March 2022 - Page 8 of 8 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Concord considers license plate readers

They’re not “red light cameras” that photograph a car running a red light and then send out a citation. But LPRs, or License Plate Readers, do read and record a license plate number, and Concord Township Council is considering buying some. No decision will be made before April.

Shawn Petty, the CEO of Platelogiq in Exton, made a pitch to Concord Council during the township’s March 1 meeting. With him was Lt. Jon Sunderlin, barracks commander at Pennsylvania State Police Media Station.

Council Woman Vinita Deshmukh said it was the state police who recommended the township look at what Platelogiq has to offer with its LPRs. She said the hope is to make Concord Township a safer place.

Petty said that Platelogiq works on the premise that “the more we can detect, the more we can prevent. … The way we do that is by constantly, aggressively modifying and improving our software.”

He explained that allows them to have a superior ability to capture the number and state of the license plate as well as the color of the vehicle. But he said that information is only shared with law enforcement and only when police request assistance.

The information is web-based, accessible only by law enforcement, Petty said. “We do everything in high definition to give our law enforcement partners the maximum amount of clarity and investigative capabilities.”

And he stressed that law enforcement agencies are Platelogiq’s only clients. No information is given or sold to anyone else.

His company has more than 200 stationary cameras currently operating that scan 12 million license plates per week, he said. There are also 230 mobile cameras on police patrol vehicles.

Petty said Platelogiq does not alert police to incidents. Instead, the police come to them to access recorded information from a given place and time when they are investigating incidents that either took place in that area or if a suspect vehicle might have driven through a given intersection or on a certain road.

Sunderlin told council members that such a camera system, had it been in place, could have helped solve a hit and run accident on Route 202 a few years ago.

Police have solved several hit-and-run accidents in the region by using Platelogiq. Petty said his system has been used to catch retail theft rings and even helped police identify a bank robber within five minutes of the crime, just by law enforcement being able to access the license plate through Platelogiq.

And it’s not just crimes or accidents that need investigation. Petty said his system could be used to help find missing people, such as the elderly who may have memory problems and lose track of where they are or how to get home.

Cost is a factor. The municipality pays for the equipment through an annual fee. There are six locations currently under consideration for LPR placement in Concord: the intersection of Routes 1 and 202, Route 202 and Ridge Road, Route 202 and Johnson Farm Lane, Route 1 and Evergreen Drive, Routes 1 and 322, and Route 322 and Fellowship Drive.

Should council members approve buying the LPRs and installing them at all six locations, the five-year fee would be $235,000. Council President Dominic Pileggi, who indicated he favored installing at least some units, said that he would want Chadds Ford Township to share payment for LPRs at intersections the two townships share.

At least one council member, Co-Vice President John Crossan, expressed concern about privacy and civil liberty.

During a dialogue between Crossan and Petty, Petty repeated that the LPRs don’t capture any information that is individually identifiable. While they can capture license plate information, that doesn’t indicate who is driving or who might be in the vehicle. He also added that cell phones are much more personally identifiable and can track the individual.

“I can’t look up anything personal about you,” petty said.

Crossan pressed his concern.

“I’m struggling how it’s not personally identifiable,” he said. “The whole purpose seems to be to identify people. So, if your level of detail indicates the license plate number, etc., that’s tied to registration, that’s tied to an individual. That is the purpose, to track and find people.”

Petty responded by saying he couldn’t go into the system and look for vehicle license plate numbers associated with a given person. Police can through various state databases, but Platelogiq can’t.

“We don’t have a tie-in with state police systems.”

Petty said his company is not tracking people, not selling data.

“We are 100 percent laser-focused on that never happening. We don’t collect any information that is personally identifiable,” he said, adding that the identity or whereabouts of a person can only be developed by law enforcement through an investigation. LPRs are just a tool for police to do their job.

And he repeated that no one other law enforcement gets access to the system, not even elected officials.

“If you can’t access the state police system, you can’t access our system.”

Again, members made no decision of any kind during the March 1 meeting. Council members will take the next month to gather more information and consider what they think is best and, possibly make a decision in April.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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John James Plummer Sr. of Pocopson Township

Obituaries

John James Plummer Sr., 79, of Pocopson Township, died Friday, Feb. 25, at his residence. He was the husband of Gloria Marie Plummer, with whom he shared 60 years of marriage.

