HARRISBURG -- State Rep. John Pallone is a Westmoreland County Democrat, but he problably should stay out of Hempfield, Unity, Derry and Mount Pleasant.

Those are four of the 21 towns in Pennsylvania that would have to form their own police forces -- probably meaning a tax increase on their residents -- if Mr. Pallone's bill, House Bill 747, is approved by the Legislature.

Currently, there are 1,700 towns in Pennsylvania without their own police forces, which means Pennsylvania State Police have to patrol their streets, at no additional cost to the town. Mr. Pallone's bill says that any town with more than 10,000 people would have to pay the state an assessment of $100 per resident to defray the cost of providing state police.

"It's a matter of fairness and equity,'' Mr. Pallone said today, flanked by Reps. Nick Kotik, D-Robinson, and Bill Kortz, D-Dravosburg.

Mr. Kortz said his town doesn't have its own force but contracts with neighboring McKeesport. That would also be an option for towns that don't have their own police, if they didn't want to pay the proposed $100 head tax. Another option for a town would be to form a regional police force with its neighbors.

Mr. Pallone has tried this measure before and failed, but he thinks some factors are increasing its chances this year. First, in the past year, 19 more towns have dropped their local police, claiming they can't afford them, and picked up services of the state police. Mr. Pallone said state police have many tasks to do and making them patrol more towns is creating a strain.

Second, Gov. Ed Rendell has expressed a willingness to consider such a bill to make larger towns pay for state-provided services. Third, the state has a $2.3 billion deficit this year must find new sources of revenue. Mr. Pallone said his bill would generate about $40 million from the larger towns that would have to pay the assessment. State Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, has a similar, but broader, bill that would force all towns without local police -- regardless of their size -- to pay a fee to the state. Mr. Pallone described his measure as a compromise.