Special Project: Is Pottstown Becoming More Dangerous?

Editor’s note:  Nice job, Evan.  Make sure you read the whole article because this is a good news, bad news piece.  Crime is still a problem in Pottstown.

POTTSTOWN, PA – Crime is not up in Pottstown, at least not according to the numbers.

Crime in the borough last year was, in nearly all categories, below the borough’s 10-year average, according to a Mercury analysis of crime statistics provided by the Pottstown Police Department.

The numbers of serious crimes like murder, rape and arson have remained relatively flat since 2005, and in addition, the statistics show that 2014 saw 13 percent fewer major crimes and a decrease of more than 16 percent in all reportable crimes.

Pottstown has not had more than two murders per year since 2007.

Read more:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20150308/special-project-is-pottstown-becoming-more-dangerous

Pottstown Has A Drug Problem – See For Yourself

This is a picture of drug baggies that were collected in the 400 block of King Street this morning, Sunday, June 23, 2013, by a homeowner and taxpayer.  This is an everyday occurrence for people who live in the core neighborhood in Pottstown.  Does this not look like a problem!?!  One day, one block, seven baggies.

Drugs lead to crime and violence; burglaries, shootings and stabbings, oh my!  How does allowing this problem to continue help Pottstown?  Why does the leadership sit idly by and watch Pottstown deteriorate?  The crime rate is astronomical.

Why isn’t Pottstown aligning itself with the Berks County drug summit initiative?  If you listen to certain people, they will tell you Pottstown’s drug problems are because of Reading and Philadelphia.  I am sure that is a big part of the problem.  I bet if somebody in authority reached out to Berks County and explained what’s going on in Pottstown they might allow you to be part of the group, being so close to the Berks County line.

If you listen to others, like Mayor Bonnie Heath, they are in complete denial that Pottstown has problems.  If you try and point out the problems you are labeled a malcontent activist.  Being a cheerleader for the borough is one thing, being in complete denial is quite another.  Bonnie oversees the police department and wants a second term as Mayor of Pottstown.  The queen of obfuscation wants your vote in November.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Just imagine how many more baggies could have been picked up this morning on the streets of Pottstown.  Houston, we have a problem.

New Pottstown Chief Aims For Crime Rate Reduction

Editor’s note: While we applaud any momentum to reduce the crime rate in Pottstown…at the rate of 1 to 2 percent per year it will take decades before the crime rate in Pottstown is below the national average.  Maybe some “sweeping changes” are desperately needed!  Pottstown needs a new mayor and a new borough council.  Check out the Reform Party candidates as alternatives to the same old, same old, good old boy network candidates.  You see how that’s working out.

POTTSTOWN — With a unanimous vote and no public discussion, borough council chose Police Captain F. Richard Drumheller as Pottstown’s new chief of police Monday night.

“At first I was nervous, now I’m excited,” Drumheller told his new boss, Mayor Bonnie Heath, after the council meeting.

Drumheller told The Mercury he does not plan any immediate “sweeping changes” to department operations, but that he does have plans to improve the borough’s policing over time and he would like to set a goal of driving down the borough’s crime rate by 1 to 2 percent in a year.

Most significant of the changes he plans, he said, is a greater use of crime data to drive policing efforts.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130408/NEWS01/130409346/new-pottstown-chief-aims-for-crime-rate-reduction

Serious Crimes In Lackawanna County Jumped 5.3 Percent From 2010 To 2011

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Serious crime in Lackawanna County is on the rise, including the number of reported murders and rapes, according to new crime statistics released by state police.

Crimes in Lackawanna County, including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson increased 5.3 percent from 4,815 incidents in 2010 to 5,071 in 2011, the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System figures show.  Statewide, these types of crimes increased just 2.1 percent.

Lackawanna County was home to five murders in 2011 – three of them in Scranton – and 48 reported rapes, a jump from just one murder and 38 reported rapes in the county in 2010.  Of the 48 rapes, 34 were in Scranton last year.

“I don’t think there’s any single factor that you could point your finger at and say this is the reason crime is up,” Acting Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano said.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/nepa-911/serious-crimes-in-lackawanna-county-jumped-5-3-percent-from-2010-to-2011-1.1379629

Man In Hospital After Sunday Night Shooting In Pottstown

Editor’s note:  All is well.  Keep moving.  Nothing to look at here!

http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-southeasternpa/Man-in-hospital-after-burst-of-gunfire-in-Montgomery-Co-Sunday-night/-/121434/13498286/-/13jocrh/-/index.html

Pottstown’s Crime Rate Is A CRIME!

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  I have been harping away on this subject for a very long time.  This article is further evidence of the SERIOUS problem that is keeping Pottstown from moving forward!  The current Chief of Police and Council President should hang their heads in shame.  To think the Chief of Police makes $100,000 (taxpayer funded) and gets these flabbergasting results should make every resident of Pottstown furious!

Pottstown, PA Crime Rate Among Highest in State

“Within Pennsylvania, more than 98% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Pottstown.”

