Category: Crime
May 2019 Newtown Township Police Report: A Speeding Ticket Is The Best Education!
Police Chief John Hearn presented the Calls Report for May 2019 at the June 12, 2019, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. In May, the Newtown Police Department (NTPD) responded to 1,633 total calls, 310 (19%) of which were in Wrightstown Township (NTPD provides services to both Newtown Township and Wrightstown). See a summary of the report below. Note: Not all calls are listed.
Traffic & Speeding Citations Up Sharply
Although Police Chief Hearn – who came on board in March 2019 – is in favor of emphasizing education vs. issuing speeding tickets, traffic citations issued in the 3-month period of March-May, 2019 are up by 159% compared to the same period in 2018. The best education is the one you pay for!
Stealthy Enforcement
Meanwhile, look out for these new “stealthy” traffic enforcement vehicles. “We wanted you to see them so that you would recognize them if they happen to be behind you,” says the NTPD on it’s Facebook page. “Sometimes you are going to see us #Waze and sometimes you won’t.”
Posted on 17 Jun 2019, 01:11 - Category: Crime
April 2019 Newtown Township Police Report: Eagle Road Speeding Citations, Swastika Graffiti, More...
Police Chief John Hearn presented the Calls Report for April 2019 at the May 8, 2019, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. In April, the Newtown Police Department responded to 1,686 total calls, 300 (18%) of which were in Wrightstown Township (Newtown Police provides services to both Newtown Township and Wrightstown). See a summary of the report below. Note: Not all calls are listed.
Swastika Incidents
At the meeting, Supervisor Mack noted that the Tyler State Park swastika graffiti incident made it to ABC News (read Investigators Seek Person Who Painted Swastikas Along Tyler State Park Trail in Newtown) and that "anti-Semitic behavior is on the rise across Pennsylvania." He asked if the Newtown Police Department thinks it is prudent to have some kind of presence at synagogues and other places of worship.
The Chief first noted that the swastika was written in chalk on a section of walkway in the Northampton section of Tyler Park and that the State Police were responsible for investigating the incident. He also informed the public that there have been no reported hate crimes in Newtown Township in the last three years.
As for the thirteen religious institutions in the Township, the Chief assured the public that the police have been present during Passover and Easter and at different times on weekends when services are held. There will continue to be periodic checks and if there are any concerns or questions, religious leaders can reach out to the department.
Meanwhile, according to the Police Log for the week of April 5 through April 11, 2019, on April 5, 2019, a “Newtown Township resident responded to headquarters to file a report regarding criminal mischief to a construction site in the Village of Newtown Shopping Center. According to the complainant, the night prior she saw the word ‘Hitler’ and a swastika on an orange plastic barrier that had white paint sprayed over it but was still visible. The complainant stated that her friend went and spoke with the foreman at the site, and the foreman turned the barrier around so it was not facing the public.”
Crack Down on Aggressive Driving Continued in April
The Newtown Police Department along with 63 other municipal police departments in surrounding counties participated in a campaign to crack down on aggressive driving from March 18 through April 28, 2019. As a result of that campaign, there were a total of 305 traffic citations issued by the Newtown Police Department in March and 254 in April. See the chart below.
ewtown Police Department for the period January through April, 2019.
Eagle Road Gets Most Speeding Citations
During the crack down on aggressive driving in March and April, 2019, Newtown Township Police issued substantially more speeding citations on Swamp Road than during previous months. But in April the focus seemed to shift to Eagle Road, which surpassed Swamp Road in the number of speeding citations issued. See the chart below.
Newtown Police Department for the period January through April, 2019.
Lower Speed Limit on Section of Swamp Road Coming
Recently, PennDOT notified Newtown Township that the speed limit on Swamp Road between the Twining Bridge intersection and the intersection of Pennswood Dr. (entrance to Knob Hill) will be reduced to 40 MPH from 45 MPH. That was a direct result of a September 12, 2018, BOS public meeting where representatives of PennDOT answered questions and concerns about speeding on Swamp Road from Newtown residents and Supervisors (view the video: “PennDOT Addresses Swamp Road Issues”).
Read More...Posted on 09 May 2019, 11:20 - Category: Crime
March 2019 Police Report: Crack Down on Aggressive Driving!
