DV Journal

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals last week ruled 2-1 against Montgomery County’s Springfield Township in a dispute with its police officers over displaying the pro-cop “Thin Blue Line” version of the American flag.

Previously, the Springfield Township Board of Commissioners had voted 5-2 to approve a resolution banning the “thin blue line on an American flag” (TBLAF) that the township’s Police Benevolent Association (PBA) has adopted as a symbol. Critics call the image, widely used at public events to honor fallen police officers, a “symbol of white supremacy.”

For police officers, however, it’s a sign of solidarity as they perform a dangerous job that’s necessary for society to function.

A federal judge ruled in favor of the PBA. The township filed an appeal to the Third Circuit.

“The township’s attack on the Thin Blue Flag was blatantly unconstitutional,” said Wally Zimolong, who represents the PBA in the case. “The District Court recognized this within days of the filing of the complaint when it issued a preliminary injunction. It recognized this again when the court entered a permanent injunction against the township at summary judgment.

“Now, the Third Circuit has affirmed what we have known all along. Unfortunately, the township doubled and tripled down, sacrificing, at the altar of ‘woke,’ hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars defending the ban. That money could have been spent to improve the community rather than chasing ‘woke’ fantasies and attacking our courageous police officers.”

In the non-precedential opinion, Circuit Judge Paul Matey wrote, “A tempest in a teapot brewed when the Township of Springfield passed a policy forbidding township employees from displaying a variation of the American flag supporting law enforcement officers. Because that policy violated the First Amendment, we will affirm the District Court’s judgment.”

Matey noted, “The First Amendment protects the free speech of government employees when they speak ‘as citizens’ rather than ‘pursuant to their official duties.’” He added, “The Township has not met its burden. It concedes that it ‘cannot identify any specific incidents of disruptions’ caused by Plaintiffs’ use of the Flag.”

But his colleague, Judge Patty Shwartz wrote, “To some, the TBLAF represents police solidarity. To others, it communicates a white supremacist message, which could erode public trust in the police.

“When public confidence in law enforcement declines, public safety suffers. As a result, viewing the facts and drawing inferences in the Defendants’ favor, a reasonable jury could conclude that the township’s interest—in preventing the erosion of public trust in law enforcement by restricting the display of a symbol associated by some with white supremacy—outweighs the rights of the Fraternal Order of Police and police officers, to display the TBLAF in certain circumstances.

“As a result, I conclude that the District Court erred in granting Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment. Therefore, I respectfully dissent,” Shwartz wrote.

Township Solicitor James Garrity said the township may file a motion for the full Third Circuit Court to decide the case since there was a split decision by a three-judge panel.

On the township website, the Board of Commissioners wrote commissioners are disappointed by the decision but “respect the judicial process.”

“We feel the decision of the court has limited the First Amendment rights of municipalities and public organizations at-large and has taken a measure of control of municipal property out of the hands of the people and their duly elected officials. This will have a substantial impact beyond our own community that may not be fully appreciated at this time.

“It is important to note that the decision was not unanimous, and that the dissenting opinion strongly believes that the Township should have been given a chance to demonstrate both its concern and its right to prohibit the display of this controversial symbol on township property or in any manner suggesting the township’s support.  It seems clear that the First Amendment Rights of the township deserve nothing less,” the BOC wrote.

The commissioners called a special meeting to decide whether to appeal for 5:30 Feb. 6 at the township building, 1510 Paper Mill Road.

UPDATE: Former Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky is being charged in connection with a late night hit-and-run accident. Pennsylvania State Police say Gretsky was driving a police SUV that crashed into a parked vehicle on E. 22nd and Hyatt streets late Sunday, then took off.

Gretsky is accused of reckless driving, careless driving, and other traffic-related charges.

Chester officials put Gretsky on leave pending an investigation into the collision. He resigned Tuesday.

Original story below:

The police commissioner for the City of Chester retired suddenly Tuesday after being involved in an accident in his police vehicle in the early morning on Monday.

The Office of the Receiver released this statement:  “The City of Chester placed Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky on administrative leave on Monday, Jan. 27, pending an investigation into a traffic incident on the night of Sunday, Jan. 26. Major Katrina Blackwell will serve as acting commissioner, while the investigation continues.”

Published reports say Gretsky’s vehicle hit a parked delivery van near East 22nd Street and Hyatt Street in Chester shortly after midnight Monday.

