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  Residents and community leaders marched through town with the lieutenant governor in the lead, chanting and claiming a recapturing of the city. The march was the kickoff for the announcement of the arrival of the weed and seed program in Coatesville, which is the eighth city in Pennsylvania and the smallest to receive funding and support services under the program.The weed and seed, which began six months ago in Coatesville, is an undercover program operation that led to the issuing of 135 drug-related warrants and the roundup of 89 individuals who are felony drug dealers. "The weeding is the 'weeding' out of drug culture," said Paul G. Janssen, Jr., Coatesville City manager. "The seeding is the community development program that comes in."  The weeding began with the undercover work through cooperation between Coatesville City Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, County Detectives and the District Attorney's Office. Once the drug market was identified, Pennsylvania State Police personnel were brought in and went undercover. From the information gained through the investigation, warrants were issued. Five (5) handguns were taken off the street and the drug of choice among offenders was primarily crack cocaine, although there were a handful of heroin and ecstasy arrests.To ensure that the dealers won't return to the street, saturation patrols will begin. The second portion of the program is the seeding part, which will also address long-term issues. The seed phase, which follows the saturation patrol, will bring about revitalization. |