The MacGruff Crime Dog, 10 years old this year, celebrates his birthday in State College amid a $10 controversy that threatens the continuing well-being of the local MacGruff House program.

While a total of 400 volunteers have been involved in the MacGruff House program since 1986, no new recruits have been inducted into the crime prevention program since November 1989, said Donna Larkin, chairwoman for the State College Area PTA/PTO Council -- Child Protection Committee, which runs the program for the State College area.

The controversy revolves around the concept of "safe" help which is an integral part of the program. Since the advent of the program, prospective volunteers have submitted to routine criminal background checks to ensure they do not have a negative history of child care, State College Bureau of Police Services Officer David Caster said.

Until last year, the Pennsylvania State Police waived the $10 processing fee normally charged to businesses and organizations so criminal records can be checked.

"It is my understanding that they were never allowed to waive (the fee)," Caster said.

MacGruff House officials said the program has been limited because of the fee controversy. MacGruff House is a volunteer organization with little or no funding, Larkin said.

"Our program is dead for all intents and purposes," Caster said.

Because State College is a transient community it is particularly vulnerable to the loss of volunteers, Larkin said.

"We're losing MacGruff Houses and we can't replace them," she said.

The fee, according to Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Bellefonte, "undermines the volunteer spirit of America and discourages people from participating."

House Bill Number 2269, introduced in Harrisburg in early February, could reverse this trend. Calling the fees "absolutely absurd," Herman is taking a "two-prong approach" that would revise existing regulations and exempt MacGruff from further charges.

"There's no time frame on passing legislation," Herman said.

Remarking against President Bush's "Thousand Points of Light", Larkin said the state police position is: "Help us and be a volunteer. Now pay us ten dollars for the privilege of doing so."