Police Chief John Hearn presented the Calls Report for March 2019 at the April 10, 2019, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. In March, the Newtown Police Department responded to 1,846 total calls, 338 (18%) of which were in Wrightstown Township (Newtown Police provides services to both Newtown Township and Wrightstown). See a summary of the report below. Note: Not all calls are listed.
Crack Down on Aggressive Driving
The Newtown Police Department along with 63 other municipal police departments in surrounding counties are participating in a campaign to crack down on aggressive driving. The campaign officially started on March 18, 2019 and will continue through April 28, 2019.
As a result of that campaign, there were a total of 305 traffic citations issued by the Newtown Police Department in March, 63 (20%) were in Wrightstown. Over 50% of those citations were for speeding (31 on Swamp Road). See the chart:
Police Department for the period January through March, 2019.
Struck Deer
There were 20 police incidents involving struck deer in March 2019 compared to 8 in February. Chief Hearn offered no explanation for the surge, but a resident noted that she recently has seen deer crossing the Newtown Bypass. It is not known if there is any connection between the two, although it is thought that the deer were “crossing at the green, not in between.”
Thank You Lieutenant Jason Harris!
Read More...
Posted on 11 Apr 2019, 01:17 - Category: Crime
New Police Chief Presents February 2019 Police Report
Newly-hired Police Chief John Hearn presented the Calls Report for February 2019 at the March 13, 2019, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. In February, the Newtown Police Department responded to 1,386 total calls, 257 (19%) of which were in Wrightstown Township (Newtown Police provides services to both Newtown Township and Wrightstown). See a summary of the report below. Note: Not all calls are listed.
Traffic Citations/Accidents
There were 109 traffic citations in Newtown in February, 2019. 46 (42%) of those involved speeding, which is a perennial problem that residents are concerned about. Eleven (24%) were on Linton Hill Road, 11 (24%) on Lower Dolington Road, 5 (11%) on Newtown Bypass, and 4 (9%) on Swamp Road.
Unused Drug Take Back Program
Chief Hearn announced that National Drug Take Back Day is April 27, 2019. The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. Residents can drop off their unused drugs between 10 AM and 2 PM in the lobby of the Municipal Building at 100 Municipal Drive, Newtown, PA.
Chief Hearn also mentioned that residents can also deposit their unused pills Monday through Friday, during normal business hours (8 AM to 4:30 PM). When queried by Supervisor Mack about access after hours and on the weekend, Chief Hearn confirmed that the 24/7 policy remains in place. That is, outside of normal office hours residents can use the red call box on the front porch of police headquarters to summon an officer who will respond and provide access to the dropoff box.
School Safety Community Forum
Chief Hearn also reminded residents about the School Safety Community Forum, which will take place at the Newtown Middle School, 116 Richboro Newtown Rd, Newtown, PA 18940, beginning at 7 PM.
The School Safety Community Forum will provide the CR school community with a comprehensive overview of the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) active shooter avoidance method and updates on other pertinent CR safety initiatives underway.
Read More...Posted on 14 Mar 2019, 12:05 - Category: Crime
January 2019 Police Report: Crash on Swamp Road
Interim Police Chief Jason Harris presented the Calls Report for January 2019 at the February 13, 2019, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. In January, the Newtown Police Department responded to 1,529 total calls, 264 (17%) of which were in Wrightstown Township (Newtown Police provides services to both Newtown Township and Wrightstown). See a summary of the report below. Note: Not all calls are listed.
Traffic Citations
There were 106 traffic citations in Newtown in January 2019. Sixty-one (58%) of those involved speeding, which is a perennial problem that residents are concerned about.
Chief Harris also reported more details of the crash that occurred on Swamp Road Jan. 27. He comended the response of Temple MedFlight, as well as local police, fire, and ambulance squads to help save the life of a young girl and reported that she was now conscious in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Philippi, Thomas E Jr. - Aggravated Assault by Motor Vehicle While DUI and 7 additional charges https://t.co/BlQ5d4IYI3
— Newtown Twp Police (@Newtown_Police) February 14, 2019
Struck Deer
Posted on 14 Feb 2019, 13:08 - Category: Crime
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