MORRISVILLES NEW POLICE CHIEF, MAYOR TOUT INITIATIVE, REDUCED CRIME MORRISVILLE, Pa. — Before Chief George McClay took over the borough’s police department in February, internal strife and lawsuits plagued the force. But after spending 28 years with the Philadelphia Police Department, McClay said he has righted the ship through training. “We’re trying to professionalize the department,” the former Philadelphia police lieutenant said Friday. “We had a lot to clean up.” One of the issues McClay described was that some of the evidence dated back 20 to 30 years. “There was no categorizing of the evidence,” he said. “There was very little training for the officers.” To better prepare his 15-member department, McClay had his former employer’s SWAT team come up to conduct active shooter training at the borough’s high school. Video surveillance is also now monitoring the borough’s high school and elementary school 24 hours a day. Shortly after Mayor David Rivella was sworn in January, his first priority was to find a new chief. “Together, we’ve done some really good things for the community,” Rivella said Friday. “We did some training that’s never been done before.” Citing statistics, Rivella stated overall crime is down 15 percent compared to this time last year. He also said total arrests are up 12 percent, and drug arrests rose 53 percent. “If you look at our year-to-date stats, it’s working here,” the mayor said. McClay attributed roving drug patrols stopping vehicles coming back from Trenton as a key to the stricter enforcement and improved numbers. The department has also started performing in-house drug testing to expedite the trial process so the authorities don’t have to wait for lab results, McClay said. “A preliminary hearing is within a reasonable amount of time, which leaves the people in jail as they should be,” the chief said. Rivella and McClay have also secured a grant through CVS. “We’re getting our own drug drop-off boxes,” the mayor said. “If you have old prescription (you no longer need) — right at borough hall at the police station — you’ll be able to anonymously deposit them.” McClay also highlighted that officers received new uniforms to look more professional. “The morale of the department is coming back around,” he said. “Everybody is getting back on board now, and the department is really doing well. We still got a lot of work to do, but it’s going in the right direction.” By David Foster, The Trentonian Saturday, August 30, 2014
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 14:15:30 +0000
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