Sheetz, a popular convenience chain in Northeastern Pennsylvania, is open all night year round. Yet it seems rare that the chain’s stores get robbed.
The same can’t be said, however, for Turkey Hill stores in the Wyoming Valley.
There have been 10 robberies at Turkey Hill stores in Wilkes-Barre and Kingston since Jan. 26, of which three of those robberies happened last week.
What’s the difference?
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/home_top-local-news-news/152453142/
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Monroe County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
HARRISBURG, PA — As the intensive manhunt for suspected cop killer Eric Matthew Frein ends its fourth week, Harrisburg is taking the first steps to address how this unprecedented event will affect the future operations of the Pennsylvania State Police.
Officials here discuss the topic with the caveat that the manhunt isn’t over yet. Considered armed and dangerous, Frein, 31, of 308 Seneca Lane, Canadensis, is the sole suspect in the Sept. 12 sniper attack at the Blooming Grove state police barracks in Pike County that killed Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II of Dunmore and wounded Trooper Alex T. Douglass of Olyphant. Since then, authorities have been searching for Frein, a self-described survivalist, in the dense state forest that straddles Barrett and Price townships in Monroe County.
The estimate by a state police spokesman this week that the manhunt has cost several million dollars so far is one issue emerging on the radar screen of Corbett administration officials and lawmakers. Policy makers are starting to focus on related matters such as security at state police barracks, equipment needs of state troopers, impact on local governments and schools and assistance of local fire companies, 911 centers and the Red Cross with the manhunt.
Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, has requested a Senate committee hearing in Pike County once the manhunt is over to delve into these issues.
Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/manhunt-impacts-state-police-s-future-1.1769039
A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Pittsburgh police will step up patrols in the city’s eastern neighborhoods to combat an uptick in homicides, many of which appear to be drug-related, officials said on Monday.
Homicide detectives were closing in on a suspect in one of several recent shootings in a North Side public housing complex, officials said.
Police Lt. Daniel Herrmann said police know “key actors” in a shooting on Wednesday that killed one man and injured another in the Northview Heights housing complex.
“We need more information to pull people off the street,” Herrmann said. “We know some of the key actors, but we don’t have enough to get a warrant yet.”
Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/6556787-74/police-homicides-mcdonald#ixzz39X5C8vda
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Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
WILKES-BARRE, PA — The shootings of two men Tuesday night at the Sherman Hills apartment complex raised questions for the chairman of city council about security measures to be undertaken by the new owner.
Bill Barrett on Wednesday said he would contact the owners for an update on how their plans compared to those of the previous owner that promised “large-scale improvements” worth $100,000 after a federal report found lax oversight exposed tenants to life-threatening security issues at the 344-unit complex.
The shootings happened less than a week after a city official said the owners were not planning on having “24-7” security at the complex that’s been the scene of violent crimes and a fatal shooting last November.
Police said two black men in their 20s were shot during an attempted robbery. The men were found in building 328 at approximately 11:30 p.m., police said.
Related stories:
http://citizensvoice.com/news/wilkes-barre-police-investigate-shooting-near-sherman-hills-1.1720642
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
WILKES-BARRE, PA — Volunteers who have been trying to help residents of the troubled Sherman Hills Apartments complex in Wilkes-Barre met Saturday to review their progress and provide a sympathetic ear to those with complaints.
The gathering originally was planned as part of a walking tour of the low-income, crime-ridden development with U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, but volunteers said they received notice Friday afternoon that Cartwright was postponing his visit.
Cartwright formed a task force to address problems at Sherman Hills last year after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) threatened to withhold funding to the prior complex owner if it did not make safety and security improvements.
The complex received around $2 million in rental subsidies last year and was sold last month to Teaneck, N.J.-based Treetop Development for $15.7 million.
Read more: http://timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/1415766/Volunteers-search-for-answers-for-Sherman-Hills
How does local cybersecurity expert James Koons describe the Heartbleed bug?
MASSIVE.
“That’s the theme here,” said Koons, who has worked on IT security for the U.S. military and Amazon.com.
