The LuLac Edition #4,018, February 27th, 2019

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

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TL SAYS POLICE DOING GOOD JOB UNDER TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCES

Less than a week ago, the city of Wilkes-Barre was in some quarters mear panic. It was the drive by shootings that had some calling for The National Guard to come in. But as the Mayor said, the residents should remain calm because there was work being done to remedy the tense situation. 
Now one week later, one shooter is in custody and another is very close to being apprehended. The Editorial by The Times Leader last week spoke to how a crisis is handled by law enforcement, its partners and the administration they work with. This is this Wednesday's "Write On" feature. 
There is good reason to be concerned about Wilkes-Barre’s recent spike in gun violence.
Police say the rash of drive-by shootings have not been random. While that may bring limited comfort for the rest of us, Chief Joseph Coffay also made it clear Wednesday that the suspected perpetrators have opened fire into homes and vehicles with no regard for where the bullets land or who gets hit.
This dangerous trend, whether it be true gang activity or a personal feud out of control, threatens the safety and security of the entire community.
If there is any silver lining from the past few days, it is this: We are heartened by the reaction of city police, and especially Chief Coffay, during these scary times.
First, the chief has kept the media — and therefore the community — informed as much as possible as each incident unfolded, either personally or though updates on the department’s Facebook page.
We understand there are a lot of things he simply can’t talk about while investigations are underway. We hope our readers understand that as well — that we, too, are asking many questions, although answers could be slow in coming for entirely legitimate reasons.
Second, Coffay’s presence at the crime scenes demonstrates leadership and hands-on policing that are reassuring to us — and, we suspect, to members of his force.
It speaks volumes to see the chief conferring with officers and detectives out on the street and conducting observations of his own. We saw that with the shooting investigation on South Main Street last week, when Coffay could be seen examining a bullet-riddled car in which two young women were shot.
Based on what our editors and reporters have observed in recent weeks, we as an organization have confidence that the city’s police department is well led and determined to bring the perpetrators to justice.
No one should assume that will be quick or easy, however.
“This isn’t a TV show or a reality game, this is reality,” Mayor Tony George said during a Wednesday press conference. “It takes time to solve crimes. They aren’t solved overnight. Just because you don’t hear anything doesn’t mean they aren’t working their tails off to solve this.”
As reporter Dan Stokes wrote, city police are working with law enforcement from the local, state and federal level including: ATF, FBI, AG’s Office and Luzerne County DA’s office. Coffay also noted that members of the Pennsylvania State Police are patrolling the city along with its officers during the midnight shift, Stokes explained.
We feel this sort of multi-agency response also sends all the right messages. We hope and pray that their efforts will be successful sooner rather than later, before someone gets killed.
Wilkes-Barre residents should stay calm but also remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.