The city of Wheeling is revisiting an ordinance that has been a topic of discussion for more than four decades.

And soon, city voters may have the chance to repeal an ordinance that requires two police officers per squad car.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Wheeling City Council had its first reading to determine if members want to move forward with getting the issue put on the November ballot. Because voters decided in 1972 they wanted two officers per cruiser, voters must also be the ones to repeal the ordinance.

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger told NEWS9 his thoughts about the ordinance and said he's intrigued by it for a number of reasons.

"I knew coming into this job that this was a somewhat divisive or contentious issue. I find it to be a very fascinating issue," Schwertfeger said. "It's pretty much an even divide within the department. Some pro, some con; some for, some against."

Schwertfeger said he doesn't know of many police departments that require two officers per vehicle, let alone a department of Wheeling's size.

The chief said he is very open to the idea of splitting up two-man patrols in some instances to increase visibility and improve their ability to protect. He said repealing the ordinance could even open the door to some specialized units within the department, extra patrols and perhaps take-home cars for some officers.

As police chief, Schwertfeger said one of his concerns is efficiency. He said it doesn't seem cost-effective to load each patrol car with two officers, essentially paying twice as much per car. So, one major pro of repealing the ordinance would be increased visibility.

On the other hand, Schwertfeger cited the high cost of getting new patrol cars and outfitting them. In addition, some people have said there may be an issue of officer safety with possible changes.

"I would say at least 50 percent of the calls would be dispatched two officers per call. You do not send one officer to a domestic violence call. You don't send one officer on a burglar alarm," Schwertfeger said.

He said he is also adamantly against downsizing the department, saying just because there are fewer officers needed per car doesn't mean there should be fewer officers for the whole department.

"I've heard this argument is that the city or the community would want us to cut our staffing levels if we went to one-man cars. And I am vehemently opposed to that."

After Tuesday's first reading, the city should then be able to vote on the issue at the next council meeting, leaving just enough time to get it on the ballot by the late-August deadline.

"My stance is this: I would like the community to vote that would allow us, the leadership of the Wheeling Police Department to determine how we deploy resources," Schwertfeger said.

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