Currently he is chief security officer for Listrak, a Lancaster provider of online marketing services, and a board member of the Online Trust Alliance.
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The current owners of the troubled Sherman Hills Apartments in Wilkes-Barre will receive more than $16 million should a proposed sale be finalized this month, according to court documents filed Tuesday in Luzerne County Court.
Family members of a murder victim are trying to block the sale or have the sale proceeds placed in escrow, claiming the sale of the low-income housing project would make the complex “judgement proof.”
On Tuesday, lawyers for Sherman Hills filed their response, saying the sale should be allowed to proceed. The sales agreement was attached to the response and revealed Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Park Management, the complex’s owner, will be paid $16.2 million from the sale.
Survivors of murder victim Shantique Goodson, 27, fatally shot at the complex on Nov. 11, 2013, are seeking an injunction to block the sale, or place the sale proceeds in escrow, until the lawsuit plays out. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Luzerne County Court.
Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/court-documents-sherman-hills-sale-price-tops-16m-1.1664522
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The next time the Scranton School Board meets, members of the public will have to pass through a metal detector.
Just 18 hours after three people were killed at the Ross Township municipal meeting when a gunman opened fire, members of the Scranton School Board on Tuesday authorized the superintendent to have a walk-through metal detector placed at the entrance to the Administration Building.
“I think it’s a wake-up call,” Director Bob Sheridan, a retired police officer, said. “Any municipal building should have metal detectors at all times.”
Directors were conducting their monthly meeting Monday night when Sheridan received a news alert on his cellphone, alerting him of the shooting. Sheridan then called for a moment of silence.
Read more: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130808/NEWS90/308080312
A red/cyan anaglyph of a reel of tinned copper 24swg wire (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
With its substations increasingly targeted by copper thieves, PPL is upping security and putting scrap dealers who may receive the stolen wiring on alert.
The utility has suffered about two dozen copper wire thefts throughout its Pennsylvania service area since the start of the year. The utility’s Lancaster and northeast Pennsylvania service areas have been hit especially hard.
Last month, according to media reports, thieves broke into a Wilkes-Barre area substation just after midnight and stole more than 250 feet of copper wire used to ground the substation. Scrap yards pay about $3 a pound for copper wire, according to Internet scrap pricing websites.
It’s a problem being faced by utilities across the country. The nationwide spike in copper thefts dates to about 2008 when prices hit $4 a pound, topping out at $4.50 in 2011, according to the American Public Power Association‘s magazine, Public Power.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pa-ppl-copper-thefts-20130606,0,2376611.story
A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Runners, lace up your shoes, pin on your race number and make your way Downtown to the starting line. Pittsburgh is ready for you.
The course is set, winding 26.2 miles through 13 city neighborhoods. The bands, musical accompaniment to aching muscles, are booked. Medical teams will be out in force, traffic will be diverted and security measures, fine-tuned after the Boston Marathon attacks, will be in place.
A race that was on hiatus for the five years before 2009 is now a rite of spring, and this weekend, the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon marks its fifth year back in Pittsburgh with a record registration. A year’s work, planning that started after the final runner crossed the finish line last year, will be showcased as the first runner steps over the starting line this weekend.
Race director Patrice Matamoros, speaking Friday at a news conference, said the city is ready.
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After hundreds of emails from the office of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were leaked on Monday, a report revealed that several of Assad’s aides and advisers used the password “12345.” (My 5-year-old granddaughter knows better than that!!!!)
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…Allentown is asking businesses to cover the costs of adding blue-light crime surveillance cameras to the 97 already installed on the city’s streets.
The city spent about $1.5 million on the cameras over the last four years, with most of the money provided by state and federal law-enforcement grants. But that funding is drying up, prompting the city to turn to the private sector to expand the network’s reach.
This month, Capital Blue Cross became the first company to chip in, paying the city $16,670 to install a blue-light camera at Hamilton and Jefferson streets, across from its 1221 Hamilton St. offices, near its employee parking lot…
To read the entire article from the Morning Call, click here:
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-allentown-security-cameras-20110813,0,5783419.story
Two Roy’s Rants thumbs up to Allentown’s leadership for using surveillance cameras to fight crime and for seeking private sector involvement to expand their system!
