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SEPTA is intervening in Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s lawsuit against Act 40, arguing that the controversial new law is “additional resources” to fight crime.
The bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Wayne Langerholk, would give the special prosecutor jurisdiction over all crimes committed on SEPTA property. The bill was signed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in December.
In January, Mr. Krasner filed a lawsuit to block the law, which would have meant that a yet-to-be-appointed special prosecutor would oversee crimes that occurred within the last 500 years. They argued that it would deprive them of jurisdiction over the A few yards on SEPTA property.
Mr. Krasner’s office argued that the special prosecutor could have jurisdiction over much of the city through Pennsylvania Statute 22 and an amendment that would give university police authority over crimes on or within 500 yards of campus.
For this reason, this move is a no-brainer for voters, as these cases will not be prosecuted by elected officials in Philadelphia, but instead will be tried by individuals selected and hired for the position by the attorney general’s office. He said it would erase the will. As he was, so were the residents.
“In fact, what happened with this bill was the erasure of 155,102 votes,” he said.
But on Thursday, a SEPTA spokesperson told NBC10 that Act 40 would not replace Krasner’s office, but would be a “supplement.”
“Act 40 provides concurrent jurisdiction and is intended to supplement, not replace, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. For SEPTA, it represents another We provide resources,” the spokesperson wrote. “SEPTA’s top priorities are improving the safety, security, and cleanliness of our system, and Act 40 aligns with those efforts.”
On February 20, 2024, SEPTA filed a motion to intervene in Mr. Krasner’s Section 40 lawsuit.
“Act 40 creates a new role that complements the Philadelphia DAO and gives SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia additional resources to fight crime,” the motion states.
SEPTA’s position appears to be consistent with Governor Shapiro’s recent comments regarding Act 40. On an episode of “Battleground Politics,” Gov. Shapiro told NBC10’s Lauren Make that the law is simply a case of “concurrent jurisdiction,” and Mr. Krasner’s powers are not. removed.
Shapiro said the action does not affect Krasner’s jurisdiction, and instead a special prosecutor hired by the state attorney general’s office will step in and handle cases involving crimes on SEPTA property. , said it would be able to provide additional law enforcement support. Mass transportation system.
He called this a case of “concurrent jurisdiction” that protects Philadelphians.
“We’re not taking power away, we’re adding law enforcement resources,” Shapiro said. “I’m a former Pennsylvania attorney general. We have concurrent jurisdiction with the attorney general’s office in all kinds of cases, and that’s not new. Having that concurrent jurisdiction allows us to bring more law… Bringing enforcement resources to the city of Philadelphia is a good thing.”
But after the interview, Krasner claimed that some of the governor’s comments about the new law were “completely false.”
Asked about the governor’s comments, Krasner said, “The idea that this is in any way ‘helping’ the district attorney’s office give unelected prosecutors the right to take 80 percent of all cases is completely unacceptable. That is a mistake.”
Krasner also said he would be happy to meet with Make and Governor Shapiro to further discuss the issue.
“Maybe then we can have a solid exchange of ideas,” Krasner suggested.
NBC10 is working with Krasner’s office to schedule an interview in the near future.
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