The Pennsylvania State Police are handling the investigation into the accident. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Mayor Stefan Roots referred questions about the incident to a public relations firm, which released this statement: “Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky informed Mayor Stefan Roots that he will retire, effective end of day on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The city thanks Commissioner Gretsky for his service to the residents of Chester. Major Katrina Blackwell will serve as interim commissioner, while a search is conducted.”

Gretsky was promoted from deputy police commissioner to commissioner in October 2020 by former Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, according to a city press release. Gretsky is a Chester native who started with the police department in 2003. He served in the patrol division for 12 years before becoming patrol sergeant in 2015, followed by promotion to major. He was appointed deputy commissioner in January 2020.

Residents packed the Jenkintown Borough Hall Wednesday to hear the results of a cost-benefit analysis from a state agency on its police department.

For supporters of keeping the local police department as is, it wasn’t good news.

“These results should prompt a critical assessment of whether the current local police operation is sustainable,” the report concluded.

Retired police chiefs Gerald Simpson and Joseph Kirschner presented the results of the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) study that showed Jenkintown spends more on its police department than comparable municipalities.

They looked at total municipal budgets and costs for the police department and the per capital costs per police. Most communities across Pennsylvania are paying 18 to 20 percent of their budgets for their police departments. In Montgomery County, the average is 19.6 percent. Jenkintown is paying 25.4 percent, said Simpson.

Most towns in the Delaware Valley have a $6.5 million budget, while Jenkintown’s is $7.6 million or 16.9 percent higher.  Most municipalities in the area have a total police budget of $1.5 million. Jenkintown’s is $1.9 million. Of that personnel costs are $1.4 million and $1.7 million respectively, the report showed.

However, Jenkintown officials said the town has $662,000 in additional annual costs for its police department for retirement and health insurance not listed in the public safety budget line item.

That raises police costs to 34 percent of the budget, or 40 percent higher per capita than the state average.

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Simpson said. “These are challenging times but not unique times.” Other towns are facing similar problems, he said.

The council took no action, and the agency representatives said they will leave it up to the local community to decide what to do with the findings. Residents had opposed a previous proposal to disband the borough’s police department and seek services from a neighboring town.

About 4,700 people live in the borough, although the population increases with workers during the day. The DCED studied incidents reported and the number of officers needed to handle those and suggested that Jenkintown officials might want to reduce the number of officers from 11 to four plus a chief.

“When considering the cost per police officer, which is $175,773.00, and accounting for a staffing excess of 3 police units, we can identify a budget overage of $527,319.00 in the Jenkintown police budget. If the adjusted figure includes the additional financial data, the cost for overstaffing is $707,867.00,” the report said.

Jenkintown could also use a “hybrid model,” sharing some police services with one of its neighbors. The town could also decrease other services, increase taxes, engage in stricter management practices, and negotiate with labor for relief or givebacks.

Simpson suggested officials and residents think of the borough’s budget as a business model.

“Is that model sustainable?” he asked. He suggested they need long-term planning. “It’s a 10-to-20-year question. That’s a question for this council,” he said.

Councilwoman Deborra Sines Pancoe said police costs have been a problem for several years. In “2018, 2019, we were talking about cutting back then. We knew we were in trouble.”

There were problems of overstaffing, she said.

“We had a canine program costing us a lot of money. We disbanded that program. In 2021, we put together a police working group. When our long-standing police chief had to retire, we had an outstanding local candidate. As a council, we want to have a safe community…We’re facing a fiscal crisis,” she said.

Resident Regina Bachman pushed back.

“We’re the lowest paid police department in the county, how do we come out the highest [in costs]?” Bachman asked, noting Jenkintown officers have been working since December 2023 without a contract. She believes the numbers in the DCED report are wrong, that police expenses are $1.37 million not $1.9 million.

“You said 11 police officers,” she said. “We’re down to 10. Officer Jaworski retired.” She also noted the borough is getting “a lot more businesses,” including a new Giant supermarket. “Has that been factored in?”

Simpson told her, “I don’t know about your wage rates. There are a lot of variables. It comes down to economy of scale.”

Jenkintown Police Chief Tom Scott said many issues existed when he took over in 2022. For example, there is a contract obligation that allows officers to sell back sick time, which amounts to “a $70,000 hit to the budget,” he said. And officers who work the day after Thanksgiving get paid at a double time rate.

“I’m concerned for my neighbors,” another woman said. Now the “biggest crime is unlocked cars being rifled through. We don’t have bad crime. I feel it is because of our officers.”

