In the wake of recent national tragedies, officials are continually working to help schools keep students safe from threats and acts of violence in the community. Preventing and responding to an active shooter on campus was the focus of the 2013 Safe Schools Active Shooter Summit on April 15, hosted by Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan and Delaware County Council.

For 15 years the District Attorney has been holding Safe Schools Summits, partnering with school officials, public safety officials and first responders to improve school safety in Delaware County. This year’s summit at Drexelbrook Conference Center attracted more than 450 educators, first responders, and public safety officials and expanded to include schools, colleges and universities from throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.

“Delaware County has great schools. It is our goal to ensure learning can continue to happen in a safe and secure environment for our children,” said District Attorney Jack Whelan. “By coming together and collectively talking about the challenges facing our schools and promoting best practices, we can continue to help first responders protect our schools.”
Throughout the year first responders are continually training to handle acts of violence in the community. The summit was organized to bring together stakeholders tasked with preventing, planning and responding to an active shooter in a school setting and inform, educate and discuss ways to further increase the ability to safely and effectively respond to emergency situations. As a follow-up to summit training, school administrators were encouraged to complete a checklist for safety and security and meet with their local police departments to refine and update school emergency response plans.

The summit featured welcoming remarks by DA Whelan and Delaware County Council, followed by an overview of Chapter 10 school safety and response regulations by Assistant District Attorney George Dawson, who also serves as chief of the anti-violence task force. Other topics included security assessments, threat indicators, and suspicious activity reporting by Governor’s Office of Homeland Security Director Thomas Minton, FBI Special Agent Joseph Metzinger, and Department of Homeland Security Advisor Bill Ryan.
Additionally participants received information on crime reporting by CID Chief Joseph Ryan, who reviewed available tools for receiving critical information including the Delco Alert System, DA’s Delco Crime Stoppers, and My Mobile Witness, a new see something, say something app that captures and reports suspicious activity.

An active shooter ‘table top’ exercise included first responders from Radnor and Haverford Police Departments, Pennsylvania State Police, and members of Delaware County Emergency Management Services. Panelists addressed what happens during the 15 minutes of responding to an active shooter on campus, with course of action based on the most effective way to protect lives whether through building evacuation or lockdown/hide out in the school. Police officers then demonstrated room clearing techniques during a live active shooter scenario demonstration with use of police training guns and strategic response in a school setting.
 
The 2013 Safe Schools Active Shooter Summit was sponsored by the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, Delaware County Council, Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force, Pennsylvania Governor’s Homeland Security Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the United States Attorney’s Office.

District Attorney Jack Whelan and Collingdale Police Chief Robert Adams announced the results of Operation Bulldog, an ongoing undercover investigation into illegal drug sales. Law enforcement agents fanned out before dawn, armed with arrest warrants and several search warrants.  Through this collaborative effort, 18 individuals were arrested resulting in the confiscation of two handguns, 279 bags of cocaine and hundreds of prescription pills including Oxycodone.  Several police departments assisted Collingdale in the sweep, including Darby Township, Darby Borough and Sharon Hill, along with county detectives, Delaware County sheriff’s deputies and DEA agents.  Operation Bulldog is an ongoing investigative detail is designed to improve the quality of life in Collingdale Borough and neighboring towns. In September 2012, authorities arrested 30 individuals as part of the initial phase of the operation.

District Attorney Jack Whelan announced 22 insurance fraud arrests including three arrests for 2013. In total, these felony crimes add up to more than $273,000 in potential losses to victims of insurance fraud with crimes range from false burglary reports, contractor scams, to workers compensation fraud.

According to Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan, insurance fraud is a crime that victimizes honest business and taxpayers in Delaware County who are forced to take on the unnecessary burden of higher premiums. "Insurance fraud costs honest consumers and businesses thousands per year," said District Attorney Jack Whelan.  "The huge financial burden that insurance fraud imposes on the citizens of Delaware County through higher insurance premiums and the increased costs of goods and services is unacceptable."

Combined, the defendants have been charged with more than one hundred felony counts and misdemeanors including insurance fraud, unlawful taking, theft by deception and criminal use of a communications facility. If convicted, the defendants face up to seven years in prison, up to $15‚000 in fines and could be ordered to pay restitution. Those who are convicted will have a felony charge on their record that follows them for life‚ and that can stand in the way of securing employment or housing.

Over the past decade, the total potential loss to victims of insurance fraud exceeds $4 million in Delaware County alone. With the goal to investigate fraudulent claims and aggressively prosecute violators, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division has a insurance fraud unit. The unit is comprised of a team of specialists who handle complex insurance fraud prosecutions from inception to sentencing.
Since 2000, the Office of the District Attorney has been the recipient of a grant from the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (IFPA).

