The reality is that it is a larger issue than that. Surrounding areas will not allow Harrisburg to annex them and unlike other States there is virtually no way around this. In fact the legislature is under court order to rewrite the annexation laws so that they are more fair and constitutional… the problem is that that order was issued in 1968. The result of our unfair annexation laws is 3rd class cities that are bankrupt. Virtually the whole tax base in our region is outside the City.

My semi tongue in cheek response is for Harrisburg to withhold services from areas that don’t want to be annexed. After a few houses burn down and people have to live without water from a month City services would look a whole lot better. As it is, under equipped police forces and volunteer fire departments are supplemented by Harrisburg professionals.

White flight combined with no possibility of annexation and an antiquated school funding mechanism has created a separate but “equal” system that just does not exist in other States. It means less funding for City schools, Police departments, Fire Departments, Roads, Sewer, Water and virtually anything else the City spends money on.

And there are some details that are merely peripheral to the story-(exact locations, names, etc) but I’m pretty sure that whatever incident sparked the warrant to be issued *occurred* in Harrisburg but the person *lived* in Pennbrook. And HPD were backup to Pennbrook.

And trust me, dude. There wasn’t a hell of a lot happening at 6AM that the boys in HPD missed.