Simpson said, “There’s been a lot of change in law enforcement…It’s never been more complicated. It is a really, really challenging space. It is, frankly, your responsibility to make sure this is sustainable.”

Lansdale wants to hire more police officers.

Council Vice President Meg Currie Teoh said last week the department has lost one officer this year, while a sergeant will retire in the near future. A third officer has a long-term medical issue.

While the Montgomery County borough may hire up to two cops to replace the departures, according to Currie Teoh, around four to five more could retire by 2029.

“We don’t want to get too far behind on this. We can keep up on the hiring and stay ahead of this,” she said.

Keeping police ranks level has been a focus of Police Chief Mike Trail.

During a Council Public Safety Meeting on Sept. 4, Trail said he reviews staffing levels each year to make sure there are enough officers on the street. The information is used to prepare for any pending departures.

Lansdale employs 29 officers in the department, based on its population growth. The chief said it’s important to ensure police keep officer levels steady to avoid starting to “trend in the wrong direction – losing officers.”

The formula the department uses to determine staffing ratios recommends Lansdale employ 32 officers. But Currie Teoh said they want to stay at 29 “to remain reasonable with our budget.”

The Civil Service Commission has a list of eligible police officer candidates. The commission will determine the top three candidates by the end of the month.

One problem with those candidates is they’ll have to go to the Police Academy, according to Trail. Montgomery County has an academy class that starts next month. Trail and Currie Teoh want the borough to move quickly after the finalists are picked so they can be put in that class.

If they don’t get the hiring done, “we don’t get another academy class until March,” said Trail.

State taxpayer money would pay for the Police Academy costs.

The next Lansdale Borough Council meeting is Sept. 18.

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) said departments saw 45 percent of officers leave the force following the COVID pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests between 2020 and 2022.

That may have changed last year. In April, PERF said there were fewer resignations in 2023 than in 2022 and 2021. Retirements returned to 2019 levels. Officer levels are still about 8,000 less than they were before 2020, despite 11,000 new cops being hired last year.

The survey found smaller and medium police forces were able to hire officers at a greater rate than larger departments.

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Turn on the TV news at 11 p.m., and there’s a never-ending parade of shootings, carjackings, and other violent criminal incidents.

In recent years, police have been under attack, be it from Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, who advocated defunding the police, or progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who has a reputation for prosecuting officers while being lenient toward offenders.

Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick was recently endorsed by the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Troopers Association and 48 county sheriffs. Previously, the PA FOP had endorsed Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr., McCormick’s opponent.

“Dave’s committed to making sure we have the resources we need to fulfill our mission of protecting millions of Pennsylvania families,” said Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President Stephen Polishan.

It can be challenging for municipalities to hire enough police officers to fill vacancies.

Stefan Roots, the City of Chester mayor, told DVJ that Chester police are now on 12-hour shifts.

“We’re way below what we’re budgeted to hire,” said Roots, a Democrat who took office in January. The department has about 70 members, but he did not want to disclose the shortfall.

“What the 12-hour shifts do is take the amount of cops that we have and instead of dividing them by three throughout the day, we divide them by two. So, we automatically have more officers available on the streets.”

“Like every police department in America, the two Rs are recruitment and retention.”

The state police and, through District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, Delaware County Park Police are also filling in at City Hall, he said.

“So, we have more officers consistently on the streets than we’ve had in a long time,” said Roots. “And that’s the key.”

While crime has been creeping up, it’s lower than the historically high numbers of five and 10 years ago, he said.

In 2023, there were 13 homicides in Chester, 11 sexual assaults and 76 robberies. In the first six months of 2024, the city saw three homicides, four sexual assaults, and 11 robberies. Chester has about 33,000 residents. After years of financial difficulties, it’s currently under state receivership.

“It does help, the presence of law enforcement in the neighborhood,” said Roots. “It makes the bad guys think twice.”

Former Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said, “The 12-hour shifts are sold as a way to save money, and they are popular with police. The problem is that it encourages the police to start pursuing other jobs. They are only working five or six days every two weeks as police officers, leaving a lot of free time. Instead of a police officer who is focused on policing all of the time, you end up with a real estate broker who is a police officer on the side.”

Mike Chitwood, former Upper Darby police superintendent, believes 12-hour police shifts will help “with more time on the streets.”

But he warns officers will burn out.

“Eventually, it’ll get tiring. Obviously, they don’t have the manpower. It’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Chitwood.

He’s also concerned about officers from other agencies policing the town.

