Michael Malinowski William Henderson Remembered —The Joe Billie for Congress campaign has sent us the following statement. We are grateful that at least one political figure remembered these public servants.
Joe Billie for Congress would like to give condolences to two men who had dedicated their lives to protecting Delaware County who died this month.
Morton-Rutledge Volunteer Fire Capt. Michael Christopher Malinowski died of an appartent heart attack, Dec. 3. He told fellow firefighters that he wasn’t feeling well shortly after returning from a call the day before regarding downed wires and trees.
He fell ill at work the next day and died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
He was 40.
Mr. Malinowski participated in training and fundraising at the department and used his carpentry skills to fix areas of the fire station including the company’s firefighter memorial.
He is survived by his wife and five children.
On Dec. 14, Dectective Lt. William Henderson of the Ridley Township Police Department died while on duty of natural causes. He also served as chief of the Vauclain Fire Co.
Chesco Controller Seeking To Kill K-9 Unit? –-The Democrats took control, last November, of several Chester County line offices, including controller, and as is their wont turned them into tools of toxic partisanship.
Controller Margaret Reif has released to the press an “audit” concerning the county’s K-9 Unit. The unit was started by Sheriff Bunny Welsh in 2006 and is funded with private money albeit obviously some public resources find there way to it.
Ms. Reif claims she has found financial impropriety and says she has a scandal. The Daily Local News is running stories about it.
The only thing Ms. Reif has revealed, though, is her profound ignorance. She mocks the notion that the unit’s dogs are considered sworn deputies, a tradition in law enforcement.
“What do they do? Sign with their paw?” she scoffed.
Is it hate that drives her or simple stupidity?
Naturally, however, the usual suspects have formed a lynch mob against much-admired Sheriff Welsh and want to subject her to two-minutes of hate each day until the 2019 election.
Dawson Muth, the sheriff’s department solicitor, has released a powerful point-by-point rebuttal which we are including below.
The most telling point is in the last paragraph.
“Finally, what is the controller’s goal here?” Muth says. “To shut down the K-9 Unit? To go back to the days of waiting hours for Philadelphia bomb dogs to show up during bomb threats?”
No good deed goes unpunished.
Does simple decency and the public good now take distant back seats to partisan hate for Democrats? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
Statement of Chester County Sheriff’s Solicitor
“Four-thousand, seven hundred, eighteen dollars and forty-one cents paid for a stay at the Hilton Baltimore in June and July 2015. At least $5,290.74 on 75 miscellaneous lunches and dinners over a three-year period; $4,200 for a custom-made golf cart; $2,500 for tires and front and back winches on a privately owned pickup truck; $579 for a one-night stay at the Quality Hotel in Exton in September 2017.”
These are just a fraction of the egregious misrepresentations printed by Daily Local News reporter Michael Rellahan in a story published on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Yes, Mr. Rellahan was simply regurgitating the unverified information provided to him by County Controller Margaret Reif, but, at the very least, he should have attempted to verify the information. Had the Controller taken the least bit of time to ask any questions or conduct a proper investigation and audit, which any professional will agree includes asking questions concerning expenditures, receipts and accounts, or even attempted to the slightest degree of professionalism to verify any of the information she forwarded to the press, she and the Daily Local News would have learned that the Baltimore hotel bill covered the attendance of eight (8) Chester County Sheriff Deputies, two of whom were accompanied by their K-9 partners, at the National Sheriffs’ Association conference in Baltimore. For the first time in decades, the event, which offers a superb training and networking opportunity, was held in this region, making the CCSO’s participation affordable. It indeed was an honor for the CCSO to be featured at and to make a presentation at a National Conference.
The cost of meals over three years included a multitude of events, such as hosting regional K-9 trials and competitions – the kind of valuable training sessions that improve the quality of the CCSO’s award-winning K-9 teams. Yes, some of those funds were for meals for the K9 Deputies as a reward for their hard work and service. They are on-call and frequently get called out in the middle of the night or work weekend events. Again, these costs were not paid for with taxpayer funds.
