AG Kathleen Kane gets money for Mobile Street Crime Strike Force means help for Hazleton



Recent news reports tell the tale of the escalating violent crimes occurring in Hazleton, PA. due to increased gang activity.  Shootings and stabbings gripped Hazleton as it tries to navigate the new population make-up.  Legal immigrants that moved to Hazleton to escape the New York style life full of gangs found the criminals followed them here. 

A defunct agency of the Department of Justice prepared the Eastern Pennsylvania Drug and Gang Threat Assessment in 2011. 

Dominican criminal groups in Hazleton have established new wholesale sources for cocaine that deliver multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine directly to Hazleton each month.  These new drug sources of supply enable Dominican traffickers in Hazleton to operate independently of New York City associates and sources and to maintain a consistent level of drug availability for greater expansion to new midlevel and retail customers.

 

During Pennsylvania budget negotiations Attorney General Kathleen Kane's requested $3 million dollars be included to fund a mobile street crime unit.  State Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, and state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-116 announced yesterday that the  $2.5 million dollars in funding was secured.

For Hazleton residents and surrounding communities this news couldn't come at a more appropriate time.

The news was featured in this Standard Speaker.

The funding will allow the Attorney General's Office to implement a mobile street crime unit with the aim of disrupting and dismantling criminal gangs in Pennsylvania.

Kane has said she wants to deploy the unit first in Hazleton.

"This mobile street crime unit is important to send a message to gangs, criminals, and drug dealers - not here, not on our watch and not in Pennsylvania," Yudichak said. "This specialized unit will give the tools to law enforcement and to the Attorney General's Office to work with local police departments to effectively drive gangs out of our schools and out of our neighborhoods."

The AG Mobile Street Crime Strike Force - which was a top priority for Kane - will be an elite unit of highly trained, highly skilled law enforcement agents that will team up with the FBI, the state police and local police departments to end criminal gang operations across Pennsylvania.

"The gangs have been such a big issue in Northeastern Pennsylvania and in the city of Hazleton, this mobile street crime unit will allow the attorney general to come in and augment our police protection," Toohil said. "We really need the boots on the ground, and we really need them in Hazleton."

Hazleton police Chief Frank DeAndrea said he is thrilled that legislators were able to fund the mobile street crime unit.

AG. Kane is quickly establishing her priorities for Pennsylvania.  Chief DeAndrea called her move a "phenomenal out-of-the-box idea."

In an article written by Richard Stine, a 2007 student at Kutztown University, he wrote about the ordinances passed in Hazleton to address illegal immigration.  He made this observation in his senior projects paper. 

Barletta claimed that the influx of illegal immigrants has brought crime, drug trade and gangs to Hazleton which have overwhelmed police budgets. Police Chief Robert Ferdinand also makes the same claim. “What I've seen goes far beyond police reports. The crime that I've seen in Hazleton over the past year is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm very fearful of the trends.

Stine asked this question. 

Did Barletta propose these ordinances only to gain name recognition for a possible run for some higher office, or did he do it to honestly protect the citizens of Hazleton, as he boldly proclaimed he had the right to do?

Well, I believe Attorney General Kathleen Kane just answered Mr. Stine's question 6 years later.

Gangs and Graffiti- A Wakeup Call For Hazleton City Council

On July 11,2012 Hazleton Police Chief Frank DeAndrea introduced Ordinance 2012-19 defining and prohibiting graffiti and providing for removal and penalties for violations in the City of Hazleton. The top crime fighter in the City asked the legislative body for a tool to deal with graffiti which signals gang territory and was put on HOLD.

In this Standard Speaker article written by Sam Galski Councilwoman Jean Mope questioned the chief on provisions in the ordinance.  She wanted to know by penalizing the property owner for non-removal of graffiti would he be "fining the victim." 

"I don't think it's right to victimize the victim over and over again," Mope said, adding that the written proposal would create an additional expense for owners of multiple properties.

What Ms. Mope is missing is who is the real victim here.  Is it the property owner who fails to remove the graffiti or the children who are enticed by the gangs for recruitment day after day?  This law will preven the victim from becoming the victim again by forcing removal of the graffiti according to experts.

Do a Goggle search for "graffiti removal 72 hours"?

The town of Burlington, Vermont has a paper titled "Graffiti Coordination/Community Outreach Worker Mission".  One of its statistics states "Research shows that graffiti removed within 72 hours has a 90% chance of not returning."  That fact is all the more reason to insist on graffiti removal in our community.

