'Live From the Newsroom' tackles violence in Chester

There's a sad bit of irony connected to tonight's 'Live From the Newsroom' show. We'll back on the campus of Widener University to talk about safety in the city of Chester, in particular a new program aimed at greatly increasing the number of surveillance cameras in two crime-ridden neighborhoods in the city.

A couple of weeks ago Rite Aid Corp. teamed with the city, Widener University and the Riverfront Alliance of Delaware County, putting up $10,000 toward the program.

Rite Aid knows a bit about the high cost of violence in Chester. One of their store managers, Jason Scott McClay, was gunned down during a holdup attempt in their store at Ninth and Highland in 2013.

Ironically, today testimony is expected to start in the trial of three people charged in his murder.

Joining me tonight for this special show will be Chester Mayor John Linder; Chester Police Commissioner Joseph Bail Jr.; Widener Campus Safety Director Pat Sullivan; and Michael McGee, Executive Director of the Riverfront Alliance of Delaware County.

We'll discuss both the push for surveillance cameras and other actions aimed at increasing safety in the city.

Last year, 30 people were slain on the streets of Chester. It was part of a record year for homicides in Delaware County, which recorded 49 murders.

If you have a question you'd like to ask our panel, email it to me at editor@delcotimes.com. Then tune in tonight at 7 at DelcoTimes.com for a special look at violence in Chester and what the city is doing to attack the problem.

By the way, the city already has recorded three homicides in 2015.

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