, what's the pleasure of the board," asked Chairman William Schwab.During May the board ran a help-wanted ad for both full- or part-time officers to work in the township."We should have a police presence," said Supervisor Deanna Cunfer."I've gotten emails about people speeding past the school," said Supervisor Alice Berger. "We're not getting state police to come down here for that.""People have been drag racing on Riverview Road, too," Cunfer said.The state police force has made itself known throughout the township to fill in the coverage gaps left after East Penn's officers began to dwindle."The problem was when we did have a force, we didn't have coverage Saturday and Sunday so I have mixed feelings about it," DeLuca said."The state police are in the area, they're here and in Lehighton even though they're not asked," said Supervisor John Strockoz."Let's disband the police force for the township and invite the state cops to police it," said DeLuca.Schwab, DeLuca and Strockoz voted to disband the force, with Cunfer and Berger opposed to it."We should have the secretary send thank-you letters to all those who applied for the job," Cunfer said."We should also notify the state police," Schwab said.Four of the five members then voted to donate $500 from the police budget to the Lehighton Memorial Library.Strockoz opposed the motion, saying, "Everything you can read there you can find on the Internet now."The Prison Work Release Program will begin Tuesday at Riverview Park where inmates will cut and clear brush along the west side of the park. Inmates will work every Tuesday and Wednesday throughout June to clean up the park.A bike stencil will be painted on Riverview Road by the township road crew. The board said the stencil was ordered to help organize bike traffic to one side of the road.