“There’s no way you’re going to get the same policing as from your own officers,” said Chitwood.

Roots is coupling his police shift change with an emphasis on enforcing a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew already on the books for youth under 18. He’s also highlighting the many activities available for young people through the Safe Summer Initiative.

Chitwood said enforcing the curfew should help.

Hogan said, “The community-based programs, like for juveniles, are only effective if they are paired up with vigorous enforcement tools. If the police do hot spot policing and target the most violent offenders, a juvenile program might add some marginal benefit. On its own, the program will not be effective.”

According to the state police, Delaware County had 32 murder/manslaughter cases in 2023 and 26 in 2024; there were 39 rapes in 2023 and 33 in 2024; and 393 robberies in 2023 with 113 so far in 2024.

In neighboring Chester County, there have been six murder/manslaughter cases in 2024 and five in 2025. Chester County saw 35 rapes so far this year and 67 last year. It reported 27 robberies in 2024 and 66 in 2023.

Bucks County had six murder/manslaughter cases in 2024 and eight in 2023. It reported 35 rapes this year and 72 last year. Bucks had 52 robberies in 2024 and 111 in 2023.

There have been eight murder/manslaughter cases in Montgomery County in 2024 and 22 in 2023. Montgomery County reported 50 rapes in 2024 and 104 in 2023. It listed 129 robberies in 2024 and 278 robberies in 2023.

McCormick promises to support law enforcement and be tough on crime.

“Joe Biden and Bob Casey’s soft-on-crime agenda has failed them and made our commonwealth more dangerous. It’s time our men and women in blue had a leader in Washington who will fight tirelessly to get them the support they deserve,” said McCormick. Casey, a Democrat, is in his 18th year in the Senate.

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About 200 Jenkintown residents turned out Monday for a sometimes contentious meeting over whether the community should shut down its police department and contract with neighboring Abington or Cheltenham for police services.

Officials emphasized that no decision has been made. The police department costs the borough $2.5 million, about half its $5.1 million annual budget.

Most of those who spoke to the borough council and Mayor Gabriel Lerman vehemently opposed the idea of losing the 11-person department. Many residents were surprised to learn of financial issues that depleted the municipality’s reserve fund, which police Chief Tom Scott outlined during a slide presentation that kicked off the two-hour meeting. He also noted the police union contract expired on Dec. 31, and the union representatives “stopped negotiations and walked away from the table.”

Scott said he started the conversation, “Because I care. I care about the community, and I care about our officers.”

A 2020 report by a police consultant found 90 issues with the department. Scott has tried to remedy some of those, such as a lack of active shooter response training, since he became chief in 2022.

One issue that decimated Jenkintown’s savings was a $800,000 settlement with Salem Baptist Church after Jenkintown condemned some land behind it in 1998. The church fought the action, and the matter spent years in the courts until the 2015 settlement. Also, a tax settlement with a commercial property owner requires the borough to spend $92,000 yearly for five years. And a $190,000 court-ordered tax reassessment in 2023 for a business that Jenkintown will pay over two years is another factor.

Real estate taxes have increased 28 percent for the last three years, and the tax millage has doubled over the past five years. Jenkintown residents pay the second-highest tax rate in Montgomery County, behind Cheltenham.

Lerman said many small businesses have not re-opened since they were closed during the pandemic. However, residents pointed out that a new Giant supermarket is under construction on Old York Road and will be paying taxes.

The school district receives the entire earned income tax amount rather than half because officials believe it’s the town’s most important asset and a major draw for new residents. Other expenses include purchasing new fire apparatus, $20 million for sewer repairs, and wage increases for public services workers, which are now much lower than surrounding towns.

Reed Virgilio has lived in Jenkintown for 18 years and wants to keep the police force.

“My son got into a scenario with the police,” she said. “And the police, because they knew us like we knew them, treated my son with the utmost respect when a lot of other places wouldn’t, with his skin color and braids and dreads. I know it would have been different because I know what is out there. I think we’ve got the best police force.

“If we get rid of the police department, our taxes aren’t going to go down at all, so where’s that money going to go to?” she asked, to mixed hoots and applause.

“Our response time would go down 100 percent,” said Virgilio. Scott disagreed.

Council President Jay Conners said, “The amount of money we’d be able to save is just enormous. It exceeds $500,000. “

Joe Stanton, who’s lived in Jenkintown for 71 years and has a law office in town, also does not want to lose the police department.

