The word in Middlesex Township is that the police department could be scaled back significantly - or, possibly, be shut down - in 2006 as the township supervisors try to find money for badly needed road repairs.

A petition already is circulating in the municipality in opposition to the purported action under consideration. Specifically, the petition opposes the layoff of four officers; the police department currently has six full-time officers and one part-time officer.

The department provides 24-hour, seven-days-a-week coverage, which not everyone agrees is necessary, considering that Middlesex isn't a hotbed of crime.

David McMaster, board of supervisors chairman, says township leaders are only in the fact-finding stage and are examining the full range of township operations in their search for more road-repair money. He denied that the supervisors at this stage of their review are considering disbanding the department, but he didn't deny the possibility that police department cuts could be forthcoming.

Whatever shape the supervisors' savings effort takes, the township leaders deserve praise for embarking on their mission 11 months before they must approve their 2006 spending package, rather than wait until the last minute and risk mistakes based on haste.

If the township were to revert to part-time police coverage, the municipality would rely on the state police at Butler when local officers were not on duty. The distance and time that would be involved for the state police to answer a Middlesex call is justifiably a concern for township residents. The supervisors have to weigh that factor into whatever course they choose to pursue.

"Caution" must be the key word for the supervisors as they put the police department under their fiscal microscope. The township's geographical location has put it in line for steady growth moving north from Allegheny County, which already is under way. With growth comes the need for beefed-up police protection to handle the issues inherent with a bigger population and more business entities - not a police scale-back.

Considering the township's growth, police department cutbacks could end up being more dangerous than bad roads.

But bad roads are a serious issue that also must be addressed. It's troubling that the roads situation has gotten so bad that the supervisors feel drastic action such as police service cutbacks could be necessary.

To the supervisors' credit, McMaster said he is happy to receive residents' opinions about the police situation, and residents should continue to express their viewpoints throughout the coming months.

Indeed, residents must make it known whether they believe that the township should be spending $480,000 annually - the amount in the 2005 budget - for police protection.

The competence and training of Middlesex Police Department personnel isn't an issue. As McMaster pointed out, township officers are well-trained in various law-enforcement roles, including state Department of Transportation inspections, weapons certifications and computer crimes.

The skill level of the department is a big reason for striving to keep this valuable township asset intact.

One option that the township could consider would be becoming part of a regional police network, but the township could pay a serious price with that - decreased police presence resulting from the wider area such a department would be required to patrol.

All considered, Middlesex should be reluctant to weaken its department. But at the same time the supervisors should not throw up their hands in frustration over the roads situation.

Most municipalities can spread cuts over the full spectrum of their operations without gutting any one particular department. That is the challenge facing Middlesex.