A recent Patch poll asked Pottstown residents what keeps Pottstown from success. With crime ranking among the top concerns, it is worth taking a closer look at just how bad crime is in Pottstown. The results are quite disturbing.

It is important to note that crime is split into two categories – property crime and violent crime. The measure of each is a number of crimes for every 1,000 residents. Property crime consists of burglary, theft, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Violent crime consists of murder, rape, non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon.

According to NeighborhoodScout, a highly ranked real estate search website – “Pottstown has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes.”

Please read the rest of the eye-opening article: http://www.threatcore.com/pottstown-crime/

 

It’s Shooting Season In Pottstown – Warm Weather Brings Increase In Crime

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What exactly does it take before the powers that be take Pottstown‘s out of control crime rate seriously and do something about it?  Is this sorry state of affairs the best the citizens and taxpayers of Pottstown can hope for?

Maybe outsourcing the police department needs to be a consideration.  $3 million dollars a year is a great deal of money to spend for a crime rate equal to Philadelphia and Reading!   Hell, hire the PA State Police or the National Guard.  I bet you’d get results then!  How does a 5 square mile borough with slightly more than 22,000 people end up in this condition?  Poor leadership!

Granted, one has to wonder what two people are doing standing in Buttonwood alley at 4am.  We all know Buttonwood Alley is a high incident area so why aren’t we being proactive and doing something to crack down on crime once and for all!?!  SEND A MESSAGE THAT WE WON’T TOLERATE THIS BEHAVIOR IN POTTSTOWN!

Numerous larger cities in Pennsylvania have a lower crime rate than Pottstown, as I have spelled out in earlier posts.  What about surveillance cameras???  What about crime tracking software???  Again, can we say PROACTIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  There are grants out there!

The next Chief of Police needs to be tough on crime.  The current highly paid top cop shrugs his shoulders and blames Pottstown’s crime problem on its location between Reading and Philadelphia.  No other towns along 422 have a crime rate anywhere near Pottstown (except Norristown – like that’s something to aspire to?????)  And why is that?  For $100,000 dollars a year I think the taxpayers of Pottstown should expect certain results and there needs to be accountability from a department head.  Maybe if the people who make these big municipal salaries had to live in Pottstown they might care more about what goes on after 5pm when they take their pay check and leave town!

Here’s the latest news from the Fishwrap about Sunday morning’s double shooting in Buttonwood Alley: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120415/NEWS01/120419669/update-police-id-mom-and-son-shot-in-pottstown-(video)

Easton Mayor Applauds Crime Reduction, Economic Development

Image via Wikipedia

Editor’s note:  Will we ever see a headline like this with POTTSTOWN in it?????

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. believes there is much to applaud in Easton, Pa. — a falling crime rate, promising redevelopment projects — but also much yet to do.

Panto outlined his vision for 2012, and mentioned some of the successes of 2011, in a “state of the city” speech Wednesday night before City Council, noting an 11 percent drop in crime overall, and a 37 percent drip in violent crime since 2006.

“Easton is becoming safer for families,” Panto said.

It is a theme he has stuck with in the march to redevelop the downtown into a place to work, eat and live, not just visit from time to time. Panto talked in the speech of a 24/7 downtown, which he said can only happen with new development drawing in full-time residents.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-easton-state-of-the-city-20120222,0,5829329.story

Kill-adelphia: City Tops List Of Homicide Rates

Image via Wikipedia

Murders are up again this year in Philadelphia, and the city still has the highest homicide rate of the nation’s 10 most populous cities, according to stats provided by each city’s police department. At the same time, fewer murders are getting solved.

With a few days left in the year, the city’s homicide tally stood at 324 Wednesday, including the eight victims allegedly killed in previous years by West Philly abortionist Kermit Gosnell. Last year, 306 people were killed, and the year before, 302.

But despite the jump in homicides this year, city officials prefer to focus on the past. When they compare numbers, they go back to 2007, when murders in Philly were at the five-year high of 392. Looking at it that way, they get a 17 percent decrease in the murder rate from 2007 to 2011.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20111230_Kill-adelphia__Yet_again__city_tops_list_of_homicide_rates.html?cmpid=124488459

2010 Crime Stats For City Of Reading And Metro Berks

Image via Wikipedia

Berks County ranked well this year in a national crime report, even as Reading slipped in the ratings compared to last year.

The Reading metro area, which is all of Berks, was the 235th most dangerous of 353 other U.S. metro areas, meaning only 119 metro areas were determined to have been safer in 2010, according to CQ Press. The metro area ranked 232 last year.

Reading was ranked the 33rd most dangerous U.S. city in the study by CQ Press, which based its work on cities with more than 75,000 residents that reported 2010 crime statistics to the FBI.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=355257

Scranton Police Department Gets New Crime Fighting Software

Image via Wikipedia

Scranton has purchased new software that will enable their police department to get a better handle on crime.  

