Community Corner

Hilltown Chief of Police Responds to Attempting Luring Incident

The name of the off-duty officer involved in the attempting luring incident on Fairhill Road last Friday cannot be released due to exceptions in the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Act.

Hilltown Township Police Chief Chris Engelhart said the name of the off-duty officer from a neighboring police department involved in the attempted luring incident last Friday on Fairhill Road would not be released, citing an exception to the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law.
Furthermore, Engelhart defined the word "fled" used in the police report of the incident. It was reported that the subject in the luring incident fled the scene when approached by a neighbor of Fairhill Road.
"Fled is strictly a matter of interpretation," wrote Engelahart in an email to Lansdale Patch. "A subject leaving the scene of any incident is normally described as having fled whether they left at a high rate of speed, recklessly or just drove off normally."
Engelhart said investigative reports are normally exempt from disclosure under the Right-To-Know Act.
Of the 30 exceptions in the Right-to-Know Law in Pennsylvania, one is criminal investigation records. According to OpenRecordsPA.org, any records related to or resulting in a criminal investigation are exempt. Police blotters, private criminal complaints and traffic reports are the only items that are public. 
Lansdale Patch apologized to Engelhart for inferring in its journalistic investigation that the name of the officer is being withheld due to a policing brotherhood.
"This information would also not be released if the person was a civilian unless the investigation had resulted in a criminal arrest," Engelhart told Patch. 
Hilltown Township Police closed the case this week on the attempting luring report from Friday.
The incident occurred on the 600 block of Fairhill Road.
Police said a man attempted to lure the child into a car at 6:15 p.m. by posing as a police officer. The man was driving a 4-door white Nissan Maxima, police said.
Police reported the subject was scared away by a concerned neighbor.
The man was described as a white man in his late 40s, bald, with stocky build, and wearing sunglasses.


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