The so-called “custom-made golf cart” is another gross inaccuracy. The vehicle in question is a used utility vehicle which was purchased with private funds and has been called into service at numerous Community and K-9 events. It has been used to transport people in medical emergencies out of crowded situations such as the Freedom Fest and other Community events the Sheriff’s Office is called upon for security. The vehicle is equipped with a medical kit just for such purposes. It has also been used for non-K-9 purposes,such as transporting county workers with health issues to their cars when the parking garage elevator went out of service. It is not a “golf cart”, it has a specific, legitimate function. This vehicle was purchased with private funds raised by the hard working men and women of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office and is now property of the County, at no cost to the taxpayers. You are welcome!
The accusation that mechanical work was done on a personal pickup truck represents a blatant malicious lie. The work was performed on a county-owned vehicle, which the Sheriff’s Office uses for special events. It is a surplus specialty vehicle, purchased with private funds and then titled over to the County. Perhaps if the Controller took just a moment of time away from attacking the Sheriff and checked to ascertain which vehicles are owned by the County she might have discovered this before making such an absurd allegation.
A $579 bill for a one-night stay at the Quality Hotel in Exton in September 2017 is equally inaccurate. The CCSO took its turn hosting the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Pennsylvania. The bill – again, at no expense to taxpayers — covered two nights for four deputies, who were working around the clock to ensure that the conference was successful and safe. Again, no taxpayers’ dollars were spent on this endeavor.
The controller has been quoted as saying that her review raised more questions than it answered; however, what’s significant is that no questions were ever asked of anyone connected to the Sheriff’s Office as would be done in a professional audit. In addition, no one bothered to take an inventory of items and assets that were purchased with K-9 funds, items that have since benefitted all county citizens in numerous ways. The controller interpreted the numbers in the light most unfavorable to the CCSO and then provided them to the Daily Local News, which ran them without verifying anything.
It’s outrageous to think that a report like this, filled with inaccuracies and assumptions was released, and even more outrageous that a newspaper would print it. A real audit is being done by a well-respected CPA in the area. I’m very confident that the results will indicate nothing improper, and I hope the Daily Local News will make sure that information gets publicized with the same prominence as the egregious misrepresentations to date.
In the meantime, the controller should be asked some questions. Why does she continue to reference hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been raised using county resources when no documentation supports that claim? The only way to reach that number has no connection to the county: It includes the value of the veterinary care and related services that have been donated by generous individuals who recognize the K-9 Unit’s importance. It also includes the increase in the dogs’ value. The initial investment for a dog and training is about $15,000 to $20,000. A fully trained canine is valued at $30,000 to $40,000.
Why has the controller opted to turn this issue into a prolonged public assault? Why does she leak information to the press in piecemeal fashion? Would she have handled matters the same way if the Sheriff were a Democrat? How can she suggest that she’s committed to reducing costs when she’s chosen to rack up legal fees and force county workers to spend weeks of their time examining a private fund that provides myriad benefits to taxpayers at minimal cost? She argues that CCSO employees received comp time for staffing the three annual fundraisers that support the K-9 Unit and other community programs; that time represents far less than 1% of the employees’ total hours. As a result of those efforts, K-9 teams have found lost children, cleared schools after a bomb threat, and removed dangerous criminals from the street, AT NO COST TO THE TAXPAYERS!!!
Why has the controller offered no suggestions for funding the K-9 Unit? With no expense line in the budget for K-9s, how could the teams possibly compete, host an event, train or teach without support from donations and contributions? As the K-9 program has grown, fueled by demand for its services, it has brought national acclaim to Chester County. The K9 Deputies and their K9 partners have won numerous awards, and its programs, such as the use of “control poles” to reduce dog fatalities during encounters with law enforcement, have served as national models.
Finally, what is the controller’s goal here? To shut down the K-9 Unit? To go back to the days of waiting hours for Philadelphia bomb dogs to show up during bomb threats? To bring negative publicity to a county that has always prided itself on resolving problems with collegial cooperation? During one early discussion with the Sheriff, the controller mocked the fact that the dogs are all sworn deputies. “What do they do? Sign with their paw?” she scoffed. One can’t help but wonder whether her lack of understanding and appreciation of the dogs’ value will make it impossible for her to retreat from her relentless attacks on one of the county’s most valuable assets. Perhaps she should have been standing in the ruins of the Barclay Friends nursing home when K-9 Don, named the top cadaver K-9 in the nation two years in a row, helped authorities search for and locate one of the missing victims of the fatal fire, at no cost to the taxpayers.
