Schuylkill Township Police Department

Hey there! How’s it going? Kinda rough out there right now, huh? It’s cool. Keep your head up. Mental health is a real thing and probably needs to be talked about WAAAAY more than it is. I mean seriously, if you’re not bothered by SOMETHING in 2020, check your pulse to make sure your heart is still beating. No worries though - we all deal with stress and life events. Even us! Yeah we like to be the super hero Macho type every time we’re on duty but believe us, we’re ...not immune from dealing with life and stress at some point or another. We’re not that much different than any of you (except for maybe that donut thing we keep referencing). So allow us to shed some light on ways to keep your head clear so we ALL survive the world right now (including the murder hornets. Because what is a train wreck of a year without a giant wasp with the word murder in its name, am I right?) Here are some people you can call up if you need a hand getting through life (especially as we approach the holidays). - A family member who is always there for you. Think of it this way - if you broke into our station to steal all the Boston Cremes someone dropped off for us and got arrested for it, who would you call first to bail you out? Give that person a ring. - A close friend. See the above example but in this scenario, this person is with you holding the flashlight and a stack of napkins. You should DEFINITELY call that person. - A mental health counseling center. There are a number of centers throughout our area that specialize in these fields and they’re a great source of information. Check out organizations such as Valley Creek Crisis, the ARC of Chester County and so many more that you can find here -> https://www.chesco.org/626/Mental-Health-Resources - Call us at 610-935-2440. Sometimes we’re the first call people make when they’re in a rough spot and that’s ok. While you often hear that cops aren’t mental health workers (which is true - it’s part of what we do but we’re not doctors) we’re still pretty good at listening and helping. We can make calls and are a great networking tool to put you in touch with people who can really help you. You can even call us to tell us you’re getting ready to burglarize our station to steal all of our donuts. We’ll meet you there and would be glad to discuss the aspects of what makes the perfect donut while partaking. No arrest necessary! Seriously though. Hang in there. Whatever has got you down is temporary and we’ll get through it! Hope your week starts off well! -STPD out.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our drive up (drive by just sounds wrong) food drive last Saturday. We will be taking donations through the end of the month so if you have something to donate - please let us know! Disclaimer: All foods donated are given to charitable locations in our immediate community. Except donuts. They’re given to an even more immediate location. Like they usually don’t leave the station. #themoreyouknow

Good morning! Many of you have asked what items are needed most for our food drive. Be uninformed no more! Thanks for all of your support!

From the desk of Community Outreach Officer (unofficial title bestowed upon him by the Facebook guy).....Officer Jim Hennessey: Dear friends and neighbors, It is our sincere hope that you are all doing well, and staying safe. ... With your help, the long arm of the law would once again like to reach out to assist others in need. This October, the Schuylkill Township Police Association will be once again holding our annual food drive. However, due to the current health pandemic, we will be changing things up a bit this year. Instead of having donations dropped inside the Schuylkill Township Municipal Building, we will be placing a donation bin outside of the entrance to the building. The donation bin will be taken inside each night. The donation bin will be out in front of the Schuylkill Township Building for the entire month of October. If necessary, we can even arrange to have donations picked up from outside of you residence. Arrangements can be made via email ([email protected]) or a phone call to the station at 610-933-5820. We are also trying out something new for this year. We will be holding a drive by drop off day. You can drive by the upper parking lot of the Schuylkill Township Municipal Building, and have a police officer or a Police Athletic League volunteer, take possession of your generous donation. The Drive by donation day will be held on Saturday October 17, 2020. It will take place from 9am until noon. We would love to see you there. Also, again this year, we will have a donation box in the vestibule area of Foresta’s Country Meat Market. We greatly appreciate the use of their vestibule area each year. As you know, food insecurity is a sad reality for many in our community. This year, the need for food and related items is urgent. As police officers, we see this need all too often. We realize that times are tough all around and that many of us are still either out of work, or working fewer hours. But we also realize the extraordinary generosity of our community, and the strong desire to help others in need. If you are able, even one can or item can make a huge difference. No donation is too small. Please allow us to express our sincere gratitude for your help in the past, and for any help you can provide this year. On behalf of the police association, Kind Regards, Ofc Jim Hennesey [email protected]

The Schuylkill Township Police Association would like to thank everyone who was able to come out to our first annual Red Cross blood drive. Thank you to everyone who was able to donate the precious gift of blood to help those in need. We hope to make this an annual event each September and are already looking forward to next year’s event. With your continued support and generosity, we will be able to surpass this year’s total. Again, thanks for all your support.

