CRANBERRY TWP — A new township police officer will bring 20 years of experience in auto theft investigation to the force.

The board of supervisors approved the hiring of Scott Monroe, a retired Pennsylvania state trooper, as a full-time police officer to specialize in auto theft and insurance fraud.

Through an agreement with the Pennsylvania State Police, Monroe’s salary and benefits are covered by a grant from the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority, said Kevin Meyer, Cranberry Township police chief.

Monroe will start at Cranberry April 10 and work as a patrol officer until July 1, when he will be detailed to the Pennsylvania State Police Western Auto Theft Task Force in Harmarville, addressing auto theft, heavy equipment theft and insurance fraud. He’ll be in Cranberry weekly, Meyer said.

“It’s going to be a tremendous asset to the community having that resource available to us and that neighboring communities,” Meyer said. “These things have no borders.”

Meyer said Monroe had been assigned in 1997 to the Auto Theft Task Force as a state trooper. He’s known across the state as a seasoned theft investigator. After he retired, Monroe wanted to continue on with that work so Cranberry jumped at the opportunity to hire him through the authority’s grant program.

The grant is funded by the annual assessment of insurance companies that conduct business in Pennsylvania, Meyer said, so no tax dollars are going to pay for the new position.

While auto theft is not a big issue in the township, Meyer said their proximity to Pittsburgh and major highway systems makes the township a prime location for stolen vehicles and equipment to be trafficked. More than 12,366 vehicles were stolen in Pennsylvania last year, according to the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority.

“It’s a great location for somebody to be assigned,” the chief said.

Cranberry Township police worked with Monroe and relied on his expertise in 2006 when they had a major theft ring in the township. They recovered 24 stolen vehicles, worth more than $250,000, from a chop shop on Rochester Road. Meyer said Monroe was in their office for six months working on that case, so they are familiar with him.