Allentown police chief responds to outcry over shootings, says councilman’s criticism a ‘direct insult’ to every officer

Allentown Police Chief Tony Alsleben on Thursday night addressed some of the criticism leveled at department leadership in the wake of a particularly intense summer gun violence spree.Some residents, politicians and community leaders called for Alsleben’s ouster this week over the force’s handling of and public response to recent shootings. Twenty-five people have been shot since the beginning of June, and more people have been shot or had a firearm pulled on them in the city the first six months of this year than all of last year, according to preliminary crime statistics.Alsleben, appointed interim chief in April 2018, said Thursday night that his focus remains solely on ensuring his department is doing everything it can to keep residents safe. The department is close to making arrests in several of the recent shootings, he said.READ MORE: Allentown officials, police urged to do more to curb gun violence“We are utilizing every resource we have as strategically as possible to get violent people off the streets,” the 19-year veteran of the force said.Here are some of the more notable points he made:The city will be launching a violent crime task force next week with the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office.The initiative will tap resources from existing drug and gang task forces as well as the county Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center databases in search of new leads on the remaining unsolved shootings, Alsleben said.Violent crime is down overall despite the recent surge.After a 16% drop in 2018 from 2017, violent crime is so far down another 2% compared to this point last year.Paul Muschick: Be angry, but don’t blame the police for Allentown shootingsThe force recognizes how troubling the past seven weeks have been, Alsleben emphasized, and is not taking the surge lightly.“But it’s important to keep this in context,” he said.A new platoon focused solely on high-crime areas at peak times is preventing more violent crimes.A fifth platoon added at the beginning of the year has so far made 233 arrests, Alsleben said. 120 involved drugs, and 12 included the seizure of guns. It’s impossible to calculate how many shootings and other violent crimes these arrests have preempted, he said, but the platoon is likely making a difference.The city is preparing to share a tool with the public that tracks where and when crime occurs.Alsleben said the city is approaching the launch of the CrimeView GIS software extension that will enable residents to observe where and when crimes are occurring. The launch was delayed by the malware attack that crippled the city’s computer systems in early 2018.MAP: Allentown shootings in 2019The police department will try to communicate and engage more with the public when appropriate.Alsleben said calls for greater engagement with neighborhood watch groups is a fair request. He will ask police captains attending meetings to pass on as much information as possible. He also acknowledged the frustration residents have felt when the department has not provided many details in the aftermath of an incident.“We are doing the best we can while also following criminal procedure,” Alsleben said.He added that most violent cases involve people who know each other and/or are dealing narcotics, and that he’d like to share those details publicly sooner than later whenever possible, but that doing so can jeopardize eventual convictions because of due process concerns and victims’ rights, among other things.APRIL 2018: Allentown mayor names Tony Alsleben as interim police chiefAlsleben took offense to councilman and former police officer Ed Zucal’s comments Wednesday.Zucal, a retired Allentown police officer, told Mayor Ray O’Connell during Wednesday’s Council meeting that his administration and the police department leadership were failing residents.“How many shootings will it take before the problem is fixed?” Zucal asked at the council meeting.Alsleben declined to address most specific criticisms directed his way, but did call out Zucal, calling his admonishment a “direct insult” to every officer who has worked to reduce overall violent crime.Alsleben also questioned council Vice President Julio Guridy’s claim that the intensity of the violence has been unprecedented. Going back just to 2017, he pointed out, there were 10 homicides in a three-month stretch between mid-August and mid-November.
Source: Morningcall