Steve was a former member of the Schuylkill Township Road Crew and Becky was a former township resident who was always a pleasure to be around. They were both good people whose lives were cut short by yet another tragic case of domestic violence. A friend of theirs arranged this GoFundMe page to assist with the care of the children that will forever be affected by this incident. Domestic violence cases are on the rise but there is always help available. If you or someone you know is experiencing any type of domestic hardship right now, please reach out to us at 610-935-2440 or the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County at www.dvccc.org. Our thoughts are with all of Steve and Becky’s family and friends during this difficult time.

Good morning, friends and neighbors! Have an awesome day. That is all.

Nineteen years ago - so many lives changed forever. Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives went to work and never came home. What was supposed to be a typical Tuesday in September has become a day that will never fade from our memories. May we not only remember what happened that day and those that we lost but also the unity that followed.

From the desk of unofficial community resource officer......Officer Jim Hennessey: Dear friends and neighbors, We hope this email finds you coping well with the current pandemic and staying safe during these times.... With some debate, the Schuylkill Township Police Association has decided to move forward with our first blood drive with the hope of making it an annual event. The need for holding blood drives is as important as ever. There are many in need of the precious gift of donated blood. This year, we will be holding the blood drive at the Calvary Bible Church. The Church is located at the intersection of S. Whitehorse Road and Valley Park Road directly across the street from the Schuylkill Township Building. We would like to thank the Church for their generosity in allowing us the use of their building. The Church Hall allows for enough room for the safe and strict social distancing guidelines that the Red Cross strictly adheres to. The Schuylkill Township Police Association’s 2020 Blood Drive is Monday September 28th and Tuesday September 29th from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Make your appointment to donate at the Red Cross Sponsored Drive webpage: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results We are attaching a flier for the event, with a link to the Red Cross sign up page. The Red Cross strongly urges volunteers to sign up instead of dropping in without scheduling. However, we will do our best to see that nobody who cares to donate is turned away. The long arm of the law is rolling up its sleeves to donate blood. The Schuylkill Township Police Association hopes you’ll roll yours up too! Again, thank you for any help. On behalf of the STPA, Ofc. Jim Hennessey [email protected]

What’s up friends and neighbors! How have you been? Vacations are over and things are starting to settle back in to the same related madness that goes back to March. The news is a mess, lots of people think the country is falling apart and don’t even think about discussing politics right now. It’s a lot to handle but as always - we’re here to help you get through it all with hopefully a laugh or two along the way. Well today, we’re going to do something different. We’r...e not going to post some funny anecdote we came up with about locking your car or posting a story about someone who called the police to report hearing strange sounds that ended up being a screaming chicken (it happens). No, today we come to you with a story of excitement and inspiration; things we could all use a healthy dose of. Turn off the TV just for a minute - this will be better. Chris Hytha, Jake Casmay, John Plenge and Jason Miller are four friends from the Phoenixville/Philadelphia area who are doing something extraordinary. They are riding their bikes from Phoenixville to San Francisco, CA and detailing the journey along the way. What does this have to do with law enforcement, you ask? Absolutely nothing. But the stories and photos that Chris shares on his website are incredible. Coming from officers who make a living interacting with people from all walks of life - this is a remarkable account of just how awesome people really are in this country despite what you see on the news. Also, why waste a perfectly good opportunity for us to share something positive the younger generation is doing with their lives? Exactly - all good things here! Check out the boys’ story at https://www.hythacg.com/bike-the-usa To the guys - keep up the good work! Can’t wait to read all about the next section! Stay safe out there!

Good morning, friends and neighbors! It’s going to be pretty nasty out there today. We’re sure you’ve heard all the local weather alerts by now (could’ve done without the 7:30AM tornado warning) but expect two of our major issues to be rain and wind. If it’s not tied down - it might blow or float away. If you have to travel, remember that it only takes a few inches of moving water to carry a full sized car away. You also don’t know what is under that water (I.e. a gia...nt hole from the road washing away) so don’t risk it. It’s not worth your life. It is also incredibly expensive ($250 fine plus court costs) to drive around a barricade that closed a hazardous roadway. You’ll also have to pay for the equipment used to get you out of that water and fire trucks aren’t known for being fuel efficient. This is all before you get 5 points on your license and a huge insurance hit on your premiums so just do yourself a favor and turn around. Remember that if the power goes out - call PECO at 1-800-841-4141. Stay safe!!