“The officers of Jenkintown know the town well,” said Stanton. “They know the streets, the fields, the homes, the businesses, and most of all, they know the residents of this town.” The officers have prevented burglaries, robberies, and vandalism.

Officials haven’t spoken to neighboring communities, but they did talk to a public relations firm last spring to help them speak to the public about the issue.

“You are aware of this situation because it was leaked to the press,” said Conners. That revelation also drew outrage from some people, who said officials weren’t transparent.

Resident Janet Jones said, “I would like to see better management of the funds and what’s going on.”

Michael Gottlieb, an attorney, said that if the department closes, the former officers would struggle to find other jobs in law enforcement due to their seniority. And, he added, Jenkintown’s average officers’ pay of $126,000 “isn’t all that great compared with comparable municipalities.”

“These officers put their lives on the line every day for the good people here to make sure they have a safe place to live,” Gottlieb said. “Take a look at the videos that are coming from ‘Filthadelphia.’ There’s a war on police officers in Philadelphia.”

Another man pointed out the rising crime rate in Philadelphia and said he feared criminals would come out to Jenkintown if it no longer has its police department.

Joe Regan, president of the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, said there was a similar situation 15 years ago with Narberth Borough and Lower Merion Township, but Narberth kept its police force.

“Jenkintown officers are members of our organization. You’re talking about 10 lives. But you have to multiply that to their family members. It all comes as a cost,” said Regan. He told the residents to keep fighting for their police department and to contact former Narberth council folks, including Mary Jo Daley, a state representative, to find out why they kept their department.

“Communities lose their identities when they lose their police force,” Regan told DVJournal.

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An apparently long-standing practice of Lower Makefield Township paying police officers the remainder of their salary when they are on disability is raising questions about how taxpayer dollars are being handled.

According to records obtained through right-to-know requests brought by resident Tim Daly, the township paid an officer for three years while he was not reporting for duty.

That officer, Michael Pell, who is no longer on the police force as of September 2023, received a salary of more than $112,000 per year, according to township payroll records.

A whistleblowing township employee told DVJournal that Pell had suffered a stroke in May 2020 and was unable to qualify to handle a firearm. Officers must qualify annually with their firearm, according to a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police. Township records show that Pell last took the firearms exam in 2019.

Pell had been a  D.A.R.E. officer who visited schools and warned students about the dangers of drug use, and the community outreach officer. He also did administrative jobs for Chief Kenneth Coluzzi.

When Pell first had a stroke, he was temporarily placed on sick leave. However, according to a township employee familiar with the situation, Pell’s name was then returned to the duty roster despite the fact that he never returned to the job. Other employees who asked about Pell were warned to “shut up.”

“He was not in the building, and he was 100 percent not working,” the source said.  “Mike Pell was getting paid his regular salary as if he was there every day.”

“They defrauded the people of Lower Makefield since May of 2020 until he retired on the 28th of September of this year,” the source claimed.

Those allegations are wrong, Coluzzi said.

Coluzzi readily admitted that the township was paying Pell, but said it was long-standing policy for police officers out on disability to be made “whole.”

Coluzzi explained that the short-term and long-term disability only pay 66 1/3 of an officer’s salary and the township then pays the remainder.

“It’s a long-standing provision the township has,” said Coluzzi. “A practice the township has, probably for 30 years. Nothing underhanded. There is a possibility the township may revisit that in the future.”

So, over the course of three years the township apparently paid Pell $113,232, plus benefits and pension.

Pell told a different story to DVJournal.

“I had a stroke, a very severe stroke,” said Pell. “We have a disability clause in our contract. I was paid through our insurance company.”

Township manager David Kratzer Jr. said, “ I have discussed this matter with the township solicitor. Recognizing that this is an ongoing personnel issue, I’ve been advised that no public comment can be made at this time.”

However, Kratzer sent an email to employees in August 2023 to clarify the township’s disability policy, saying it was governed by the contract for union employees.

“For unionized employees or those employees covered by an employment agreement, the level of benefits is provided consistent with the negotiated terms and conditions of the applicable agreement (s),” the memo said.

In an August 2023 letter to Pell, obtained through right-to-know requests, Kratzer said, “…prior to your return to work, you will be expected to meet all applicable and expected commonwealth and departmental requirements as determined by each entity to serve in the capacity of a municipal police officer. Departmental management will work with you and the commonwealth to determine what the applicable requirements are.”

Pell opted to retire the next month.

