Cambria Times

State Representative Jim Rigby is set to propose two legislative measures aimed at fostering cooperation among municipalities and states to address violent crime. These bills are part of a broader initiative by state House Republicans focusing on crime prevention, policing, prosecution, and punishment.

"Information is power, and the sharing of information can be a very powerful tool when it comes to confronting violent crime," Rigby stated. "The bills I’ll be offering call for a more coordinated effort that will expand the availability of details about criminal activity and make more members of law enforcement aware of who’s on their streets and how to stop them."

Rigby's first proposal seeks to establish a statewide organized crime/street gang database to promote collaboration and information sharing across different jurisdictions.

"There are larger police departments across Pennsylvania that have already established a bank of information on perpetrators and incidents of violent crime," Rigby explained. "Smaller departments simply don’t have the resources to do that, and creating a database which they can quickly access makes that information readily available on a wider scale."

The second bill would urge Governor Josh Shapiro to negotiate an interstate compact with other states operating similar databases for mandatory information sharing.

"Sharing of information about criminal activity already exists across the country but only among states that enter into agreements to do so," added Rigby. "It’s imperative that Pennsylvania become a participant in this nationwide database to empower our police departments, large and small, with the tools they need to prevent, investigate, and solve crimes."

Rigby highlighted the challenges posed by mobile gangs and offenders: "These gangs and offenders often move about, which makes them tougher to monitor. In the Johnstown area, our local law enforcement has seen them migrate in from Philadelphia and New Jersey." He also noted recruitment challenges faced by police academies: "It’s no secret that police academies are seeing fewer enrollees, and smaller towns are relying more and more on the Pennsylvania State Police for assistance. The officers and detectives in all jurisdictions, regardless of size, need to have access to every tool available if we want to get serious about combatting violent crime."

For further inquiries regarding these proposals or any state government issue, contact Rigby's offices in Cresson at 814-886-1055, Ferndale at 814-536-9818, or Somerset County at 1-814-509-6942.