Born in Chester, he was the son of the late John G. Plummer and the late Kathryn Kunkel Plummer.

Jack, as he liked to be called, was a machine shop manager at The Boeing Co. in Ridley Park, retiring in 2005, after 40 years of service.

He was a member of St. Patrick Church in Kennett Square.

Jack was a talented carpenter, loved making stained glass, loved the outdoors, and was an animal lover. He was a fan of all sports but in particular Chelsea Soccer, NASCAR, and his beloved Philadelphia sports teams. What was most important to him, however, was spending quality time with his family.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by one son, John J. Plummer Jr. and his wife Diane of Kennett Square; one daughter, Melanie D’Antonio and her husband Anthony of Kennett Square; one sister, Catherine Blackburn of New Holland; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren

Jack was predeceased by one daughter, Cindy A. Farley.

You are invited to visit with his family and friends from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, at the Kuzo Funeral Home, 250 West State Street, Kennett Square. His Memorial service will follow at 11:30. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37839, Boone, IA 50037-0839

To view Jack’s online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.

About CFLive Staff

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Police Log March 2: High-speed chase, drug arrest, harassment

Police

Pennsylvania State Police

Avondale Barracks

• Police said they arrested four teenage girls from Wilmington who reportedly led police on a high-speed chase with speeds exceeding 100 mph before crashing and burning in Delaware. According to the report, Pennsylvania state police attempted to make a traffic stop on Old Kennett Road in Kennett Township at 10:56 p.m. on Feb. 18 because the vehicle was not maintaining its lane of travel. There were five occupants in the car. The four arrested at the scene of the crash were aged 15, 16, 17, and 18. Police later determined that the vehicle, a 2016 Jeep Cherokee, had been stolen in a carjacking in Delaware the previous month. A firearm was also recovered during the arrest.

• A 32-year-old man from Chester was arrested on drug charges in Kennett Township on Feb. 24. Police did not identify the suspect in the report. Police said the man was driving erratically, speeding, swerving in and out of lanes, and failing to use turn signals. After making the stop, police said they smelled marijuana and the suspect admitted to having smoked before driving. The incident happened on Route 1 south of Route 52 at 10:39 p.m.

Kennett Square Police Department

• Police said Keenan Collazo, 30, of Avondale, was arrested and charged with simple assault and harassment following an altercation in which he allegedly pinned the victim down on the couch, leaving bruising on the victim’s wrists. The incident occurred on Feb. 21, at approximately 12:40 a.m., in the 300 Block of East Linden Street. Collazo was taken into custody and transported to Central Booking for an arraignment on the charges. The case is pending a preliminary hearing.

• Sean Carver, 34, of West Chester, was charged with illegally operating a motor vehicle not equipped with ignition interlock and related traffic offenses, a police report said. The arrest came after the vehicle he was operating was stopped for traveling 41 mph in a clearly marked 25 mph zone. The incident occurred on Feb. 17, at approximately 8:30 a.m. in the 400 block of East Cypress Street. Carver was identified through his Pennsylvania interlock operator’s license, but no interlock device was observed within the vehicle, the report said.

About CFLive Staff

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New mask guidance in DelCo

Health

Delaware County Government is implementing new COVID-19 mask guidance, effective today, Tuesday, March 1, that relaxes mask requirements for fully vaccinated* individuals, a press release said. Masks are no longer required for county employees and members of the public inside county-operated facilities who are fully vaccinated, with the exception of employees who have direct contact with the public; those engaged in custodial care and health-related positions and visitors to those locations (e.g. Health Department, George W. Hill Correctional Facility, and Fair Acres).

Directors of individual departments may elect to impose stricter requirements to address the needs of their agencies. County employees and the public will be required to wear masks during public meetings regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated County employees and visitors to County buildings will be required to wear masks indoors at all County facilities.

Delaware County’s decision to adopt more relaxed mask guidance is based on the steady decline in the number of hospital beds being used, hospital admissions due to COVID-19, and the number of new COVID-19 cases in the community over a seven-day period; all factors that the CDC tracks as part of their new streamlined three-tier framework of community transmission.