The whistleblower said the state Attorney General’s office is investigating the township regarding what they called a “ghost” employee.  However, the Attorney General’s spokesperson had no comment when asked about any investigation into Lower Makefield Township’s payroll practices.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro presented his first budget Tuesday, laying out $44.4 billion in spending for fiscal year 2023 in a lengthy speech to legislators.

Shapiro acknowledged divided politics would make passing any proposal more challenging, but he urged legislators to look beyond partisanship.

“Pennsylvania is one of only two states with a divided legislature,” said Shapiro. “Together, we represent many Pennsylvanians who also divided their vote… Through their ballots, they asked us implicitly to come to the table, put aside the partisan litmus tests, and deliver commonsense solutions to the very real problems that we are facing every day.”

Shapiro’s proposed budget increases spending on education as a response to a Commonwealth Court decision, spending on mental health services for students, emphasizes vocational-technical training and incentives for new police officers, nurses, and teachers to address shortages in those jobs.

“Policing is a noble profession and good people want to do it,” said Shapiro, the former state attorney general.

The proposed budget includes a $567.4 million increase or 7.8 percent for basic education and an increase of $103.8 million for special education. He also proposes taxpayer-funded free breakfast for all public school children.

Shapiro would expand the property tax and rent rebate program for seniors and the disabled.   He would also eliminate the state cell phone tax, which equals 11 percent of cell phone bills.

A new program would spend $10 million on public defenders and improve probation and parole programs to improve the state’s 64 percent recidivism rate.

Other plans would eliminate regulatory red tape for new businesses and he also urged the legislature to hasten the pace of planned business tax reductions, so companies relocate to Pennsylvania rather than other states.

“I am competitive as hell, and I am sick and tired of losing to other states,” Shapiro said.

The general fund surplus and the rainy fund are the largest in the state’s history, he noted. Their budget is based on conservative revenue estimates, he said.

However, state Republicans said, if adopted, this budget would spend down the state’s reserves and lead to future tax increases by introducing new ongoing programs without revenue streams to fund them.

Reactions from Delaware Valley politicos were largely positive from both sides of the aisle.

“After hearing the Governor’s budget address, I believe there are many areas where we will find common ground and some significant places where continued work is needed,” said Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Bucks/Montgomery). “I was pleased that the governor chose to support several important family and senior-centric programs. I would have liked to have seen renewed commitment towards Lifeline scholarships and Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) expansion to ensure that children have additional avenues to obtain a high-quality education.”

Rep. Kristin Marcell (R-Bucks), who serves on the appropriations committee said, “While I look forward to working with the governor to pass a fiscally responsible commonsense budget, how we get there is critical. The governor’s plan to deplete our budget reserves and the Rainy Day Fund is concerning. With economists projecting an economic slowdown, if not a recession, it is imperative we preserve these funds to manage any revenue shortfalls.”

Sen. Frank Farry (R-Bucks) liked some of what Shapiro proposed, including more for mental health services and removing state police funding from the transportation funding stream. He is also in favor of “right-sizing” higher education and investing in public schools.

Democratic legislators applauded Shapiro.

Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery) tweeted, “Our minimum wage in PA is shameful. We must #RaiseTheWage and ensure our workers have what they need to provide for themselves and their families. I’m glad to hear @GovernorShapiro call for a $15 minimum wage during today’s budget address.”

But Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Nate Benefield said called the proposed budget “disappointing, giving the bipartisan issues Shapiro campaigned on” such as working with the legislature on getting the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which increases electricity costs to consumers, and on school choice.

And he said as for the recent court ruling on education funding, Shapiro is wrong.

The recent education funding lawsuit ruling didn’t order “more money”.

“In fact, Pennsylvania already spends $4,000 per student more than the national average, even before last year’s record increase,” said Benefield. “What the ruling said was that every student must get a ‘meaningful opportunity.’ The only way to deliver this is through educational choice. But Gov. Shapiro walked back on his campaign promise to expand educational opportunity and instead throws money at the same broken system.”

Republican commentator Guy Ciarrocchi urged Republicans to seize the opportunity to pass GOP priorities Shapiro claims to embrace.

“Shapiro stated he wants to make it easier to get permits and licenses; eliminate the cell phone tax; cut business taxes and make it easier for students to learn trades for careers. These are commonsense ideas that the GOP has been fighting for. Pass those bills and put them on his desk—and, help the citizens of Pennsylvania,” Ciarrocchi said.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted law and order and education during a President’s Day stop in Montgomery County.