Last year, Delaware County received $252,000 which covered the costs for a detective, Assistant District Attorney and an analyst for the unit. Over the past 12 years, the division has secured over $2.8 million in court-ordered restitution for victims of insurance fraud, with a total of $364,839 for the year 2012.

Next month, the division will be submitting its grant application to IFPA for additional funds for 2013. 
 
Insurance fraud referrals are received from a number of different sources including insurance carriers, businesses, employees, concerned citizens and local law enforcement agencies. If you suspect someone is committing insurance fraud, please contact the Insurance Fraud Unit at 610-891-4126.

The Pennsylvania DUI Association’s 30-foot DUI Victims' Moving Memorial was stationed at the Delaware County Courthouse on Wednesday to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while impaired and to provide a quiet place to remember the victims while sending a message to motorists not to drink and drive during the holiday season.

Delaware County Council, the District Attorney, area law enforcement officials and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in conjunction with representatives from PennDOT held a press conference to announce the County’s participation in DUI enforcement through the upcoming holidays.

Delaware County collaborated with Street Smarts and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to “raise awareness to the Delaware County community about drinking and impaired driving,” said Street Smarts Health Educator Lauren Amway.

Street Smarts, The Regional Highway Traffic Safety Project, handed out pamphlets and organized activities to engage passersby in the initiative to end accidents caused by individuals driving under the influence.

December is one of the most notorious months for arrests, accidents and deaths involving alcohol or other drugs because of a heightened amount of parties, social gatherings and other holiday celebrations. Delaware County Law enforcement officials will be conducting roving patrols and DUI checkpoints on area roadways.

“Good people can make bad decisions - that's often the case when otherwise responsible adults choose to get behind the wheel after drinking,” said County Councilman Dave White. “But it only takes a split second - a car braking too quickly or a child chasing a ball into the street - for that bad decision to change a life forever.”

PennDOT and police statewide are joining forces for "Operation Safe Holiday," an initiative including seat-belt, aggressive-driving and impaired-driving enforcement aimed at keeping roadways safe this holiday season.

The operation is under way, beginning with statewide Click It or Ticket seat-belt enforcement. Through the New Year, police will also use sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and regular traffic safety patrols to crack down on motorists who are speeding, driving aggressively or driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol.

“No one thinks that their holiday celebration will end in tragedy. But for those who include alcohol in their celebrations and then get behind the wheel, this is too often the case,” said Linda Sposato, Victim Services Specialist for MADD. “Drunk driving deaths and injuries are 100% preventable, so do your part this holiday season by choosing to drive safe and sober and help others do the same. If you need to call a cab, you can dial # Taxi. It can detect your location and connect you to the first available taxi no matter where you’re calling from in North America.”

Representatives from MADD distributed red ribbons to encourage people not to drink and drive. Sposato encouraged individuals to tie a MADD red ribbon on their vehicle to show a commitment to driving safe and sober.

PennDOT reports that the holiday season continues to be the leading time period for traffic accidents. There were 4,235 accidents and 49 fatalities in 2011 during the Thanksgiving travel period, which includes the weekends before and after the holiday. During the Christmas and New Year travel periods, there were a combined 1,994 accidents and 19 fatalities. These tragedies devastate the lives of tens of thousands of families, friends, neighbors and coworkers.

“We have seen some tragic accidents in our county as a result of alcohol. We are seeing a decline in those accidents but still we see too many too often,” White said. “When we see tragedy, we as a community need to answer questions, raise awareness, and prevent these tragedies from occurring.”

District Attorney Jack Whelan commented on the job done by the Pennsylvania DUI Association, PennDOT and police officers around the county to curb the tragic effects of drinking and driving.

“The fact that we are educating the public about the dangers of driving under the influence is making a difference. The more we can educate the public, the more the public becomes aware of the danger of drinking and driving,” Whelan said. “DUIs happen all year long, but we wanted to kick-off this outreach effort during a time of year when people let their guard down concerning the number of drinks they consume. We want them to have responsible fun, but be mindful of the impact DUIs can have on their lives.”

The DUI Moving Memorial trailer is a replica of the permanent DUI Victims’ Memorial Park that is located at the Pennsylvania DUI Association’s headquarters in Harrisburg. The Moving Memorial is housed in a 30-foot trailer, interior of which is hand painted with a beautiful garden scene. The interior features a 25-foot wall printed with 1,000 names of DUI Victims that have been honored in the Memorial Garden, and is the focal point of the memorial. The interior replicates an outdoor setting in tribute to the original, but stationary, DUI Victims Memorial Garden. This mobile memorial allows those who may not be able to travel to Harrisburg to still view the Memorial Garden.

For more information on how you can see the moving memorial, visit www.padui.org