On Monday night, University students and local residents were greeted on East College Avenue with a conglomeration of state, borough and University police cars, lights flashing, gathered to arrest two burglary suspects.

This, say the Pennsylvania State Police, is not standard practice.

"The state police provide full police services for all municipalities that don't have their own services," said Sgt. Jeffrey R. Davis, a patrol unit supervisor.

Davis said the state police, with Centre County stations in State College and Philipsburg, charge no fees for providing their services. Instead, the fee comes out of the taxes townships pay to the commonwealth.

He said if a municipality has an organized police department, that department has primary jurisdiction. If the municipality asks for assistance, the state police will respond.

The state police will take cases and investigations and other incidents at the municipality's request, he said.

"We run patrols 24 hours a day," Davis said. "We always have people working. Sometimes they do not."

For example, he said, the state police cover the Bellefonte borough after 4 a.m. until Bellefonte police resume their operating hours.

"We're closer to Patton Township so we probably wouldn't be affected," said Bellefonte resident Janine Andrew. "But the state police would probably get here just as fast. So that doesn't bother me."

Davis said Patton and Ferguson townships have fully functional full-time police. The state police will not get involved in their activities unless asked.

The borough of State College also has a fully functional police department with 24-hour service.

Davis said most rural townships do not have local police coverage all day, so the state police cover during those times.

Miles Township, Potter Township, Centre Hall, Millheim, Rebersburg and Spring Mills have no local police forces. If assistance is needed, the residents in those areas must call the state police.

"I've never felt insecure or unsafe about not having a local police department," said Carol Sampsell of Centre Hall. "I don't think that it would take longer for an officer to get here or that our service would be lacking in any way."

Davis said the number of state police assigned to cover these areas is based on the population of the area.

"I've never had a problem," said Shirley Dann of Centre Hall, a community of about 900 people. "Centre Hall is a quiet place. We don't have much crime here, at least not that I'm aware of."

Zachary Buchanan of Spring Mills said, "There aren't many occurrences for which we would need the police. In Spring Mills there's not much of a problem. The police are around."

On campus, where a fully-functional University Police Services patrols the area, a spokeswoman said the department operates independently of both borough and state police.

Last April, however, at the request of University President Bryce Jordan, state and local police helped University authorities arrest 88 student protesters who occupied a campus building to protest what they called an unfriendly climate toward minorities.

That event was a departure from standard University policy, campus police have said.