Vanessa Marquez The Dog That Is Not Barking — When a dog barks it usually means you are being warned about something. With a dog that constantly barks, however, it’s when it goes quiet that you become curious.
Vanessa Marquez, an Hispanic actress of some note, died Thursday (Aug. 30) shortly after being shot by police in her South Pasadena, Calif., apartment. Police had responded when the building manager reported that she was having seizures. They found her uncooperative and talked with her for about an hour and a half in an attempt to convince her to get treatment. She eventually, according to reports, pointed at them a bb gun that resembled a handgun so they shot her.
We are not bashing the police here — nor are we particularly praising them but that’s a different issue — we are expressing puzzlement at the quiet.
A minority woman was shot, unnecessarily in hindsight, by police and there is silence.
Where are the shrieking protests by Antifa and Black Lives Matter? Where is the pompous tut-tutting commentary by the establishment media? Why isn’t NBC making up stuff to sow discord and division?
It sure has us curious. Granted Ms. Marquez reportedly had a terminal disease and emotional problems but things like that never stopped the usual suspects before.
Anyway, here is Ms. Marquez’s last Facebook post from Aug. 8:
BLM MAGA At Washington Rally — For those unsure of the acronyms, BLM means Black Lives Matter and MAGA means Make America Great Again and is President Trump’s slogan.
BLM showed up Sept. 16 to protest the pro-Trump “Mother of All Rallies” in Washington.
What happened? They were invited on stage. The spokesman made their case with reason and decency. Sure, he got some heckling but he got more cheers. His message resonated with most of the crowd.
And in related news, idiot liberal one-percent entertainer Chelsea Handler labeled Stacey Dash, Ben Carson, and David Clarke as “black white supremacists.” Real funny Chelsea. Ha ha ha.
Ms Dash, an actress who has come out as a Republican, gave this response.
Myself, Ben Carson, Sheriff David Clarke are “white supremacists” in black skin. Is that it? Because we disagree with the liberal, Left agenda–a wealthy, white liberal celebrity gets to slander a brilliant and famous neurosurgeon, a respected man of the law, and me? There’s an opportunity to invoke white privilege here somewhere, I’m sure. Wait, I forgot, that’s a title exclusive to conservatives only.
Liberals love to embrace wealthy celebrities who in turn like to fashion downtrodden victims out of their fan base and remind them that they are under the heels of…well, wealthy white people like them.
So…I’m a black white supremacist? It’s a stupid thing to say and it’s not funny. Liberals will laugh at anything at anyone’s expense because they pass it off as “I’m sticking up for YOU.” See, I get paid millions to sit at this desk, walk across this air-conditioned outside red carpet, fly in these jets and I get to tell YOU how to save the environment and fight climate change. I get to tell YOU who to vote for. I get to tell YOU how to think and what to think about people who challenge this progressive way of thinking that allows me to keep this opulent lifestyle.
Racial politics are just one of the techniques the corrupt bastards who run our political system keep decent people from uniting against them. Fight all tribalism.
Libertarians Rose Tree Park Return Without Hassle — Those collecting signatures for Libertarian Pennsylvania 7th District Congressional candidate Patrick Sellers have returned to Rose Tree Park and are collecting them without interference according to Dale Kerns Jr.
Kerns, Sellers and six others were at the county-owned park in Upper Providence last night (July 21) during Summer Festival and plan on being there each night through Sunday.
“We thank (Park Police Chief Samuel S. Ziviello) for helping resolve this issue,” said Kerns. “He called to say that his officers would not interfere with us at the park, and that he would be available on his cell if there were any issues. A few of the officers talked and joked with us. Nice night all in all.”
