Media adds full-time cop, looks at gun awareness

MEDIA >> Council’s meeting focused on public safety in a few different ways. The first action, which always attracts a sizable and supportive audience, was the swearing in of a new fulltime police officer.

It seems like only yesterday that Mitchell Helmandollar was brought onto the Media Police Department. Not yesterday, but it was December 2016 when Helmandollar was hired in a part-time position. In the meantime, Mayor Bob McMahon has been very actively working to bring the force up to 16 full-time officers, where it had been in 2015 when three officers had retired, or otherwise left.

McMahon has made the case based on the needs of the borough serving as the county seat; the overall ageing of personnel; and a relatively small pool of young, qualified and enthusiastic candidates who are looking throughout the county and beyond for employment.

With the February move from part time to full time of Officer Dan DiVito, and the Helmandollar approval, McMahon, and indeed Chief Marty Wusinich, are within one hire to reach that benchmark. Vice President Paul Robinson has voiced objection to what he refers to as “the process” of discussion about hiring, noting little has been in front of the public. However, personnel matters are an exception to the Sunshine Law. Robinson is also sensitive to the long-term financial ramification of police employment.

The debate can be expected to continue as McMahon presses his case for one more person in blue.

In a separate matter, council approved a proclamation recognizing June 2 as Gun Violence Awareness Day in the borough, as it is nationally. Terry Rumsey and Robin Lasersohn addressed council and represented their organization, Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Policy. The awareness day is an initiative to draw attention to the 33,000 Americans who lose their lives to gun violence each year, the proclamation said.

Lasersohn gave each council member an orange T-shirt with text on the relevant message. Orange has been adopted as the color of the national gun sense movement to reflect that hunters wear orange in the woods to protect themselves from gunfire.

The day is being observed in the borough with a program starting at 6:30 p.m. at Second Baptist Church of Media, State Street and Manchester Avenue, traveling west on State Street, and concluding at Plum Street Mall. Second Baptist Pastor Warren D. Mays Jr. is providing the church as a gathering point, and has given support to the effort.