Headlines of drug busts, murders and assaults at hotels along the Route 1 corridor have plastered the news for some time now.
From one man who threw gasoline on his girlfriend while she had a lit cigarette in hand at the Lincoln Motel in 2016, to a former Philadelphia police officer who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in 2013, also at the Lincoln, not to mention regularly-occurring drug deals, crime has ravaged these establishments for years.
But now, Bensalem Township has nearly $1 million at its disposal to crack down on the issue.
During a recent news conference at the Municipal Building, 2400 Byberry Road, Fred Harran, director of public safety with the Bensalem Township Police Department, announced that a $929,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development has been secured to exclusively help law enforcement combat drugs, human trafficking and other crimes at Route 1 hotels.
These funds were secured by Sen. Tommy Tomlinson and his daughter, state Rep. KC Tomlinson, who Harran said have been working in Harrisburg to establish a hotel tax to benefit the township. He shared that Bensalem is home to 52 percent of the hotel rooms in the entire county, but currently, the hotel tax money goes to the county or commonwealth.
“There’s nothing for the municipality,” Harran said. “Bensalem gets no money from that to offset the cost of services.”
While the Tomlinsons remain unsuccessful regarding the tax, the $929,000 grant will be a great help.
According to Harran, the reason why crime is so rampant at Route 1 hotels is because of its location. Not only is Bensalem in close proximity to Philadelphia, but if criminals are fleeing from other cities like New York and Trenton, Bensalem is the first turnpike interchange they hit.
“It puts us right in the middle,” said Harran. “It makes it easy for people to come from point A to point B and also makes it easier for the criminal element.”
Over the next two years, the grant will be utilized for several key initiatives. A total of $300,000 will go to Bensalem EMS for the purchase of a new ambulance. Their emergency vehicles experience much wear and tear from responding to overdoses and victims of crime.
A total of $400,000 will go to the Bensalem Township Police Department. Officers will be paid overtime to have a stronger presence at these hotels.
“Not to pull away from the 9-1-1 response to our 64,000 residents here in Bensalem,” assured Harran. “We’ve been doing this for years at a cost to Bensalem residents. But now, with the help of the Representative and Senator, we’re able to do this at no cost to our local taxpayers and keep Bensalem even safer than it already is.”
Lastly, $200,000 will be put toward equipment. This is slated to include the utilization of more license plate readers for people who are wanted by the police and flee to Bensalem, and more cameras to capture events taking place in hotel corridors. Additionally, task forces will be established to partner with the various hotels and ensure they have needed resources.
Rep. Tomlinson was present on behalf of herself and her father. She shared the most common wish she heard from residents while door-knocking during her campaign in 2020.
“They want to live in a community that’s safe. I made a promise that I would do whatever I could to protect Bensalem from the problems that occur just outside of our town,” she said. “This money will directly fund undercover operations to combat drug trade, human trafficking and prostituting that unfortunately occurs right here in Bensalem Township. This money will ensure that, if you come to Bensalem with the intention of committing a crime, you will get caught and you will go to jail.”
Mayor Joe DiGirolamo was on hand to praise the Tomlinsons for their work.
“This is an immense help for us because now, we’re going to be able to do not only what we did before, but intensify that,” he said. “I think this is going to really help us alleviate that problem and we look forward to that.”
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