Kerns says the confiscated petitions have not been returned and appear to have been lost by police. This could cause some trouble for the agency — and the county, especially Councilman Mario Civera, whose name was given as having ordered the action — if Sellers cannot get on the ballot due to a lack of names.
Libertarian Petitions Confiscated In Delco — In an exceedingly boneheaded move, Saturday evening (July 16), Delaware County Park Police stopped Libertarians from circulating petitions for 7th District congressional candidate Patrick Henry Sellers in the county’s Rose Tree Park in Upper Providence. Police confiscated the petitions and later chased down the circulators with intent to cite them for disorderly conduct.
“I was asked to leave the park and complied,” said Dale Kerns. “I went to (the nearby) Wawa. After leaving Wawa on 252 by the Route 1 bypass, the Park Police pulled me over outside their jurisdiction on Route 1 heading toward the Blue Route.”
The encounter shortly before 8 p.m. was recorded by Kerns. One of the officers says the action was taken at the behest of County Council member Mario Civera just after explaining why the citation is being issued.
Tough break, kid. You are young and there are many other police departments in the nation.
Solicitation is prohibited in county parks albeit this is generally understood to be for commercial matters and not for things like collecting signatures for candidate petitions.
Regardless, that the petitions were confiscated is drastically overstepping all reasonable bounds of law enforcement.
At least American law enforcement.
Kerns says that police ultimately decided not to file the criminal citations but they have yet to return his petitions with the names he collected.
He says he has been in contact with a civil rights attorney.
Among those with whom Sellers will be contending this fall — assuming he gets enough signatures to get on the ballot — will be GOP incumbent Pat Meehan.
Mayor Kenney Defends Islam — Mayor Jim Kenney held a press conference yesterday, Jan. 8, in which he declared in the manner for which progressive-types have become famous that the attempted murder of Philadelphia policeman Jesse Hartnett, the day before had nothing to do with Islam.
“In no way shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam or the teaching of Islam has anything to do with what you’ve seen on the screen,” Kenney said.
The assailant, Edward Archer, 30, of Yeadon, disagreed most strenuously.
He told police he did it in “the name of Islam”.
“I follow Allah,” he said. “I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State, and that’s why I did what I did.”
Gee Mayor, what if Archer had said he did it because he was a Mummer? Would you then take him at his word?
Words mean things. There is a reason why the violence in the world overwhelmingly involves the Islamic faith. By their fruit you shall know them. The Koran is a document that purports to be from God and gives not just license but command to violence including murder and rape.
Hence we are obliged, at the minimum, to use words to oppose this. Denying the violence inherent in the sect — much less actually making excuses for it as the self-proclaimed progressives are inclined — is absolutely the worst thing to do.
Oh, and for you defenders of gun bans, the gun Archer used was stolen from police as reported by Philly.com
Fortunately, Officer Hartnett exercised good gun control else Archer would never have been brought to justice.
National Park Service Northeast Regional Director Michael Caldwell has named Lorena “Lori” Harris as regional chief ranger. The Northeast Region (NER) includes over 85 sites across 13 states in the northeast United States.
“Lori’s broad vision for ranger services hallmarked by a commitment to resource protection and public safety makes her a perfect fit to lead the Northeast Region’s Office of Ranger Services and Safety,” said Caldwell. “She will be a tremendous asset to the parks and programs of the Northeast Region. She truly understands the role of the 21st century National Park Service ranger.”
Ms. Harris, currently acting regional chief ranger, has served as NER branch chief of law enforcement and emergency services in the region since December 2013. Harris succeeds Stephen M. Clark, who recently became superintendent of the NPS Western Pennsylvania Parks; including Flight 93 National Memorial.
Ray Lewis, in his Philadelphia Police captain’s uniform, describes problems in policing.
A retired Philadelphia police captain with a reputation for controversy and the mayor of Chester, Pa. were among those who described police realities and potential reforms to a crowd of about 20, yesterday, April 12, at a symposium on community policing sponsored by Democracy Unplugged.
The event was held at Swarthmore Borough Hall on a beautiful, sunny Sunday spring afternoon.