Robert Walker's internet site "Gangs Or Us" talks about gang graffiti and graffiti taggers. 
Gang graffito, the singular of graffiti, is often the first indication that street gangs are active in your community. Graffiti is the newspaper, the billboard, the Internet of the world of street gangs and serves to mark the gang's power and status. Graffiti marks territorial boundaries and serves, as a warning to other gangs that the area marked with unique signs and symbols is the territory or "turf" of a particular gang. Graffiti warns intruders or trespassers from rival gangs and even policemen, that they are not welcome. It may also be an advertisement for the sale of drugs or a memorial to a fallen fellow gang member.




Graffiti should not be tolerated in ANY community. It frequently, if left in tact, leads to the degradation of a neighborhood and the devaluation of property. Studies have shown in many cases that if graffiti is left unchecked and not removed, more and more graffiti will appear. The removal of graffiti is extremely costly and some cities, that have developed graffiti removal programs, have spent huge sums of money to reclaim and beautify the neighborhood or community.

Most municipalities have codes or laws that deal with the defacing of property. Many have seen the need to pass laws that deal directly with graffiti perpetrators and many of these laws have severe penalties to deal with violators who are convicted. You can learn about some of these laws and ordinances by clicking here.

In this New York Time article Kathleen Gunn of the White Plains Business Improvement District discusses graffiti removal.

''Graffiti is a quality-of-life issue that needs to be addressed immediately,'' said Kathleen Gunn, the organization's executive director. ''Fortunately, we don't have that big a problem, partly because we have a lot of police presence here, but it's like the broken-window theory: when it does appear, it needs to be controlled.''


Gang graffiti is a weapon to put our community and police officers in harms way, no question about it.  Now is not the time to be playing politics with our children.  When the top crime fighter asks for help the community and council people should be supporting him, not placing their "political agenda" first.

Multiple property owners are usually in the business of renting.  Ms. Mope voted against a landlord/rental registration law in January, even after amendments were made to it.  It appears she supports landlords instead of the City she represents.  There are unanticipated costs in any business. 

Gangs put drugs in the hands of our youth.  She should be more concerned with the needle in a chid's arm or the baby born to a heroin using mother than a $50.00 fine.

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Of course obstructionism has no bounds.  There was no need to table an ordinance when it needs two more readings before passing.  It seems that tabling ordinances is the new game at further delaying the needed laws to protect Hazleton citizens.

Barletta/Yudichak Forum On Gangs

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta and state Sen. John Yudichak held their third information session to address the growing problem of gang-related crime and violence in the region at Luzerne Community College yesterday. Veteran reporter Steve Mocarsky covered the meeting in this report.

Barletta called the session, held at Luzerne County Community College, “the most important part of the five” because “community involvement is really what we believe will drive this initiative. … As a community we have a responsibility of doing our part.”

“If we do nothing, we will see more and more gang activity creep into our neighborhoods,” Barletta, R-Hazleton, said.

The first session at Penn State Hazleton in June focused on educating the community about gangs, how they work and how to recognize them. The second, at King’s College in February, focused on what schools can and should do to prevent students from succumbing to gang recruitment efforts.
Yudichak said that since then, much has already happened.

No gang-specific law
Yudichak said Pennsylvania is one of only a handful of states that has no gang-specific law on the books, but he and colleagues in the state House and Senate are working to change that.

Gang expert Darrell Dones, a supervisory special agent with the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., who helped Barletta and Yudichak launch the initiative, said he’s impressed with the interest and community involvement he’s seen here thus far.

This efffort relies on community involvement. The public can attned the nest Gang Awareness Information Session by Operation Gang Up on Sept. 23 at Hazleton Area High School. The focus will be law enforcement awareness.

To get involved right away contact the office of state Sen. John Yudichak at 740-2434 or the office of U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta at 235-1420 for more information on how to join a committee or subcommittee to help combat the local gang presence. Or visit  www.operationgangup.com – the website soon will be fully functional.

Hazleton First To Combat Bath Salts: Its History Of Attacking The Problems

In today's Times Leader reporter Steve Mocarsky tackles the problems many towns and cities in the region are facing concerning the use of products masquerading as "bath salts." These products are designer drugs intended to create an effect on the human body.

Hazleton's Mayor Joe Yannuzzi and City Council are keeping up a record of attacking the problems facing Hazleton. Mocarsky writes this synopsis of Hazleton's efforts against bath salts.

