According to the City of Reading, Pennsylvania website, the law enforcement in this community is trying hard to reduce the amount of crime on Penn Street. The downtown district of Reading attracts locals and tourists alike at night when the shops are open and the restaurants are at their busiest. Because of this, the Reading police want to make sure that the downtown area is safe for pedestrians.
That is why the police will be adding to their regular patrols. They have also conducted 19 special details in the area of Penn and Fourth Streets during the first quarter of 2013. The Reading City website says that officers have walked the area or patrolled from their cruisers, looking for any troublemakers that could be arrested. The law enforcement officers say that they wanted to heightened patrols and start special missions on Penn Street because they have recently gotten complaints about the quality of life in this area.
The police don't want to discourage Reading locals from having a night out on the town because they are afraid of the types of people that are hanging out on the boulevards. After the police started making this extra effort, they arrested 31 individuals for crimes like public drunkenness, drug violations, DUIs, and disorderly conduct. 37 people were taken into custody because they failed to pay parking and traffic tickets.
As well, the police caught six people who were on bench warrants. The police also dispatched a Vice Unit which has been doing prostitution sweeps in downtown Reading. The police in this unit have arrested both prostitutes and their patrons. Officers are also working on numerous burglary cases that have happened in the area.
In addition to this, the police have issued 176 traffic tickets during the details this year. Over one-half of these speeders were also cited for driving on a suspended license, driving without a license, failing to produce insurance information, or another traffic-related offense. The effort to keep the crime rate low in Reading is notable, but police do sometimes make mistakes. Some of these arrests may be unjust. Sometimes, police intent on making a quota will arrest individuals for crimes that they did not commit, or inflate a suspect's charges in order to make it look like they made a significant arrest.
If you were arrested for a bench warrant, prostitution, a DUI, public drunkenness, drug crimes, or another offense in the city of Reading, then you need to talk to a Reading criminal attorney today. Curtis E. Barnes is a local criminal defense lawyer with 21 years of legal experience that he can use to help you. He can handle traffic violations, DUI cases, drug crimes, violent crimes, and a variety of other criminal offenses. Hire him today to tackle your case!