Although DeSantis has not announced a 2024 GOP presidential primary bid, his day started with speeches in New York followed by his visit to the American Legion Post in Fort Washington, before heading on to Chicago.

Several hundred politically active Republicans and elected officials warmly applauded his remarks.

“We are the nation’s fastest-growing state,” DeSantis said of Florida. “That’s just people voting with their feet, and they’re not going to go to a place that’s not managed well, that’s not governed well, that’s not safe. We’re number one. I think every year since I’ve been governor in net in-migration.” Also, Florida is “number one in economic freedom, number one in new business formation…number one in GDP growth, number one in education freedom, number one in parental involvement in education.”

The state has lower taxes, no state income tax, and a record budget surplus.

While low taxes are a good reason to move to Florida, “our commitment to public safety and our support for the men and women in law enforcement” is also a major draw he said.

“People in southeast Pennsylvania have seen a lot of the disaster in places like Philadelphia, which we’ve seen in New York City, which used to be one of the safest big cities in the world. Then you look at Chicago, Seattle… In Florida, our crime rate is at a 50-year low. So how is it you have it going up in so many of these other areas?

“We’re not any better than anybody else. We just have good policies, and we have leaders that will stand behind the people that wear the uniform.”

DeSantis contrasted his approach to law enforcement with those advocating “defund the police” politics.

“You had major cities slashing police budgets, really for ideological reasons, not that it was proven it would help the public safety,” DeSantis said. And, he added, Florida gives a $5,000 incentive to officers who move there from other states, along with other benefits. Current officers received $1,000 bonuses.

When he saw the riots of 2020 DeSantis said, “Not on my watch,” and called up the national guard. He also got the state legislature to pass an anti-rioting bill to make sure violent protesters were prosecuted.

“If you riot, if you engage in mob violence in the state of Florida, it isn’t going to be like Portland, where they take your mugshot, slap you on the wrist, and put you back on the street to do it again. In Florida, you’re not getting a slap on the wrist. You’re getting the inside of a jail cell.” Also, there are additional penalties for assaulting a police officer. “I’m not going to have these officers just be sitting ducks.”

Unlike Florida, some big cities are “putting woke ideology ahead of public safety.” DeSantis’ arguments got a boost from the latest news out of Austin, Texas, where street racers took over multiple intersections across the city, using their vehicles to spin doughnuts in the streets and lighting fireworks. They left one police officer injured and damaged several squad cars. Austin slashed police spending by 30 percent in 2021 but has since reversed course.

“Just the contempt of some of these politicians attacking police was really a low point…It has absolutely painted a target on the back of people who wear the uniform. You see it in New York City. Unfortunately, we just saw it at Temple. And I think if somebody goes out and murders a police officer, they should get the death penalty.”

The audience applauded in response. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) announced last week he would not sign any death penalty warrants and is urging an end to the policy in the state.

In Florida, “we don’t have tolerance for prosecutors who get elected, largely with big contributions from leftists like George Soros…they say it’s their job to determine what laws should be enforced. Not you, the people who make laws through your elected legislators…these prosecutors are “a law unto themselves.”

He said he removed a prosecutor who refused to enforce the law.

DeSantis pivoted to education.

“If you send your kids to school in Florida, they’re going to get an education, not a political indoctrination,” said DeSantis. “Is it okay to tell a second grader they are born in the wrong body? In Florida, we think the answer to that question is no.”

“People that said this was going to hurt me in the election are very quiet after we won by 1.5 million votes,” he said. “We did tussle with Disney. They’d had for 60 years their own government that they operated and controlled in the state of Florida. Those days are over.”

“Then you also have things like critical race theory, where they try to racialize,” said DeSantis. “If you’re a young White kid they say, ‘You’re an oppressor.’ If you’re Black they say, ‘You’re oppressed.’ And this is just crazy that they want to do this.

“So we said no critical theory in K-12 schools. And some of this critical theory is teaching that police officers are just gunning down minorities with impunity.” It creates a hatred of law enforcement in young children, he said.

Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran introduced DeSantis.

“The police are the public, and the public are the police, and the public must have confidence in the police in order to be safe,” he said. “There must be accountability (for those who commit crimes).” While the suburban countries still adhere to that credo, many cities, including Philadelphia, do not, Harran added.

“Back when I took the test in 1986 (to become an officer), there were 1,400 people [taking the test]. Now we’re lucky if we get 100, 125.”