For a very low price tag, $6,000, this software will enable police to do crime-mapping, tracking and facilitate anonymous tips from residents.  This sounds like something we could easily do in Pottstown.  The $6,000 price tag is a blip on our $3 million police budget. 

Anonymous tip reporting will get citizens more involved with law enforcement which is something that has been discussed here.  Citizens can get on their computer or phone, from the safety of their home, and report crimes or suspicious activity to the police.  It is completely anonymous.

The software pinpoints crimes on a map by location, type of crime and the time the crime was committed.  In Scranton’s case the data will go back as far as 2003!  What an awesome tool for such a rock-bottom price!  This technology will give police the opportunity to analyze trends and find creative ways to combat crime.

Scranton had a crime index in 2009 of 306.7, which is slightly below the US average of 319.2.  Pottstown had a crime index in 2009 of 454.7.  Scranton falls into the low category.  350 – 699 is considered moderate which is where Pottstown scores.  A score of 700 – 999 is considered high. 

The point of my comparison is that even with a lower crime rate; Scranton is being proactive and spending a few thousand dollars to reduce crime in their city with the use of technology.  It would seem this is something Pottstown should seriously consider.  I bet Scranton PD would give us a demo 🙂

Statistical information is from City-data.com

What Can Pottstown Learn From Scranton?

This is certainly news we do not read about often!  Scranton City Council unanimously adopted a $74.9 million dollar budget that features a 10.55% property tax decrease AND a 25% decrease in mercantile and business privilege taxes.  The budget restores 44 of 69 positions which had previously been recommended to be cut. 

Mayor Chris Doherty submitted a $75.5 million dollar budget to council in November which included 69 jobs being eliminated.  Mayor Doherty has until December 24^th to act of council’s $74.9 million dollar budget.  Council has a veto-proof majority so any attempt to veto the budget by Mayor Doherty would be symbolic.

Scranton, PA                                        Pottstown, PA

Population – 71,944   2009 estimate                Population – 21,421   2009 estimate

Land area – 25.2 square miles                          Land area – 4.83 square miles

2011 Budget – $74.9 million dollars                2011 Budget – $39.3 million dollars

Police – 150 officers                                         Police – 47 officers

Est. 2008 median income – $32,794                Est. 2008 median income – $45,941

Est. 2008 per capita income – $19,034            Est. 2008 per capita income – $24,044

City-data crime index 2009 – 306.7                City-data crime index 2009 – 454.7

After carefully reflecting on the above figures some questions may develop.

How does a city 3 1/2 times our size (population) and 5 times our size in land area have a lower crime rate with less police per 1000 people?

How does a city 3 1/2 times our size have a budget less than twice as big?

How does a less affluent city in terms of median and per capita income reduce property taxes 10.55% and reduce business taxes 25%?

Any thoughts?????

Demographic information from City-data.com

The Latest Bloviation From Tom Hylton

Mr. Hylton’s latest “advertorial”, which appears in today’s Pottstown Mercury, would lead us to believe that the most pressing danger to Pottstown residents is car accidents.  Hmmmmm.  I also live in Pottstown Borough but fortunately in a different neighborhood than Mr. Hylton.  Being a resident of this community I also have some insight into what goes on in this burg (although in a more limited capacity than Mr. Hylton, of course).

To think that after the events of the last several weeks, capped off by a historic summit at Invictus Ministries, our greatest threat is car crashes and accidents leads me to wonder if Mr. Hylton lives in Pottstown.  Especially since the events leading up to and after the meeting at Invictus Ministries are in his supposed neighborhood.  Maybe he’s been out-of-town being a keynote speaker?

I do not believe the topic of conversation at Invictus Ministries was car crashes. I could be wrong, but I do not think so.  I had to leave early but from all accounts it was not a topic of concern to residents.

I am certainly not afraid to live here.  I go downtown frequently for events.  After living in and around Pottstown for almost 30 years I am no worse for wear.  However, to say that crime in Pottstown is the same as other towns around us indicates no research was done to support that statement.  Ignoring the current wave of shootings and stabbings is irresponsible.  This problem will not fix itself!

Here is a crime index for selected cities/towns in our area that I researched on City-data.com.  I think the figures speak for themselves.  Car crashes are not included in the crime statistics.  Auto theft, yes.  Auto accidents, no.  Nice try Tom.  A score of 350 – 700 is considered moderate.  Over 700 is considered high.

City	2009
City-data.com Crime Index
US average	319.2
Royersford	242
Spring City	177.9
Birdsboro	135.4
Emmaus	131.1
Pottstown	454.7
Norristown	543.5
Coatesville	567.2
Downingtown	301.5
Easton	303.7
Boyertown	150.4
Reading	547

 

Phoenixville                               167.8 (2008)

York’s Olde Towne East Neighborhood Transformed

Olde Towne East was a down and out neighborhood in York.  Blight, crime, vacant buildings and low property values.  Read this article about how Olde Towne East rose like a phoenix from the ashes and now their neighborhood is a source of pride in York!

http://www.newpa.com/strengthen-your-community/success-stories/million-dollar-makeover/index.aspx