Amir Bandy, a 24-year-old Frankford drug dealer, is serving 20 to 40 months in state prison. When he was sentenced for this drug-dealing conviction in November, a local pastor and two police officers spoke about the impact that the narcotics trade has on the Frankford community.
Weapons and drug crimes affect communities, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Mitrick, assistant chief of the Northeast Division, told members of the 15th Police District Advisory Council on Feb. 23. Residents have the right to tell sentencing judges how their neighborhoods are affected, how crime affects their quality of life. “Community impact” statements can result in longer sentences.
Sometimes, a defendant’s family can plead with a judge to ease up on a sentencing, and often an assistant district attorney is the only one urging a jurist to hand out a harsher term. The District Attorney’s office is urging residents to speak up at sentencings so judges hear their voices, too. “The community does have a lot of power,” Mitrick said.
In other 15th PDAC news:
• The PDAC honored Matthew Winscom and Michael Chichearo Jr. as January Officers of the Month. The two cops caught up to a man who allegedly shot another man five times at Cottman and Torresdale avenues and then tried to escape detection by changing his jacket, the captain said.
• Police in Northeast districts and tavern owners are gearing up for two March events — the Shamrock Shuttle on March 7 and the Erin Express on March 14 — Capt. John McCloskey said. Both are tied to the more secular aspects of St Patrick’s Day.
“It’s always a problem,” the captain said, pointing to fights and drinking by juveniles. There will be portable toilets in Mayfair, he added. There will be plenty of cops on hand, the captain said, and the bar owners are on board.
• Lyn Truszkowski, community relations liaison for Friends Hospital, talked up the “blue light” fundraiser being conducted by the 24th PDAC. Truszkowski said a local hardware store donated blue lights that residents use as porch lights to demonstrate support for police. Allan Leppert, the 15th PDAC’s president, said he will look into pursuing a similar fundraiser.
• The PDAC will next meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 30, in the Mayfair Community Center on St. Vincent Street. ••
