The Municipality of Monroeville, a Home Rule Charter Municipality, is located in Allegheny County, approximately 10 miles east of the downtown area of the City of Pittsburgh.  The Municipality covers 19.54 square miles and is home to some 29,000 residents with an additional daily transient population of over 50,000 people.  Plum Borough forms the northern border of the Municipality, Murrysville in Westmoreland County forms the eastern border, North Versailles Township forms the southern border and Wilmerding Borough, Turtle Creek Borough, Wilkins Township and Municipality of Penn Hills form the western border.

On May 21, 1974 the Citizens of Monroeville approved the Municipality of Monroeville to become a Home Rule Charter Community.  As a result the Municipality of Monroeville has become a thriving community.  While many communities fight for their very existence, the Municipality of Monroeville continues to grow with new construction occurring yearly on new businesses, elderly care homes and residential structures.

Municipal residents are employed in the research, computer and health care fields.  According to the 2020 census, Monroeville residents are employed as professionals in the Health Care/ Social Assistance fields more so than in any other field. Many residents also work in commercial facilities and retail establishments located in and around the Municipality.

A number of our residents work within the City of Pittsburgh, which is a 15 minute commute on Parkway East (I-376) during non-rush hour traffic.  Within the Municipality of Monroeville the number of professional, scientific and technical service employees is second only to the City of Pittsburgh within Allegheny County.  Within Monroeville, the Municipality is one of the largest employers, employing approximately 230 people. According to Municipal tax records there are over 3,000 businesses located within the boundaries of Monroeville.

In addition to the Monroeville Mall, there are over 20 “strip malls” or shopping centers that house such stores as PetSmart, Elmer’s Aquarium, Old Navy Clothing Store, Marshall’s and many others.  In fact Monroeville businesses employ over 7,000 people in the retail trade business alone.  Monroeville is also home to a super-Giant Eagle grocery store.

The many restaurants in Monroeville, both finer dining and fast food restaurants benefit from the large volume of people that live, work and shop in Monroeville.  Monroeville has the fourth highest number of jobs in the food service industry in Pennsylvania behind Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Allentown.

There are nine automobile dealerships located in Monroeville as well as numerous stand-alone businesses such as Kohl’s, Sam’s Club, Best Buy, Levin Furniture, Target, and Lowe’s.  These businesses significantly add to the number of people who visit Monroeville on a daily basis.

Although the Municipality claims that there is limited space for new business and housing in Monroeville, new businesses and housing complexes continue to appear. Mountains have been leveled and ravines have been filled in to accommodate new businesses and housing such as Dollar General, AVETS and Evergreen Apartments which was completed this year, along with many still in the construction phase.

In addition to the large retail base of Monroeville there are 15 hotels/motels located within the Monroeville Business District. These hotels/motels offer rooms and house many guests that are visiting or conducting business in Monroeville and the City of Pittsburgh. In addition the larger hotels (Best Western, Hampton Inn, and the Double Tree) are hosts to many seminars and shows. Near the Double Tree Hotel is the Pittsburgh Expo-Mart that is the corporate offices of CVS, and is home to several businesses and business schools. The Monroeville Convention Center which is located very near the Monroeville Mall hosts numerous shows and conventions. Some of these shows include The Allegheny Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show, Home Show, Bridal Show, Gun Show, Golf Show and several others.

Monroeville is also home to the Community College of Allegheny County (Boyce Campus) as well as several business schools. Due to the amount of businesses, schools, and residents, the Municipality of Monroeville experiences a large volume of traffic on its roadways.  In fact the intersection of Rte. 48 and Rte. 22 (the major crossroads in Monroeville) is the third busiest intersection in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as far as volume of traffic.

Adjacent to this intersection is Interchange #57 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which is referred to as the Pittsburgh Interchange. This exit is one of the most frequently used interchanges on the system. An average of 20,000 vehicles enter the Turnpike in Monroeville and an average of 18,000 vehicles exit the Turnpike in Monroeville on a daily basis., making the total average volume of traffic at the Monroeville Interchange approx. 38,000 vehicles per day.

The stability of Monroeville is due largely to the ever-growing tax base. The tax base in Monroeville is second only to the City of Pittsburgh within Allegheny County. Such taxes include real estate, earned income tax, business privilege tax, and mercantile tax.

The Municipality also receives many state and federal grants reducing the amount of taxpayers’ dollars needed to maintain the Municipal Budget. In addition to state and federal grants, the Monroeville Police Department also receives funds through the Allegheny County District Attorney Seizure Fund, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and the Federal Government Asset Seizure Fund for participation in various Drug and Vice Task Forces.  These funds can be used for the purchase of approved law enforcement equipment and funding other law enforcement needs.

Both Municipal residents and non-residents can choose from one of the 22 parks (including the Monroeville Mega Park) located throughout the Municipality to spend time with their children or enjoy a relaxing evening. The Municipality even maintains a “dog park” where you can take your dog to mingle with other dogs.

Until 1947, Patton Township, a sparsely populated community consisting of farmlands whose only police protection was a lone Constable who heard and disposed of all types of complaints.

In January, 1948 the Township Supervisors created a Police Department and appointed Joseph Borowiec as Chief at a salary of $200.00 per month and two part-time patrolmen at $0.75 per hour. Since the Township had no police cars, the officers used their own private cars, which had to be available at all times.

