Ephrata State Police station to Close

HARRISBURG – State Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-36) was notified that the State Police Troop J Command Center will remain in Lancaster County, but the Ephrata station will be closed.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the Ephrata State Police Station will close effective August 17. After that date, all Lancaster County State Police incidents will be dispatched out of the Lancaster Headquarters Station, located at 2099 Lincoln Highway East.

To ensure safety is not compromised for the communities that rely on State Police coverage, troopers from the Ephrata Station will be moved to the Lancaster Station and will be positioned strategically throughout the region during their shifts. The Pennsylvania State Police has maintained that the decision to close the Ephrata Station is fiscally responsible and will not greatly impact response times or safety.

“The Lancaster delegation has been working with the Pennsylvania State Police on both issues to ensure public safety is not compromised,” said Brubaker. “While we face the economic reality that the Ephrata State Police Station could not be sustained, I am happy that we were able to keep our troopers and Command Center teams and services local.”

Because of the high number of state trooper vacancies, the Pennsylvania State Police considered closing the Lancaster County Command Center and moving some of the special teams and services to Command Centers in Reading and Philadelphia. Generally, Command Centers house special unit teams such as Fire Marshall, Forensics, and Weight and Measurement Units.

Discussions between the Lancaster delegation and the Pennsylvania State Police have been ongoing since the beginning of the year. A joint hearing of the Senate Law and Justice Committee and the House Judiciary Committee was held May 14 in Gap to make the public aware of the potential closures and to solicit local input on the issue.