Upper Darby Police. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
Violent crime is down in Upper Darby in the first six months of the year, with shootings down 35%, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt said this week.
Bernhardt was speaking during a public safety initiative presentation at the council meeting about plans to possibly hire five additional officers.
“The reduction in crime in Upper Darby Township in this year, homicides are down 83%, founded shootings are down 35%, robberies are down 35% and sex crimes … are down 34%,” Bernhardt told council members during a presentation on consideration of hiring five new officers.
Bernhardt said at this time last year there had been six homicides compared to one in 2024. He said criminal intelligence and officers who have gone through professional policing and the use of data-driven policies are helping reduce crime.
Of those six last year, all six are cleared and arrests have been made, Bernhardt said. Five of the six suspects were nonresidents. Three of the six shooting victims were nonresidents.
The total number of homicides for 2023 was eight. Out of those eight, seven of the suspects are nonresidents of Upper Darby. He said seven of the eight homicides are cleared, with arrests being made. One is open with, “we have a suspect but haven’t been able to charge yet.”
Bernhardt said he and other public officials had met with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and her administration members to work together on ways to reduce crime.
“It’s important to work with our communities around us,” Bernhardt said.
He said they will meet quarterly.
Bernhardt said partnerships like that are how the department is growing and fighting crime, which requires a holistic approach.
“It’s not just hire five officers, send them to the academy, put them into uniform and send them out on the street to make arrests. It’s a bigger picture,” Bernhardt said.
In an answer to council member Jess Branas’ question, Bernhardt discussed how the department is approaching reducing domestic abuse.
He said data showed that call volume for domestic violence incidents had continued to grow and the department partnered with the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County, which has a satellite office in the police headquarters, where they partner with staff members who are able to make direct contact with callers.
Bernhardt said the optimal number of officers that the International Chiefs of Police Association calls for is two officers per 100,000 population, which would be a total of 180 officers for the township, far more than the 133 that Upper Darby has had for many years.
He said modern policing requires both patrol units and specialized units to meet modern demands.
Some specialized units in Upper Darby include the criminal intelligence unit, narcotics, mountain bike unit, highway patrol and detectives. Upper Darby has detectives assigned with the FBI, Bernhardt said.
Bernhardt said that as the township and the responsibilities of police grow, the number of officers needs to grow.
“(We are) Partnering and collaborating with outside agencies to give us the best resources here,” he said.
There are also officers assigned to the court, the Secret Service and a regional intelligence center.
The township is starting a drone unit. There will be three, one is currently being built with the other two in production in the coming months.
Bernhardt said specialized units provide critical support on investigations and community policing, which is shown to reduce crime, but also demands resources. He said community policing develops trust in the community.
For the year, the department has handled about 32,000 calls and the volume is increasing annually, he said.
Following Bernhardt’s presentation, Chief Administrative Officer Crandall Jones said that due to a lawsuit and an order by Delaware County Judge Barry Dozer, the township is unable to move forward with ordinances on American Rescue Plan Act spending. Council tabled those ordinances.
Councilwoman Meaghan Wagner and Laura Wentz asked Solicitor Sean Kilkenny about bringing in a conflict council in that lawsuit. Kilkenny said he represents Upper Darby Township and the charter and code does not provide for such.
Jones said in an answer to a question from Wagner about the status of a parking head that there will be discussion at the next meeting in terms of the parking authority.
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