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<p>PLYMOUTH &#8212; The borough council voted Tuesday to withdraw from the West Side Police Mutual Aid Agreement.</p><p>Council voted 5-0 in favor of the withdrawal, with council members Frank Coughlin and Earl Cunningham absent from the meeting.</p><p>According to council member Bill Dixon, the decision was unrelated to recent tensions between Plymouth and Larksville boroughs regarding the retention of a resource officer at the Wyoming Valley West High School.</p><p>Police officer Joshua Evans and K-9 officer Una from the Larksville Police Department serve in that position at the high school, with the Plymouth Police Department retaining jurisdiction in the event a crime is committed on high school property.</p><p>&#8220;Our solicitor had advised us to do this because of an issue of liability,&#8221; Dixon said during a phone interview Wednesday, referring to the withdrawal. &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t directly related to the issue of placing a resource officer at the school.&#8221;</p><p>After the council announced the intent to pull out of the mutual aid agreement at last month&#8217;s meeting, Larksville Police Chief John Edwards announced his department would respond to Larksville police calls only if the safety of residents is threatened.</p><p>Dixon is confident police departments from other West Side boroughs will continue to respond to Plymouth&#8217;s emergency calls and the borough&#8217;s police department will respond to calls in other West Side municipalities.</p><p><em>In other matters:</em></p><p>&#8226; The council announced its intent to revitalize Barnes Street Park, getting prices for replacement backboards, repaving of the basketball courts and looking for volunteers to assist in cleaning up the courts.</p><p>&#8226; The former Matus newsstand on Main Street is slated for a grand reopening Oct. 1, with prizes awarded to the first 100 people visiting the store.</p><p>&#8226; The council approved the transfer of property at 25 E. Main St. from the Redevelopment Authority to the borough for $1. The site was previously occupied by PNC bank.</p><p>&#8226; Police chief Ryan Williams requested that those calling 911 about drug activity ask the dispatcher to have an officer call them, rather than putting the information over the scanner.</p><p>&#8226; The Plymouth Neighborhood Watch was granted permission to hold its William Reese Memorial Halloween Parade on Oct. 31, with lineup starting at 5:30 p.m. on Carolina Street. A &#8220;trunk or treat&#8221; event will follow the parade.</p><p>The next meeting of the Plymouth Borough Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 11.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dixon </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cog_meet1_faa-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dixon </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Plymouth Borough Council withdraws from West Side Police Mutual Aid Agreement