This article is one in a series of articles about what life looks like in Butler County ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. Stories in this series aim to showcase what it’s like to live, work, play and serve in Butler County during this moment in history.

With Butler County’s population growing, law enforcement innovates and adapts using collaboration and technology to streamline investigations and additional manpower when available.

Law enforcement preparation for the incoming population boom in northern Butler County emphasizes collaboration in case of a large-scale emergency — like what could have happened last fall, when a swatting call at Grove City College led to law enforcement response for a shooting threat.

“It would have been a bad day,” said Superior Ambulance Service Chief Doug Dick said in an early 2026 interview.

The shooting threat is what led Dick and Harrisville Borough Police Department Lt. Jordan Waclav to gather afterwards a board of local law enforcement and public officials to discuss each other’s strengths and how to share resources. Representatives from Harrisville, Marion Township and Mercer Township attended the meeting.

While growth in Butler County has been evident by the amount of developments popping up in southern Butler County, census data shows the uptick in population is coming to northern Butler County, too.

Growing campgrounds and frequently traveled routes in northern Butler County and Mercer County, such as Interstates 79 and 80, have brought more people to the area, which brings the potential for more emergencies, Dick said. He added Cozy Rest Campground has grown with more cabins and camping sites being established, which has resulted in more emergency calls to the area.

“They come north to get out of the concrete blacktop, not only in Butler County but in Mercer County,” Dick said.

Dick added Iron Mountain near Boyers, which falls under the Marion Township Volunteer Fire Company’s jurisdiction, is also driving increases in calls. He said the population of the area has increased since federal employees were rehired.

Dick said there has already been some collaboration between emergency services, but with an uptick in population, collaboration will have to increase, too. Harrisville and Marion Township share police coverage, and the Harrisville Borough Police Department, Marion Township Volunteer Fire Company and Superior Ambulance Service have conducted joint training sessions.

In the south, adapting to the population boom will continue to bring technology upgrades and — when needed — more manpower.

Demand for police services in Jackson Township has grown in both residential and commercial areas over the last decade. Jacskon Township police Chief Zeke Reed said the department’s 13 full-time officers have had to adapt to covering the growing Seneca Valley School District, as the township’s population doubles when school is in session.

The department has adapted by adding new technology, he said in an early 2026 inteview.

“A lot of the crime now is tech-based in itself,” Reed said.

Last year, the department added automatic license plate readers to two of its 10 police vehicles. The system records license plates of passing vehicles and notifies the officer if there is an alert, such as a stolen vehicle or warrant, associated with the license plate.

The department also has its 10 vehicles outfitted with camera systems that record inside and around the vehicle in addition to body cameras.

Reed said the department recently invested in software programs that aid their investigation of financial crimes. The software shows officers related transactions made by potential criminals to develop leads.

Reed said the department is open to hiring more officers as the area’s population continues to grow. However, as a taxpayer-funded department, township supervisors have an obligation to spend wisely.

For Zelienople police, which has 10 officers covering Zelienople and Harmony boroughs, the focus is on equipment upgrades. The department also covers the Seneca Valley School District.

The police department has deployed three 2025 Ford Interceptors and a Ford F-150 Police Responder equipped with dash and interior cameras, new laptops and automated external defibrillators.

The SUVs were purchased and detailed for about $300,000 to replace the department’s 2018 models, according to Zelienople police Chief Jim Miller.

He explained the vehicles were purchased through a municipal government lease agreement, which allows the borough to make one payment per year for four to five years instead of monthly payments. Down the road, Miller said he would consider purchasing electric vehicles for the department.

In Cranberry and Middlesex townships, the growth of their police departments will depend on the direction of their new chiefs. Chief Ken Ruckel stepped into his role with Cranberry township police the start of the year, and Middlesex Township supervisors hired Justin Bouch as chief of their police department in July.

“I saw the opportunity here with the growth of the township and thought it would be a good fit for me, myself, and for the township,” Bouch said.

His deparment recently added a new K-9 to its force.