Hazleton
City Council adopted an ordinance on March 23 based on ordinances the city clerk found in other states. It lists 11 chemicals that, if contained in the substances, would make them illegal to sell, distribute or possess within city limits. Violating the ordinance could be punished with a fine up to $500 and/or incarceration up to 30 days, with each day of violation constituting a separate offense.



Yannuzzi and Evelyn Graham were architects of many laws enacted in Hazleton to attack the problems the City has faced over the last several years. During his council term Yannuzzi passed the Illegal Immigration Relief Act to combat the influx of illegal aliens into Hazleton.

In 2007 Yannuzzi modeled a law restricting sex offenders from living withing 2500 feet of a school, childcare facility, park, community center or common open space after an Alabama law. He hoped to protect the children of the City with his ordinance.

Hazleton’s proposed ordinance says sexually violent predators have reduced expectation of privacy and residency requirements. Making information about the offenders protects children, the ordinance says.

Yannuzzi helped pass a dangerous dog ordinance in 2005 after attacked animals and humans highlighted the problem in Hazleton. At the same time he showed compassion for animals by providing the platform to start Bailey's Bark Park in the City.

Yannuzzi supported the mine reclammation project by Hazleton Creek Properties that provided the money to hire ten(10) full time police officers for Hazleton. The project remediates an abandoned mine site that has been severely impacted by past deep and surface mining practices containing over 277 acres of un-reclaimed abandoned mine pits and spoil piles. Portions of the site (approximately 50 acres) were subsequently used for disposal of municipal and industrial waste in several mine pits. His support helped put police officers on the street at a time when gang activity increased in Hazleton.

Recently Yannuzzi and Christopher J. Puza, newly appointed Hazleton Councilman attacked the gang problem by bringing local and state resources together in reponse to gang activity increasing fears withing the City's limits.

Hazleton City Administrator Mary Ellen Lieb talks with other officials at City Hall on Wednesday about gang violence. Others pictured are (clockwise from bottom) Councilman Chris Puza; Council President Jim Perry, Mayor Joe Yannuzzi and Councilwoman Evelyn Graham.

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER


“The community didn’t feel safe and we wanted to get everyone together to try to keep the city safe,” Councilman Chris Puza said.

Puza said he organized Wednesday’s roundtable meeting – which included city officials, City Council, Mayor Joe Yannuzzi and state Sen. John Yudichak and state Rep. Tarah Toohil – to discuss gang activity in the area and how the city should address it.

Investigators have said the January double-homicide in the city that took the lives of 21-year-old Vladimir Ruiz and 23-year-old Juda Hope was gang-related, which caused residents to worry for their safety, Puza said.

The roundtable was Puza’s response to those concerns.

It's going to be an interesting election season in Hazleton.

Gang Activity In Lackawanna County- Doherty, Is It Time To Admit It?

Detractors mocked Mayor Lou Barletta over his illegal immigration stance. One of the primary focuses of his efforts dealt with gang activity within the community of Hazleton. Posters on the blogs would state there was no gang activity in Hazleton and the Mayor plus supporters were making more out of it than was actually happening.

Let's roll the tape forward. Hazleton’s violent crime rate dropped over the past few years, despite a number of high-profile cases.

Contrast that fact with an article that appeared in today's Times Leader.

Residents of Lackawanna County should not “stick their heads in the sand” about local gang activity, according to county law enforcement officials who spoke to the Scranton-Lackawanna County Taxpayers & Citizens Association on Thursday night.

Robert Maguire, from the Lackawanna County Prison, and county first assistant district attorney Eugene Talerico advised the group of an ongoing effort to stem the growth of local street gangs.

One sign of local gangs is graffiti. He showed photographs of local graffiti, also known as the “newspaper of the street.”

The artistic or “tagger” graffiti is common in very high places, Maguire said. It is meant to impress other gang members.

The more ominous “gang” graffiti gives specific messages meant to intimidate other gangs and mark territory, he said. This type is usually easy to read, he added.

The Allentown area now has a rampant gang problem, he added. For the last four years, he and Maguire pushed gang awareness initiatives to help keep it down, Talerico said.

It is rumored among the troops that Mayor Doherty has a gag order on the police concerning the illegal gang activity occuring in Scranton. It would appear he doesn't want the public to know the extent his liberal policies are affecting his constituents.

As far as Allentown goes “After two agonizing hours of public comment Wednesday, Allentown City Council shot down Councilman Lou Hershmans proposal to fight illegal immigration, forcing supporters to try collecting the signatures of 2,000 city voters to put it on the ballot.