Delaware County is now categorized as “medium” transmission and trending toward “low.” The CDC framework clarifies specific COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies at each of the three levels, with the expectation that the County-level data can inform the public about which steps they should take based on their personal risk level and local COVID-19 levels. Delaware County residents can review this framework on the CDC website.

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 remains the best way to avoid serious illness and hospitalization. The Delaware County COVID-19 Task Force continues to operate multiple vaccination clinics each week, with locations, dates, and times available on the County COVID-19 website. All Delaware County residents are urged to get a COVID-19 vaccine and booster as soon as they are eligible. Residents can also visit www.vaccines.gov for a list of all vaccine providers.

*Per CDC guidance, individuals are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Individuals that don’t meet these requirements, regardless of age, are NOT fully vaccinated.

About Press Release

New mask guidance in DelCo Read More »

UCFSD officially mask optional

School & Education

Hellrung Simonson — Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Directors Steve Simonson and Jeff Hellrung continue wearing masks even though the board approved a mask optional policy on Saturday.

As was telegraphed over the weekend, Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors voted Monday night to amend the district’s Health and Safety Plan to make masks optional. The vote was 7-1. Director Rashi Akki did not attend the meeting. The lone vote against the measure came from board President Jeff Hellrung.

On Saturday, Superintendent of Schools John Sanville sent out an email saying the board decided what to do following changes from the CDC. Hellrung confirmed that the decision had already been made before the meeting but would be confirmed by a vote during the meeting.

When Monday’s meeting started, only two board members were wearing masks before the vote, and only two or three members of the audience wore them.

While many district parents had been calling strongly for masking to be optional, not everyone liked the idea.

“I would urge you to continue the current policy if there’s any possibility of doing so,” said Richard Dolan of Chadds Ford. “I realize there are downsides, but I believe the reasons in support of the mask requirements are stronger than the reasons otherwise.”

His reasoning, he said, is based on the unknown effects of what he termed “long COVID,” meaning extended illness with the virus. He specifically referred to the effects on children.

“There are no definitive studies that I’m aware of showing what that risk is, but we know from adults that long COVID is a very real illness. It occurs in 10 to 30 percent of COVID cases in adults and leaves the adults affected with lingering effects of COVID that can last for months or even years.”

Dolan was the only audience member who spoke in favor of keeping mask mandates. But even parents who urged for making masks optional were not necessarily pleased.

Sue Olivio, of Chadds Ford said she was happy to get the email from Sanville on Saturday. She said it meant the board was acting “appropriately.”

“Along with the joy is a sense of concern that is still with me and that I can’t shake. My right as a parent to make the best decision for my children was taken away from me for far too long. I need to tell you that your lack of proper boundaries has been a cause of harm not just for the children, but for parents as well,” she said.

Olivio continued saying the horror stories brought up during the last meeting of how mask mandates had been hurting children remain heart-breaking.

“One of the most important points I took away from that [Feb. 14] meeting was that in all of the calculations of metrics and science, the most overlooked priority is the human component, and how your decisions were affecting the mental health of our children and families,” she said.

East Marlborough resident Loren Henry said the board had fanned the flames of emotionalism.

“The ability for everyone to make their own decisions regarding what is right for their own family’s health and well-being is something that should never have been taken away. Going forward, I hope that every board member remembers the turmoil and damage caused with their decision-making,” she said.

Another Chadds Ford resident, Kim DiFelice, went straight to the point, saying the board should have acted sooner.

“I am not here to thank you for taking masks off these kids,” she said, “I’m here to ask why you didn’t do it two weeks ago. You had information. You had parents sitting here telling you horror stories. But you sat here and talked in circles.”

She said not one board member asked what could be done to get the masks off the children. But that wasn’t done, she said, and “That leads me to believe that we’ll find ourselves in the same position come September.”

Another parent, Brian Lamb of Pennsbury Township, said he was glad for the decision, that it’s a step in the right direction, but would like some clarification in the Health and Safety Plan. There should be definitions in the plan specifying a clear difference between guidance and a mandate.

Masking should be required “only if there’s a legally valid government mandate that forces us to adopt such a policy. Not simply guidance suggesting masks, but a legally valid government mandate such as a state-wide emergency declaration.”

For now, wearing masks in school district buildings or on buses is strictly optional.