Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
DISTRCT ATTORNEY HONORS COATESVILLE POLICE
City police honored for Operation Silent Night
COATESVILLE >> Some people did not believe that a summer could pass without a homicide in Coatesville City, but that’s what happened for the past two summers, according to District Attorney Tom Hogan.
Hogan said what helped was “Operation Silent Night,” an anti-crime initiative that has brought an unprecedented level of calm to Coatesville for the past two years. Operation Silent Night takes coordination between the city police, Chester County Detectives and the Chester County District Attorney’s office and it is tough on criminals. It can also be a costly program for the additional manpower and overtime.
“At the end of the day, that money that it cost us to coordinate this has saved some young man’s life,” Hogan said. “There is some mother who is not grieving tonight because (her son) is not dead. Operation Silent Night is worth every penny.”
The operation targets drug dealers, gun crimes, and other violent offenders. The operation uses rolling search warrants, enhanced police patrols, grand jury proceedings, targeted arrests and coordinated prosecutions to maintain pressure on criminals. Operation Silent Night is designed to prevent
and reduce violent crime, as well as gather intelligence about ongoing criminal activities.
Hogan praised the improvements of the community relations under the leadership of Coatesville Police Chief Jack Laufer and his officers who engage with young adults and “ticket” them for doing something good, by rewarding them with a gift card or other award for their actions to improve the community. He described what the city police do on the streets every day as a model for other police departments.
“It is a model combination of taking out the bad guys and being exceedingly kind to the good folks,” Hogan explained. “I see the relationship between the police and the community being stronger, all of us being stronger, because of it.”
The police and city council members share the mindset about how the initiative keeps innocent people safe. Hogan reminded them that Coatesville Council President Linda Lavender had said that this program is about “protecting the good people of Coatesville from those who would do them harm.”
Operation Silent Night, originally created in 2012, is a comprehensive law enforcement operation that combines the resources of the Coatesville Police Department, the Chester County Detectives and other law enforcement agencies. Hogan, who is not seeking re-election, urged the police and city council to continue the program next year with the new DA and continue to reduce violent crimes.
“I’ve seen too many places that run an operation like this for a year or two and then it goes back to how it used to be,” Hogan warned. “You have to keep your foot on the gas.”
He believes that Coatesville can turn things around in the near future and he hopes that they continue on this path. Laufer agreed it is important to uphold the established relationship with the District Attorney’s office and continue the operation to protect the residents. Laufer thanked Hogan for the award and for everything he has done during his two terms.
“I think he’s always had a spot in his heart for the city of Coatesville, trying to do what’s right as a prosecutor,” Laufer said.
In the seven years that they have worked together since Laufer became the chief, he said that Hogan has been supportive of them and he has assisted them with the funds to run Operation Silent Night. Laufer said that the county detectives have worked summers in Coatesville to help support the city detectives “as we try to make a difference here in the city.”
“We hesitate sometimes to take credit for no homicides because we unfortunately do experience a homicide or series of homicides, and we (as law enforcement agencies) should have to take credit for that too because it means we’re not doing something that we should be doing,” Laufer said.
There have been no homicides in the county this year. Last year there were 13 homicides county-wide. The last homicide in the county was in December 2018 in East Nottingham, and the last homicide in Coatesville was in April 2018. There were seven homicides in Coatesville in 2016.
Council Vice President Carmen Green said the police are tough on bad guys and friendly with community members which keeps the community engaged. She credited the police with their community policing programs, such as distributing Rita’s water ice for free during the summer. She praised the police for being available to the community and also showing them the other side of police work through their community policing efforts. She also thanked Laufer for his leadership and Hogan for recognizing the department for the success of the operation.
“I truly appreciate all that you do,” she said to Laufer. “I truly thank you for being the chief that you are.”
Visit Daily Local News staff writer Ginger Rae Dunbar’s blog about journalism and volunteering as a firefighter at FirefighterGinger.blogspot. com.