House Judiciary Committee Hears Police Testimony on Proposed Drug Bill
State House of Representatives Judiciary Committee members listen to the proposed bill's sponsor, Rep. Jeff Pyle, during the hearing yesterday morning at the South Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department in Freeport.
by Jonathan Weaver
State House of Representative leaders met in Freeport yesterday to discuss a drug bill amendment.
House Bill 1289 would bring stricter enforcement when drug dealers deal in front of children, including giving district judges the option to add an additional year of incarceration for every child present at the scene.
Rep. Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong/Indiana) introduced the bill to state representatives at the South Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department shortly after 11AM.
“HB 1289 is an idea I’ve felt pretty strongly about for awhile, but the events of the past six months have kind of steered my resolve. We’ve had some very detrimental things happen in our communities – in one case, it was a mother selling heroin from her coffee table with little kids running around in Kittanning, and another with a mother with guns and cocaine on the coffee table less than two blocks from Ford City High School and most recently, in Apollo Borough, state police and drug task force disassembled two methamphetamine labs,” Pyle said. “Our legislature since I’ve been there has passed hundreds of child-protective measures – HB 1289 is in that same vain.”
New Kensington Police Chief Ronald Zellers relayed another drug story that he handled as a vice detective with the police force involving a 5-year-old female who was mistakenly shot in the stomach when individuals purchasing crack cocaine broke into her parents’ apartment.
The child did live after several emergency operations. It was later found the bullet that struck the child was fired by her father, not intruders.
The father was not charged with the incident as the District Attorney determined the man to be acting in self-defense because of the home invasion.
Zellers said local law enforcement has to keep alert.
“It is getting better in the City of New Kensington because of mammoth enforcement. If that enforcement relaxes at all, we will lose that city,” Zellers said.
Armstrong County Coroner Bob Bower offered one solution to making sure drug dealers are not repeat offenders.
“Build more prisons,” Bower recommended. “It’s not going to go away.”
Armstrong County Narcotics Enforcement Team (ARMNET) Detective Frank Pitzer and other police leaders testified that mandated jail time would be a strong deterrent to drug dealing in front of children.
Armstrong County Narcotics Enforcement Team (ARMNET) Detective Frank Pitzer agreed that jail time for offenders would help.
“Taking somebody’s freedom is the ultimate insult,” Pitzer said. “That seems to get through their minds sooner than anything else – we take their money, we take their cars – in some cases we’ve taken their houses, – but incarceration seems to be the only deterrent.
“We need to send a strong message to the drug dealers and drug users that if they want to involve innocent children in their quest to distribute and use their poison in our area, they are going to pay with their freedom,” Pitzer added.
Pitzer said some former heroin addicts have begun talking to high school-age students, but he believes they still need to talk to younger children.
“As hard as it is to see their parents go to jail, it’s going to click somewhere that ‘Oh my gosh – I’m growing up in a family where my mother and dad went to jail for 3-4-5 years – whatever it may be – because of drugs. I don’t want that,’” Pitzer said.
Kittanning Borough Police Chief Ed Cassesse said police need to be tough on-the-streets and in the courtroom to send a clear message, just as the state did with Driving under the Influence cases.
“We’re not going to defeat this unless we get tough,” Cassesse said. “I’ve been doing this for almost 25 years and it hasn’t changed – it’s not going to change. We did all this work for stricter mandatory guidelines for the DUI’s to incarcerate people and now we’ve cut down the DUI’s. But, we haven’t done it for the drugs
“The drugs are just as bad if not more serious than the drunk drivers out on the road. We need to have tough mandatory guidelines for this stuff,” Cassesse added.
Rep. Eli Evankovich (R-Westmoreland/Armstrong) also co-sponsored the bill, as well as many Judiciary Committee members.
Local News, Pennsylvania State News, Regional News | jweaver July 7, 2011
By walrus, July 7, 2011 @ 7:10 AM
PROBATION
By FreedomFighter, July 7, 2011 @ 11:01 AM
Proud supporter of HR 2306, bring in taxes for PA and betterment for all of us! Not to mention the reduced burden/savings on the law enforcement/courts, do your home work people!
Don’t get me wrong, I am in favor of HB 1289 BUT, only for hard/actual drugs. Alcohol kills more than MMJ.
By whatsupwithyou, July 7, 2011 @ 11:01 AM
This all sounds great, like rainbows, unicorns and glitter, but where are the judges that hand down the sentences at these roundtable discussions? It seems as though slaps on the wrists are given more than jail time in Armstrong County because someone cries rehab. Are there not rehab programs in prisons/jails? Another question – are many of these drug dealers that are nabbed on any kind of government/state assistance? Do they live in government housing? You want to take away their freedom? I say if your caught even just with drug paraphernalia then take it all away! We hear rumors about states requiring those on assistance to get drug tests done just like those starting an actual job – let’s have a roundtable discussion on that! Oh and BTW I am sick and tired of the chief of police for Kittanning always attending these meetings putting in his two cents when, as I stated in previous posts, the Kittanning police are no where to be found after the hours of 4 PM. Puhlease!
By stevevosburg, July 8, 2011 @ 10:39 AM
Message for Frank Pitzer: I think its fantastic what Armnet is doing. I watched the PCN Hearing broadcast and regarding access cards for welfare. What if a bill was passed that monthly each person having a access card it would be madatory that they take a drug test or they don’t get the card\or revoke it?
Florida just passed that law why can’t we? also how secure are these access cards? is the users photo on the card? do they have to have a 2nd form of id to user them?
I agree that we need to start in the schools and more education on drugs and what it does to familes.also I was amazed when I watched the PCN hearing to see how many officals at the top on the panel are clueless as to what really goes on the streets. great job Frank
By FreedomFighter, July 8, 2011 @ 11:53 AM
And who’s paying for all these drug tests? Higher taxes to support a dead war…makes sense, NOT!
By Concerned Parent, July 8, 2011 @ 12:50 PM
I hope everyone had the opportunity to watch the meeting on tv or attend the hearing. It is great to see our law enforcement attempting to stop the drug problem in our county. Real eye opener when the Ed mentioned that the drug problem is worse in the Kittanning Middle School than in the Kittanning Senior High School. This is very scary. We all need to come together and work on helping out with this.
By Concerned Parent, July 8, 2011 @ 12:52 PM
SteveVosburg: I agree with you. Frank is doing a great job and he needs to be applauded. This man takes his job seriously and I am very grateful of our law enforcement. I really hope that the bill is passed and they can start cleaning these streets up.
By sickofpayingforit, July 8, 2011 @ 3:51 PM
Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen. – George Savile
By Mike Fichthorn, July 8, 2011 @ 6:41 PM
Judges give way too many chances in Armstrong County. The sentences are a joke. Make them stiffer and these people would think twice about taking drugs.
The Police need to come to Manorville and clean it up. WAY too many people dealing down there with no police around to worry about. A certain set of slimy brothers have been dealing for years to our kids without a worry. Time to take out the trash!