NorCo Council - Defund the DA!

Lori Vargo-Heffner

Nobody donned an Antifa black mask during last night's final budget hearing of Northampton County Council. There were no cries of "Defund the Police!" But they certainly shackled law enforcement as well as Seattle City Council or the unruly mob that marched up and down Hamilton Street in Allentown this past summer.  In an astonishing bipartisan blunder, they voted to cut $50,000 of $100,000 that DA Terry Houck wants next year for the Regional  Intelligence and Investigation Center (RIIC). Supporting this mistake were Democrats Lori Vargo-Heffner, Kevin Lott and Bill McGee and Republicans John Cusick and Tom Giovanni. Opposed were Democrats Ron Heckman, Kerry Myers and Tara Zrinski. 

The author of this budget cut is Council VP Lori Vargo-Heffner. She's concerned with "continuing bi-county ventures" and noted the county just built a "beautiful forensic center." She complained that municipalities who take advantage of the RIIC make no contributions. Kevin Lott added that he'd like to see the increase justified, and John Cusick suggested the DA could pay for it out of the drug forfeiture fund. 

The RIIC has an annual budget of about $1.6 million, and Houck noted Lehigh County already pays the "lion's share" of the expense. 

The RIIC is primarily a source of intelligence. It is a mega data base from which investigators can review incident reports, investigations and data from numerous local, state and federal agencies. It uses this intelligence to solve crimes. 

The newly constructed forensic center performs a completely different role than the RIIC. In addition to being a place to store human remains, it has the capacity to perform digital forensic tests that can help solve crime. It plays no role in gathering or disseminating intelligence.  

DA Terry Houck

Houck noted that our dependence on technology and the related intelligence that comes with it, grows daily. "People walk around with their life in their front pocket," he said, in obvious reference to cell phones. This daily increase in information justifies the increased contribution. Houck dismissed the possibility of using drug forfeiture funds to pay for this venture, noting that state law requires that the money must be related to drugs. He added this is no bi-county venture because ongoing criminal activity knows no boundaries. He noted it's unrealistic to expect a tiny borough like Roseto to help pay for a RIIC, but its police force benefits from it every day. 

Kerry Myers, who sponsored several forums on police community relations, said that the RIIC is needed especially for impoverished communities who feel the impact of crime more severely than those who live in more well-to-do areas. "He needs this to fight crime in my community," noted Myers. "They may not all be property owners, but they're innocent people."   

Though Houck explained that increased technology justifies the increased contribution, Lott continued to complain about the increased cost.

"How much money is a life worth?" asked Kerry Myers.

For five members of County Council, the answer appears to be $50,000.  

Council has one last chance to visit this on Thursday night. If they make this cut, they are opting to be woke at the expense of making you less safe. You see, this is certainly bad government. But it's also incredibly stupid politics in a county that Biden barely won. Vargo-Heffner and McGee are up for re-election, and can explain to you next year why they bailed out on your safety.   

McGee was even tempted to deny Houck's request for an additional investigator, something in which Council really has no say. The District Attorney is an independently elected official, and has the right to hire as he sees fit. That's a principle that Houck's predecessor, John Morganelli, successfully established in Court.