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Gunplay, violent crime and gang activity in Wilkes-Barre won’t be confronted in the coming months solely by the the city’s incoming mayor and local police.
Instead, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, flanked by law enforcement officials from a spectrum of agencies, intends to focus on the trouble. Together with the city’s police department, this collaboration amounts to a modern-day equivalent of the cavalry riding to the rescue.
Or so we hope.
Four Pennsylvania communities – Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Harrisburg and York – are expected to receive heightened crime-prevention attention under a “renewed strategy” announced Wednesday in the state’s capital. Authorities say they will concentrate on those cities’ criminal hot spots, targeting gang members, dangerous repeat offenders and participants in the heroin trade.
Peter J. Smith, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, told attendees at this week’s news conference: “We must remove the most violent individuals from our communities. This will require the very highest level of coordination between federal and local law enforcement agencies.”
In Harrisburg, where a pilot program aimed at firearms offenses already is under way, federal gun agents have been meeting two times a month with city police, according to a news article at pennlive.com. Encouraged by what officials perceive as the program’s early success, they decided to expand the effort to other places coping with spikes in shootings and related violence.
The strategy hinges on the increased use of crime data and better communication about emerging trends and specific offenders. Beyond the usual get-tough-on-prosecution talk, this program also seemingly has the personnel to support it. Smith’s office reportedly added two lawyers in 2014 to concentrate on cases involving violent crimes.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor-elect Tony George, a former city police chief, secured victory at the polls this month in no small part due to his law-and-order platform. The U.S. Attorney’s program dovetails with George’s stated ambitions of making this community an uncomfortable environment in which criminals can conduct their dirty business.
It’s critical that George’s transition team, with support from Mayor Tom Leighton’s administration, seizes the opportunity to make the city safer by taking full advantage of this new program. When it comes to effectively fighting crime, the good guys have to be on the same page.