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Toomey talks police, immigration at Hazleton roundtable

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<p>HAZLETON &#8212; U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey made an impassioned plea to have equipment returned to local police forces Wednesday that was taken away by an executive order of President Barrack Obama.</p><p>As part of a roundtable discussion he held at City Hall, Toomey pushed his Lifesaving Gear for Police Act. The act would allows police departments access to federal law enforcement and military equipment and stipulates that equipment confiscated under Obama&#8217;s May 2015 executive order be returned to local agencies.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen anything like it before where the men and women who protect our lives have been discredited, slandered and attacked, and it&#8217;s not right. Someone needs to stand up and defend them,&#8221; Toomey, R-Zionsville, said. &#8220;One of the things I want to ensure is that the men and women protecting us have the opportunity to protect themselves.I think police officers should be at least as well protected as the criminals they are trying to apprehend.</p><p>&#8220;President Obama decided that since this equipment might offend some people, we&#8217;re going to discontinue making this equipment available to police departments.&#8221;</p><p>This equipment can include armored vehicles with track-style locomotion, assault weapons, riot shields and riot helmets. This executive order was implemented in response to a concern of the militarization of police in situations such as the protests and the riots in Ferguson, Missouri.</p><p>Toomey was joined by Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, state Rep. Tara Toohill, R-Butler Township, Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale and officers from Freeland and Butler Township police departments.</p><p>The discussion also touched on the topics of sanctuary cities, opioid abuse and two other pieces of legislation sponsored by Toomey.</p><p>The Thin Blue Line Act would make the targeting of a law enforcement officer an aggravating circumstance in considering capital punishment for a crime.</p><p>The Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act would mandate that federal prisons under the control of the Bureau of Prisons provide a safe storage area for firearms so correctional officers may carry firearms on their commute to and from the prison.</p><p>Lieutenant Albarati was killed in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, while driving home from a shift at the Metropolitan Detention Center. The motive of the killing is suspected to be directly related to Albarati&#8217;s status as a corrections officer.</p><p>The officials also discussed immigration in Hazleton and the fiercely debated topic of sanctuary cities, including Philadelphia.</p><p>&#8220;This is madness. It&#8217;s like we&#8217;re going to confer a special legal privilege on someone who is a criminal because they came here illegally. It&#8217;s just unbelievable,&#8221; said Toomey.</p><p>Toomey also commented on the Affordable Care Act. Gov. Tom Wolf sent Toomey a letter Tuesday imploring him to reconsider his stance by mentioning four cases where the Affordable Care Act was beneficial to Pennsylvanians.</p><p>&#8220;We taken an absolutely unprecedented amount of phone calls, emails, and in-person meetings,&#8221; Toomey said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been very candid for a long time. I disagree. I think Obamacare is failing. I think the individual market that Obamacare created is in a death spiral.</p><p>&#8220;I still believe strongly that we have to repeal Obamacare and move in a different direction.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pat Toomey listens to police officers at a roundtable discussion in Hazleton&#8217;s City Hall on Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL060117toomey1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pat Toomey listens to police officers at a roundtable discussion in Hazleton&#8217;s City Hall on Wednesday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Katie Pugh</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Toomey with law enforcement officials holds roundtable in Hazleton