Two Roy’s Rants thumbs up to Capital Blue Cross for being a responsible corporate citizen.
Now that the weather is warmer and people are involved in more outdoor activities, we are noticing that problems are starting to escalate in the Washington Street Corridor. The Mercury reported two shootings, in the last week, in that general area as well as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to a third person.
It appears that noise and loitering are on the rise. Large groups of people hanging around with nothing in particular to do which is a recipe for disaster. Idle hands….
It has come to my attention that there is a particular hot spot of activity which needs to be addressed. If we are serious about cleaning up and stabilizing the core neighborhood through homeownership, we better start putting our money where our mouth is. The few homeowners in that area are sick of this behavior and are prisoners in their homes. You will never attract new homeowners with this sort of lawlessness being allowed to go on. Confronting these people is dangerous and should be handled by law enforcement professionals.
This activity is a black eye for Pottstown and continues to reinforce the stereotype that our community is a ghetto and unsafe. This is of course not true, but perception is hard to change. This problem area of town needs immediate and swift attention.
If we expect PAID to do their job, crime MUST be brought under control. How is PAID supposed to attract business and industry to Pottstown if this Wild West behavior is tolerated?? Who the hell will invest in Pottstown if we cannot get a handle on criminal activity?? The answer is Section 8 slumlords!
We need to start enforcing the laws we have on the books and being a little more clever. Again, I suggest cameras for problem areas and beefed up patrols. If we cannot get the criminal element in this town under control PAID is DOA!
Marquette Management, the new operators of Granite Run Mall, paid a visit to a Middletown Council meeting to share their plans for turning the mall around. This news was met with much enthusiasm from council members and residents. Middletown Township and the Rose Tree Media School District rely on the mall for a good portion of their tax base.
Marquette Management stressed Granite Run Mall is here to stay. The company is committed to filling empty stores, making the mall more attractive, more secure and returning Granite Run Mall to its prominent place in the community. When the forty empty stores are filled, it will add four hundred new jobs. Marquette has eighty prospective tenants they are vetting to fill the empty space.
Marquette representatives will return to council in two months to update them on their progress. We give Marquette Management two Roy’s Rants thumbs up for riding to the rescue and having a solid plan of action.
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The City of Pittsburgh and some adjacent suburbs are successfully using surveillance cameras to deter and solve crime.
Pittsburgh has surveillance cameras in place downtown and in various neighborhoods throughout the city. According to their 2009 Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Police, Annual Report, there are 120 cameras throughout the city they hope to tie-in to a wireless platform at the Emergency Operations Center and other key locations for constant monitoring of video and data transmissions.
Another goal is to have at least 32 cameras on 16 bridges. The mayor also wants to install gunshot locator and detection cameras in high-risk neighborhoods. (I believe Harrisburg uses these.)
Pittsburgh is adding 28 more cameras, using a $3 million grant along with 25 percent matching funds from the city, as part of the Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime program. Pittsburgh’s ultimate goal is a city-wide camera system, which includes the Port of Pittsburgh (the second largest inland port in the U.S.)
Surveillance cameras will be added in suburban Swissvale, prompted by a rash of crime in Regent Square. Three cameras will be installed along Braddock Avenue within two months. Ten to twelve more cameras will be added at other locations in the borough. Each camera costs $9,000, which includes installation, but there are grants available for municipalities to buy surveillance cameras.
Other communities with surveillance cameras include Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall.
Under Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Pittsburgh has experienced three consecutive years of historic-crime-lows, according to the city’s website. According to our friends at City-data.com, Pittsburgh’s crime index has dropped from 558.3 in 2007 to 474.8 in 2009 (Pottstown’s 2009 crime index was 454.7 if you live locally). Murders dropped from 72 in 2008 to 39 in 2009. Most crime categories showed drops between 2008 and 2009. 2010 crime data is not available at this time.
HINT: If the inexpensive crime tracking software Scranton purchased was used to determine surveillance camera placement that would seem to be an ideal crime fighting tool for Pottstown’s core neighborhood! Just sayin’….
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