The latest meeting of the Evesham Township Council on Tuesday, Oct. 15, included the swearing in of a new police officer, updates from township staff and updates from Evensham Township Police Chief Christopher Chew concerning two ongoing investigations.
The meeting began with a proclamation in honor of Fire Prevention Awareness Month, featuring Captain Scott Freedman with Evesham Fire-Rescue. The fire marshal took some time to talk about the work his department has been doing in order to promote awareness of fire prevention practices residents can implement at home.
According to Freedman, many of these efforts have been targeted at students in the local school district. His department visits every elementary school in the district, teaching around 4,000 students at varying levels based on their age group.
“The kids love it and we love it because it gets us back in the schools,” said Freedman. “It really allows us to use them as the conduit to fire safety at home.”
The fire marshal was happy to report that the township has not suffered a fire fatality in more than 20 years and that annual fires are down year over year for a suburban town the size of Evesham.
One of the latest additions to the Evesham Township Police Department, Kellie Demofonte, was officially sworn in at the meeting. Demofonte was one of the first members of the department’s Police Explorer program as a high school student at Cherokee. She has been employed for the past year in a class two capacity with the department, and now, as a 21-year-old, was finally able to be sworn in as a fully-fledged officer.
Chew recounted two separate instances in Demofonte’s first year with the department when she was able to remove children from dangerous situations involving intoxicated guardians, recently earning her the distinction of officer of the month.
“Kellie, in her class two position, was only on the road one or two days a whole month and during those two occasions she had the ability to come across these two investigations and save these young children’s lives. This is the kind of officer we’re bringing on and I’m extremely proud of her and honored to welcome her,” said Chew.
During his public works report, Tom Kohl provided information about upcoming leaf collection efforts his department will be engaged in throughout the fall season. According to Kohl, collections will begin Monday, Nov. 4 in the township.
“I take every opportunity I can to remind people that is a huge operation for public works,” said Kohl. “We just ask people to be patient.”
Residents who wish to know ahead of time when leaves will be collected in their neighborhood should keep their eyes open for signs that will be posted throughout their area. According to Kohl, his department typically gives at least one week’s notice before leaves will be collected. A rough schedule will also be posted on the township’s social media pages.
During his police report, Chief Chew addressed two recent incidents in town his department is currently in the process of investigating – the distribution of anti-semitic pamphlets in the Fleming’s Steakhouse and AMC 8 parking lots and a string of vehicle break-ins at Savich field.
According to Chew, his department is actively seeking the individual responsible for distributing the anti-semitic literature to cars parked in the lots of local businesses.
“That investigation is ongoing. We’ve dedicated a lot of resources and are working with several law enforcement partners to identify the individual who planted these items on the vehicles,” said Chew.
The chief also reported there have recently been a series of vehicle break-ins during soccer games at Savich field. Several vehicles had windows broken and items such as purses and phones taken from inside.
“Our message, what we’re trying to send out, is when you’re at these games or events, make sure you hide your valuables. Put them in the trunk, don’t put them in plain sight,” said Chew.
In response, the chief says there will be increased police patrols during weekend events in the area.
The next regular meeting of the Evesham Township Council is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Evesham Township Municipal Courtroom.
