CHESTER, Pennsylvania - June 22, 2010 - The city’s 11th homicide Saturday prompted Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr., to declare a “state of emergency” and institute a police crackdown on five high-crime areas.

“One loss of life is too many, but these 11 have accumulated since the first of the year,” Butler said at a hastily called press conference at City Hall. “We’ve had approximately four in a row, which has certainly heightened our concern, and this moved me to call for action.”

A severe lockdown began Saturday night and will be in effect for five days between the hours of 9 p.m.-6 a.m. in the following areas:

Everything to the west of Lamokin Street extending to the city’s boundary; all areas bounded by Ninth Street, Morton Avenue and the city’s eastern boundary; everything from Edgmont Avenue to Upland Street between 20th Street and 2701 Madison Street; everything from Crosby Street west to the Upland Borough boundary between 12th Street and 14th Street; and all areas bounded by Penn Street and Parker Street between Third Street and Sixth Street.

According to the proclamation, no person without a “legitimate reason” will be allowed on any public street or in any other public place in those areas at night, and there will be no gathering of three or more people allowed without obtaining a permit.

The proclamation gives officers the ability to stop and question anyone in those areas during the prohibited hours. Anyone who does not have a “reasonable or legitimate reason for their activity” will be cited, said Butler, and prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”

The mayor said he would ask city council at its meeting Wednesday to extend the proclamation an additional 30 days, and he was confident his request would be honored.

“We’re really not trying to restrict law-abiding folks,” said Butler. “We’re just letting them know that we’re putting this action in place, it’s to protect them. And in accordance with that, I’m going to reach out to the parents and guardians of young people. We want them to be safe, we want you to hold them accountable, know where they are.”

He said the recent rise in the murder rate is not connected to organized crime, but is targeted, one-on-one violence likely stemming from neighborhood disputes.

As part of the proclamation, all vacation and personal time for Chester Police Department members was cancelled immediately and 12-hour shifts were instituted for department personnel. Many officers would likely be working 16-hour days, said Butler.

The mayor said he is also expediting the hiring process of new officers. Chester currently has a full compliment of 96 police officers, said Butler, but the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides for the cost of five new full-time officers for three years.

The city has undergone a renaissance of economic development lately, but is still plagued with stories of violence and murder.

Coming off an anti-violence rally Thursday night that attracted about 300 people and an anti-violence mentoring session taking place in the same building at the same time as Saturday’s proclamation, Butler said he was disappointed with the continuing violence - but he won’t give up.

“We live with a small number of jackasses who choose to commit harm on other people,” he said. “We’ve got over 37,000 people. More than 90 percent of them, they’re just trying to live their lives in peace and harmony. And you have this up-tick of violence, which is unnerving. We’re going to put every effort, every uniformed source we’ve got on the streets of Chester to implement this declaration.”

Butler said all stakeholders - from the religious community to the school district to elected officials - have to come together to improve conditions.

“I’ve got to keep people safe no matter how many social programs or activities we have out there,” he said. “That’s number one.”

To assist in enforcing the proclamation, Butler said the Pennsylvania State Police and Delaware County Sheriff Joseph McGinn have committed additional officers. Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green has also committed additional investigators, he said.

Butler said he would additionally implement a gun buy-back program with council’s approval and continue to work with the federal Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to investigate 74 guns Chester officers have seized this year.

But the most important part of keeping the peace, said Butler, is the continued cooperation of those who live in the city.

“I urge all residents to cooperate with police by providing information to assist the police with arrests of anyone involved with the sale of drugs or possession of guns,” he said. “The residents have to be our watchdogs in the communities.”

Click here to watch video report.

Mayor Wendell N. Butler, Junior
610-447-7700