Gun Seizures Up 75% In 2 Years, Bensalem Police Director Says

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —In just over a week, the Bensalem Township police patrols have arrested four people for illegally possessing firearms with three of those arrests resulting from traffic stops and the fourth arrest from a proactive hotel detail.

The results stem from the police department's proactive policing technique called Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS).

The program's purpose is to identify and conduct high-visibility enforcement strategies to work toward reducing crime, violations, and crashes, Public Safety Director William McVey said.

McVey said the department has seen a 75 percent increase in gun seizures over the past two years due to officers using the technology.

"We continue to employ proactive details and techniques to get as many illegal guns off the street as possible," McVey said. "We also continue to stop vehicles for minor traffic violations and enforce the laws of this Commonwealth."

He said that many gun seizures come from the patrol division conducting traffic stops for the enforcement of minor traffic violations.

"Simultaneously, it extends resources and improves the safety and well-being of Bensalem Township residents," he said.

Police said that the four who were recently arrested were prohibited from possessing a firearm under state statute.

They were charged with Persons Not to Possess, Use, Manufacture, Control, Sell, or Transfer Firearms and related offenses.

McVey said the department's core mission is to keep the residents and visitors to Bensalem Township safe.

"If someone commits a crime in Bensalem, know that we will be utilizing all of our resources to identify, arrest and prosecute them," McVey said.