The captain, Ray Lewis, made international headlines with his association with Occupy Wall Street. He said those who run police departments suffer from a “John Wayne syndrome” which affects hiring decisions. This leads to officers not inclined to maintain good community relations.
Lewis said if the applicant scores high on sensitivity and empathy he is not hired.
He also said training is poorly prioritized with almost all of it directed towards physical fitness, firearms and unarmed combat.
“Police work is 95 percent social work,” he said.
He stressed the importance of good training officers and said that dispute mediation and stress management should be emphasized. Lewis, who served 19 of his 26 years in inner city Philadelphia, said that his training officer was a womanizing, brutal, drunken thief. He said that just the nature of the job hardens one.
Lewis encouraged video recording police encounters by passersby.
“Good cops will love being recorded,” he said albeit he said praise has to accompany such recordings.
Lewis said that he believed that unlike in the United Kingdom, American police need to carry firearms.
He said his support for Occupy Wall Street came from his suspicion that most billionaires are lawless sociopaths.
Lewis was wearing his captain’s uniform which got him so much grief during the OWS demonstrations.
Chester Mayor John Linder said 533 guns have been confiscated from criminals in his crime-ridden city since he took office in 2012.
“People are solving problems with guns,” he said.
Chester Mayor John Linder
Linder also took issue with certain shibboleths regarding diversity. He said that 24 of the 100 officers that serve his predominantly black city are African-Americans with five being Hispanic and the rest being white.
“My goal is to get police officers, good police officers,” he said. “My view is if we get people who reflect the hue, fine, but quality comes first.”
He thought the racial turmoil over recent incidents is overblown.
“I hear this all the time ‘what about Ferguson?’ I say what about Chester?”
Linder who as a young man took part in civil rights era protests expressed the opinion that these outcries are cyclical.
“How do you get rid of Fergusons? Get responsible police.”
He noted the Chester Police Department has had very few allegations of using excessive force.
“If you are professional, I’ll back you 100 percent,” he said. If you are not professional I’m going to deal with you 100 percent.”
Linder said that the urban environment is not as stable as it used to be.
“Calls come in too quick,” he said. “There is no time to sit down and make a friend.”
Swarthmore Police Chief Brian Craig spoke regarding policing in the suburbs.
Craig, a former Philadelphia police officer, said what he found to be a shocking difference was parking meters.
“In my first six months, 50 percent of my time was dealing with parking meters,” he said.
He said police work has gotten more dangerous than it was when he started in 1971. He cited drugs, the 9/11 attacks and the Columbine High School massacre.
He noted that the local police followed procedure regarding the 1999 school massacre setting up a perimeter as they were trained. The procedure, however, failed to account for the killings still occurring inside. Craig said the procedure has now been changed.
Craig emphasized the importance of community relations. He said that on the 25th anniversary of Philadelphia Columbia Avenue race riots, one of the local TV news stations appeared to be trying to stir the pot for an encore. He said, however, community outreach stopped it.
Regarding budget matters, Craig noted that school districts get their requests in first and overwhelmingly get the bigger piece of the pie.
William Taylor Reil, a constitutional scholar, warned of widespread ignorance of the Constitution among law enforcement. He said, for instance, that the Pennsylvania constitution made the sheriff the highest law enforcement officer in the county, a circumstance that is routinely ignored. He noted that county sheriff is an elected office unlike most police officials.
Reil also took issue with the term “law enforcement officer” having replaced “peace officer.”
“Law enforcement means don’t question just do what it says,” he said.
Libertarian activist Darren Wolfe spoke on community policing. He said privately run police departments could save money and be more effective. He cited as examples mall security guards and security companies hired by gated communities.
The moderator was David Easlea and the introduction was made by Bob Small.
DemocracyUnplugged will host Sunday a symposium on 21st century policing.
On the panel are Swarthmore Police Chief Brian Craig; Chester Mayor John Linder; Ray Lewis, a retired Philadelphia Police captain; William Taylor Reil of Chester County Sheriff’s Brigade; and Darren Wolfe of Community Policing.
It starts 2 p.m. at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Ave., Swarthmore, Pa. 19081. There will be a question and answer session.
