About Us
The Friends of the Ephrata Police Foundation is an independent charitable nonprofit organization founded by local community and business leaders to bolster the excellence of the Ephrata Police Department. Focused on improving safety for both the communities that the Ephrata Police serve as well as for the officers, efforts are designed to emphasize increased effectiveness and greater efficiency.
It is our intention to do what is in our power to enhance and support whatever the department deems necessary to continue to ensure the safety of the Ephrata and greater Ephrata communities.
Our Mission
While supporting the core values of the Ephrata Police Department to include fairness, integrity, respect, service and teamwork, the foundation’s mission aligns with the police department’s vision for the community.
The foundation’s purpose is to align funding, resources and educational opportunities for officers and community to assure safe, unparalleled police services to the community while honoring the constitution and the law.
Our mission focuses on four pillars:
Support of public safety and security.
Strengthening and fostering relationships within the community while promoting projects and services.
Allocation of equipment and technology to assure a safer environment for the officers.
Support, advance, and align strategic initiatives for the department.
About the Board
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Ephrata Police Foundation are dedicated and firmly committed to expanding public safety awareness and advancing safety initiatives through public and private partnerships. The men and women of the Board are community and business leaders from all four of the communities served by the Ephrata Police Department; Ephrata Borough, Ephrata Township, Adamstown Borough and West Cocalico Township.
Board members unselfishly give their time to coordinate and oversee the team of volunteers that will raise funds, participate in community events, interact with the community, support activities, create and host safety-related programs, and many other tasks necessary to meet goals and objectives.
Board Members
Steve Aronson, President
Retired National Business Development Manager
Steve Rapp, Vice President
President, DenTech Industrial & the Ironspire Complex
Abby Balmer, Secretary
Executive Director, Ephrata Public Library
Rob Rohrbach, Treasurer
Owner, Green Dragon Farmers Market
Jeffrey Stauffer
President, Ephrata National Bank
John Stevens
Owner, Gardner & Stevens, PC
Josh Gluck
President, Douple Insurance
Lisa Lesko
Senior Director, Ambulatory Clinical Services, WellSpan CityGate Surgery Center
Jan Minnich
Owner, Dutchmaid Deck
Steve DeWeese
Retired Principal Owner of a Federal Government and DoD Consulting Company
Current Projects & Initiatives
The purpose of the Friends of the Ephrata Police Foundation’s raising funds is to enable the Police to have the latest equipment to keep us safe. Being safe is a fundamental right, and we want all citizens to feel safe. The initial purchase made by the Foundation was Emergency Trauma Kits for the Supervisor’s patrol cars. Whenever an office arrives at a scene where immediate first aid is needed and an ambulance or paramedic has not yet arrived, this fully equipped kit will be available.
Purchases made by the Foundation relieve the burden of payment that would normally fall on the taxpayers. Your contribution to the Friends of the Ephrata Police Foundation will not only support fighting crime and preventing crime but will also help by building a safer community through community collaboration, keeping everyone safe.
Canine Officer
Once approved by the Ephrata Borough Council the Friends of the Ephrata Police will begin raising funds to acquire a canine officer. A canine office in Ephrata would be the first dog based in Northern Lancaster County. Start-up costs for a canine office is in the vicinity of $100,000. To acquire a trained canine, provide training to the designated officer, and safety equipment for the animal is approximately $17,000. The cost of a specialized vehicle is close to $100,000.
Benefits of having a canine officer:
- Enhance Public Safety: K9 Unit will be utilized to improve the detection of drugs and other illicit materials.
- Increase Operational Efficiency: Support officers in suspect apprehension, search and rescue operations, and crowd control.
- Strengthen Community Relations: Engage with the community through demonstrations and interactions; building trust and positive relationships.
- Improve Officer Safety: Provide additional resources for dangerous situations, such as building and area searches; reducing risk to officers.
Radar Electronic Speed Signs
Radar Speed Control Signs are on the list of items under consideration for purchase by the Friends of the Ephrata Police Foundation. They serve three purposes in helping to control speeds:
- Speed Awareness: Radar speed signs instantly display a driver’s speed, serving as a visual reminder of their current speed compared to the posted limit. This helps drivers become more aware of their actions and encourages them to reduce speed.
- Traffic Calming: Radar speed signs act as a proactive measure to slow down any speeding vehicles, especially in areas like school zones, residential neighborhoods, and high-risk areas where safety is a concern.
- Data Collection: Devices come equipped with data logging capabilities, allowing the collection of valuable traffic data, including speed trends and peak speeding times, to inform traffic management strategies.
Back-Up 2-Way Radio Batteries
Back-up batteries to prevent disruption in essential 2-way radio communications during an emergency are essential. Batteries lose their power after continuous use, and batteries sometime go bad or hit their end of life. Having extra batteries at the immediate point of need is a critical officer safety issue.
Neighborhood Crime Watch Program
A neighborhood Crime watch program is a group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood safer by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life. Neighborhood watch groups have regular meetings to plan how they will accomplish their specific goals and leaders with assigned responsibilities. Neighborhood watch is homeland security at the most local level. It is an opportunity to volunteer and work towards increasing the safety and security of our homes and our homeland. Neighborhood watch empowers citizens and communities to become active in emergency preparedness, as well as the fight against crime and community disasters. Neighbors work together to deter crime by patrolling streets close to their home and reporting to the police unusual or suspicious activity.
Canine Officer
Once approved by the Ephrata Borough Council the Friends of the Ephrata Police will begin raising funds to acquire a canine officer. A canine office in Ephrata would be the first dog based in Northern Lancaster County. Start-up costs for a canine office is in the vicinity of $100,000. To acquire a trained canine, provide training to the designated officer, and safety equipment for the animal is approximately $17,000. The cost of a specialized vehicle is close to $100,000.
Benefits of having a canine officer:
- Enhance Public Safety: K9 Unit will be utilized to improve the detection of drugs and other illicit materials.
- Increase Operational Efficiency: Support officers in suspect apprehension, search and rescue operations, and crowd control.
- Strengthen Community Relations: Engage with the community through demonstrations and interactions; building trust and positive relationships.
- Improve Officer Safety: Provide additional resources for dangerous situations, such as building and area searches; reducing risk to officers.
Board Members
Steve Aronson
Retired National Business Development Manager
Steve Rapp
President, DenTech Industrial & the Ironspire Complex
Abby Balmer
Executive Director, Ephrata Public Library
Rob Rohrbach
Owner, Green Dragon Farmers Market
Jeffrey Stauffer
President, Ephrata National Bank
John Stevens
Owner, Gardner & Stevens, PC
Josh Gluck
President, Douple Insurance
Lisa Lesko
Senior Director- Ambulatory Clinical Services, WellSpan CityGate Surgery Center
Jan Minnich
Owner, Dutchmaid Deck