Afterward, Harran said he supported DeSantis “as the governor of Florida, and we’ll see what road the governor takes. Any comment (on supporting DeSantis for president) would be premature, but I like what I heard today.”

Upper Salford Area 3 GOP leader Kurt Stein said DeSantis has “a great message. And I think it resonates with everyone. We need law enforcement to be able to do their jobs without having district attorneys not obeying the laws of the state. And the most important things to people are schools and crime, and he hit all of that. Woke ideology is destroying the country our founding fathers created.”

State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery/Bucks) called DeSantis “impressive.”

“I think he has the right message at the right time,” said Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chadds Ford). “One thing we can do right now is stand up with our votes and say, ‘We support our police.’”

And Liz Havey, Montco Republican chair, said, “DeSantis talked about solutions and the crowd loved it. Law enforcement is critical to society and working with them and supporting them like Gov. DeSantis has helped Florida have a  record low crime rate–just the opposite of what we are living with in Philadelphia, where elected officials have done the opposite.”

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After police filed a lawsuit over Springfield Township’s ban on the thin blue line American flag symbol, the township has agreed to an injunction. As a result, the ban will not take effect.

The Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania Lodge, the Springfield Township Police Benevolent Association, and three officers filed the suit against the township and its board of commissioners individually.

The plaintiffs asked a judge for an emergency temporary restraining order, followed by an injunction, so they can keep the flag. Officers feared retaliation, including losing their jobs, if they did not comply with the resolution. Federal Judge Karen Marston issued an order on Wednesday after both sides agreed to the injunction.

“We are very pleased,” said Wally Zimolong, attorney for the police. “The resolution is blatantly unconstitutional as re-enforced by decades of Supreme Court precedent. But it is unfortunate that it took a federal lawsuit to halt its implementation.”

On Jan. 11, the board voted 5-2 to ban the display of the flag on township property, from police uniforms, or on their bodies (tattoos) while on duty, and on any township property in the Montgomery County community.

The PBA uses the thin blue line American flag as its logo.

While the thin blue line flag is widely recognized as a symbol of support for police, especially for fallen officers, some say it symbolizes hate or oppression. And some white supremacist groups have flown the flag as well.

Residents espoused both sides of the issue during discussions at township meetings, but those who opposed the flag carried the day.

In the lawsuit, the police claimed the township’s ban is a violation of their First Amendment right to free speech and also their Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection under the law.

The ban is” blatantly unconstitutional,” the suit said. “It defiles bedrock First Amendment principles reiterated by a legion of Supreme Court cases.”

“These First Amendment protections are not diluted for speech that some might find offensive, distasteful, or controversial,” the suit said. And governments, including municipal governments, cannot ban speech.

“The Thin Blue Line flag is clearly entitled to First Amendment protection,” the suit argues. “Flags have been used to convey messages from almost the beginning of civilization. The Thin Blue Line flag is no different. Less than a year ago, the Third Circuit recognized that it carries and expresses a political, social, cultural, and symbolic meaning (in a case out of Boston).”

“The Thin Blue Line flag has come to represent a show of support for and solidarity with members of law enforcement, which includes police officers. Through a resolution at its national conference, the Fraternal Order of Police have affirmed its support for the use of the Thin Blue Line flag by law enforcement and the communities they protect,” according to the suit.

The Pennsylvania FOP “believes that the Thin Blue Line flag represents the preservation of the rule of law, the protection of peace and freedom, the sacrifice of fallen law enforcement officers and the dedication of law enforcement officers.”

The Springfield PBA also believes that the Thin Blue Line flag represents the same things.

Springfield PBA displays this logo on its website and “it displays the logo at fundraisers, events supporting Springfield PBA, and merchandise.”

“Moreover, its members display, depict, install, affix, or use the Thin Blue Line flag on pins, buttons, articles of clothing, and items affixed to personal belongings, such as bumper stickers and patches. Many members of the Springfield PBA wear a rubber replacement wedding ring that displays and depicts the Thin Blue Line flag,” the suit said.

Also, “defendants do not hide that at least one of their motivations for banning the Thin Blue Line flag is because it “represent[s] opposition to racial justice movements, including the Black Lives Matter cause.”

“That certain members of the public may view the Thin Blue Line flag negatively scarcely helps the constitutionality of the (Springfield) resolution. If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable,” the suit notes.

Asked to comment, Commissioners President James Lee declined, instead referring to the video of the BOC meeting where the resolution was adopted.

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