The Township’s first police cruiser was purchased in 1948, being a 1948 Ford with a roof spotlight and a radio telephone, which was connected with Bell Telephone Company. Before this time, calls would be communicated by a flag raised in front of Tyke’s Gulf Gas Station at the intersection of Center and William Penn Highway (SR 22). When an officer would drive by the gas station during his patrol route, he knew he had a call if the flag was raised. Shortly after, a two-way radio was installed and hooked up with the base in Wilmerding.

February 1, 1949, Earl Kutchell replaced Joseph Borowiec as Chief.  Patton Township Supervisor “Billy” Graham took over the job as Chief of Police in June of 1950 and resigned January 1, 1951.  

On January 25, 1951, the Borough of Monroeville was incorporated from the area formally known as Patton Township. This move excited the election of seven Councilmen to represent each of the seven wards that replaced the Township Supervisors

George Gregowich was appointed to the Chief of Police of the Borough of Monroeville on February 2, 1951 and would continue to be chief for the next 34 years.

During 1950 – 1951, three full-time patrolmen were added to the Department. These additions boosted the Police Department to a Chief, three full-time patrol officers and two part-time patrol officers. The Police Department was growing but there was no municipal building. Oddly enough the police log book and accident reports were kept in the police cruiser. When the reports became too cumbersome, they were “filed” in a desk that was housed in the Gulf Gas Station at the corner of Center Road @ William Penn Highway (SR 22).

The uniform worn by the officers of that time were black with a black wide brimmed campaign hat. In 1952 the uniforms were changed to gray and the hat replaced with another style of a black campaign hat.

In 1954, the Civil Service Commission was created and it voted to formalize the requirements for all newly hired officers. These requirements consisted of the passing of a: medical examination, written and oral testing, a High School diploma, a resident of Monroeville, a United States citizen and have a current Pennsylvania Driver’s License. The starting salary was $300.00 per month. The officer was also required to pass a six-month probationary period. At this time two additional full-time patrolmen were hired, bringing the total of officers to six men including the Chief.

In 1955 Borough officials rented a one-room office that was used as Borough office and a police “headquarters.” Prisoners were held in the Wilmerding Jail or the Allegheny County Jail.

In November of 1956 Borough Council authorized the purchase of five acres of land at the intersection of Northern Pike and Monroeville Road. The construction of the Municipal Building began in August 1957. The building was completed in June 1958 and both the Borough and Police Department were transferred to the new facility. The building included two jail sections to separate the male from the female prisoners. Also this was the year that two additional police cruisers were put into service.

In 1958 the population of Monroeville had increased to approximately 17,000 residents. The Borough was now experiencing a rapid development of residential, commercial, institutional, research and industrial growth. The Police Department was assigned its own radio frequency and police dispatchers were hired. The use of two-way radio communication was now operational 24/7. Later that year, two additional full-time patrolmen were appointed.

In 1959 the Council assigned three more probationary patrolmen bring the total number of regular officers to eleven. That year warranted a third police cruiser and a Police Sergeant promotion.

In 1960, the in-service training programs were implemented through the Penn State University Extension classes with Patrick McCormick of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office as the instructor. Monroeville sent three officers to attend the training at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy located in Hershey, PA.

In 1962 with the increase in population and development of the Borough, five additional officers were appointed. These men attended the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey. A fourth police cruiser was put into service and a policy to purchase future police cruisers was established to maintain the highest standards of safety.

Between the years of 1966 to 1968, a number of appointments were made and resignations accepted. The fifth police cruiser was purchased and put into service. The position of Police Lieutenant was created within the guidelines of the Civil Service Commission. During this period of time, in 1967, the position of a full-time Animal Control Officer was created and an equipped truck was purchased.

Between the years of 1969 to 1971, seven additional officers were appointed. During the remainder of the 1970s into the 1980s, an aggressive hiring program was established.

In 1985, long time Chief of Police George Gregowich died. In March of 1986, Detective John Garofolo was appointed to the position of Chief. John served until August of 1988 then retired. In August 1988, Walter Luniewski, being the Community Safety Officer at the time, accepted the position of Chief. Chief Luniewski’s first priority as Chief was to reorganize the Police Department. He began this task by appointing Sergeant S.D. Sutmire to the position of Patrol Division Commander.

During this time, fifteen additional officers were appointed. With the reorganization, the rank structure consisted of the Chief of Police, one Patrol Commander, one Patrol Lieutenant, and one Detective Lieutenant, seven Detectives including one Narcotics/Vice Detective, four Patrol Sergeants, one Patrol Corporal and two Detective Corporals.

When Chief Luniewski retired in 1994 to become the District Judge for the Monroeville-Pitcairn area, Commander Sutmire took over the reins with Leonard Tinsley as the Assistant Chief until 1997. Lt. George Polnar succeeded Sutmire with Det. Sgt. Cole as his Assistant Chief.  Both Chief Polnar and Cole maintained these positions until Polnar’s retirement in February of 2010, when Assistant Chief Cole was appointed Chief of Police.  Today, the Monroeville Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Kenneth D. “Doug” Cole, has 46 full-time patrolmen, 9 full-time and 2 part-time dispatchers and 3 administrative personnel. Officers are equipped with Glock 9mm caliber pistols, personal body armor, Electronic Control Devices (Tasers) and portable radios. The patrol cruisers are equipped with state of the art in-car digital video equipment and mobile data terminals.