York City Council Moves Forward On Plans To Hold City-FOP Informational Hearing

York City Council will hold an executive session with the city’s solicitor during the next few weeks to determine whether to push forward with an informational hearing about the issues between the city and the local police union that almost resulted in the firing of two officers.

Council president Carol Hill-Evans said Wednesday night that she expects the session to be held within the next couple of weeks, at which point the members will decide what direction to take.

At the end of last month, city officials publicly acknowledged their intentions to fire officers Michael Davis and Jeremy Mayer, both local police union officials, for what the city characterized as their poor handling of another officer’s accusations of a criminal enterprise within the police department.

The city and the police union reached a settlement that ultimately allowed both officers to stay on the force, but many questions about the allegations made against the department, its investigation of itself, why the city sought action against the two officers and the settlement the city and union came to have been unanswered, council members said Wednesday.

Read more:

http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_28201704/york-city-council-moves-forward-plans-hold-city

York Police Layoffs Averted

York City Budget: Parties Scramble To Find Solutions

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

York’s budget woes have set off a scramble to find ways to save positions in the departments that could face the deepest losses — police and fire — and triggered a whirlwind of questions about what would happen to the city if a balanced budget can come only at the cost of cutting public safety personnel.

Mayor Kim Bracey‘s budget, which she introduced Tuesday, would cut 46 positions in the police department and eight fire-fighting jobs, and would cut the city’s work force from 412 employees in 2014 to 315 next year, documents show. Bracey said she was faced with few options and asked community partners, legislators and the county for outside help.

As of Friday, “no one has knocked on the door,” she said.

She has called for union concessions. Bracey said she will meet with fire union President Fred Desantis on Monday, and the city already is in negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police. Police union president Mike Davis said he is “committed” to reaching an agreement before the end of the year.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_26992449/york-city-budget-parties-scramble-find-solutions

York Budget: Backlash Against Proposal Begins

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Hours after York Mayor Kim Bracey outlined her proposal to dramatically reduce the city’s work force, including deep cuts to public safety forces, in order to close an anticipated $7 million budget gap, public backlash began.

“I’m ashamed for the city,” said James Waughtel during public comment at a City Council meeting Tuesday night, calling the potential loss of police and fire personnel “extremely devastating.”

Read more from Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Members of the fire union also lined the council chambers to listen as Bracey presented her plan to council members.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_26971075/york-budget-backlash-against-proposal-begins

Police: Twice-Convicted York City Drug Dealer Caught With $24K In Heroin

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A twice convicted York City drug dealer is back in prison after York City narcotics officers raided his home Thursday and seized nearly $24,000 worth of raw heroin, according to police.

“That’s a significant amount,” city Detective First Class Andrew Shaffer said.

Plus, that heroin likely would have been “stepped on,” or cut, he said, which could as much as double its value. The $23,900 worth of heroin was all “raw,” or loose, meaning it still needed to be bagged, Shaffer said.

“Five years ago, we just didn’t see raw heroin like that,” he said. “And we see it constantly now.”

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_26906554/police-twice-convicted-york-city-drug-dealer-caught

York City Police Announce 11 Drug Arrests

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York City Police released more details Friday about an operation this week to arrest people facing drug charges.

Since Tuesday, 11 people have been taken into custody, according to a press release.

The alleged drug deliveries occurred during the past two weeks in the areas of Maple and Duke streets and Pine and Princess streets.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/business/ci_26608732/york-city-police-announce-11-drug-arrests?source=most_viewed

York City Police, ATF Partner To Arrest Gang Members

Map of York County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With gang-related violence in York City continuing to claim lives, city police on Tuesday said they are partnering with a federal agency to take violent gang members into custody.

More than 100 York City Police officers and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the sweep, said Chief Wes Kahley.

At a Tuesday news conference, he said he could not release specific information — including the number of arrests so far — because the criminal investigation is ongoing.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/ci_26590390/york-city-police-atf-partner-arrest-gang-members

York’s Northeast Neighborhood Residents Wonder What Impact Think Loud Will Have On Their Community

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On a wooden table in Gregg Hardy’s kitchen are a handful of cherry tomatoes.

They come from the garden behind his East Walnut Street home that his wife tends, caring for fish in a small pond and cultivating an orange tree, where a single unripe fruit hung one day in August.

While she will spend a day coaxing flowers to grow, Hardy focuses his own labor on the interior — putting in bathrooms, widening door frames and shaping cabinets.

He bought his home for $15,000 in 2003, property records show. He said he put $20 down on it, and spent several years driving down from New York on weekends to fix it up. He is now entrenched in a neighborhood he believes has remade itself into an area families can call home.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_26386670/yorks-northeast-neighborhood-residents-wonder-what-impact-think

York City Police ID Man Found Dead Hours After Gunfire

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York City detectives on Monday afternoon had not yet determined why someone fatally shot a Lancaster County man whose body was found hours after he died on a city sidewalk.

“We’re out interviewing people now,” said Detective First Class Jeff Spence, who is supervising the investigation.

Hezekiah Walker’s killer, and the motive for the shooting, has not yet become clear, Spence said.

He said detectives do have some information to follow.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_26357356/york-city-shooting-victim-found-dead-sidewalk-hours

Police Raid York Corner Grocery For Drugs, Money And Guns

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Police seized thousands of dollars worth of heroin and other drugs, along with handguns and cash, in a raid at a York corner grocery store this week, officials said at a news conference Wednesday.

York City Police Chief Wes Kahley said police raided Miguel’s Deli and Grocery, 901 W. Princess Street, and Miguel Garcia’s home above it. They also arrested Sisdey Paz, of the 800 block of West Poplar Street.

“He was selling it out of the store,” York Detective First Class Andrew Shaffer said of Garcia. “He was selling about $1,000 a day of cocaine and heroin.”

Among items seized was a block of raw heroin worth about $100,000, 250 packets of individually packed heroin, $30,000 in cash, raw cocaine worth about $5,000, marijuana, anabolic steroids and three handguns, Kahley said.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/crime/ci_25618313/york-police-significant-heroin-arrest-made?source=most_viewed

Second York City Man In Custody For Monday Homicide

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An alleged York City killer wanted by police turned himself in at the county’s Central Booking Unit about three hours into the new year, county officials said.

Victor Martinez-Raices, 21, of 320 Walnut St., is now in prison along with co-defendant Ruben Delvalles-Vicente, 29, of 344 Smyser St.

Both men were denied bail and are charged with homicide and conspiracy for Monday’s fatal shooting of Carlos Ramos-Diaz.

The 19-year-old victim, who lived in the 700 block of South Court Street, was shot at 2:08 a.m. in the city’s east end after fighting with Delvalles-Vicente at a birthday party, according to York City Police Capt. Russ Tschopp.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_24833169/second-york-city-man-custody-monday-homicide

Police Nab 2 Suspected Drug Dealers In Columbia

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Two suspected heroin dealers were arrested during an aggressive driver detail in Columbia on Friday, police said.

Columbia Borough police were conducting the detail on Route 30 East at the Route 441 overpass.

Officers stopped a silver 2012 Mazda sedan traveling 82 mph in a 55 mph zone, police said.  They discovered that Norristown police reported the vehicle as stolen on July 14.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/876213_Police-nab-2-suspected-drug-dealers-in-Columbia.html#ixzz2aIXfJM4B