Aug. 16, 2024 – Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) yesterday hosted a community roundtable on public safety with local leaders at the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown.
In addition to the senator, Allentown Chief of Police Charles Roca, Whitehall Chief of Police Mike Marks, Boys & Girls Club of Allentown CEO Katarah Jordan, Turning Point of Lehigh Valley Children’s Advocacy Director Braley Veras and Jewish Community Center of Allentown Director of Campaign & Security Planning Aaron Gorodzinsky participated in the roundtable.
“Community safety is a top priority for me to be an effective leader,” said Miller. “The goal of this discussion was to bring together partners in the Lehigh Valley who focus on safety and preventing crime and violence within our community. We need to work together to encourage proactive programs that will keep our communities safe. Our focus is on programs and funding that support data-driven, measurable goals for prevention of violence.”
Miller highlighted several items from this year’s budget that go toward public safety, including $16 million to create four more new cadet classes for the Pennsylvania State Police, $45 million in community-based programs to reduce violence and $5.6 million to protect Pennsylvanians from hate crimes.
There is also funding for the newly created Building Opportunity through Out of School Time program. The budget invests $11.5 million to create the program, which will aim to reduce community violence by providing more after-school programs.
Jordan spoke of how helpful this type of funding will be for facilities like the Boys & Girls Club, being able to hire more staff, develop more resources and be a safe space for more children in the community.
Last year, the JCC received a nonprofit security grant, a program that was increased by $5 million in this year’s budget. Gorodzinsky spoke of how the JCC was able to hire more security and reduce risk of hate crimes against their members, thanks to the grant.
The budget also increases funding for domestic violence services by $2.5 million. However, there are still more victims than resources, leaving many unable to find safe shelter or resources. Veras said they do need more funding, but stressed the importance of proactive practices, working with teenagers on healthy relationships and boundaries in their roles. “Sometimes, they just need to talk to an adult who will listen,” he said.
Both members of law enforcement spoke about how mental health is a priority in working with the public and how that has become a focus over the past few years. They also discussed dangerous ATVs and dirt bike usage on roadways in urban areas. Miller proposed legislation last year that prevents this type of usage. Both Marks and Roca agreed it is a continuing problem in the Lehigh Valley and they need to use valuable resources to protect innocent bystanders.
“The roundtable covered a variety of valuable topics for protecting all members of our communities,” said Miller. “I am thankful for the participants for being willing to share their unique expertise and I am looking forward to continuing this conversation with more members of the Lehigh Valley.”