WEST READING, PA — West Reading police handled a heavy workload throughout March, with the department’s monthly activity report documenting at least 796 incidents by March 30, ranging from assaults and public drunkenness arrests to traffic crashes, missing-person calls, and repeated patrol, check, and traffic enforcement activity across the borough.
According to department records, much of the month’s activity centered on routine checks and patrols at recurring locations including the 500 block of Penn Avenue, the 700 block of Reading Avenue, the 200 block of Playground Drive, the 500 block of Sycamore Road, the 100 and 200 blocks of South 1st Avenue, and Parkside Drive North. Police also logged frequent traffic stops at intersections along Penn Avenue, Delaney Circle, Buttonwood Street, South 3rd Avenue, and South 5th Avenue.
Among the more serious incidents listed, officers responded at 8:00 a.m. March 3 to the 500 block of Penn Avenue for an assault. The report was listed as closed. A second assault was reported at 1:09 a.m. March 7 in the 200 block of South 3rd Avenue, where police reported the case resulted in an arrest or non-traffic citation.
Police also reported two public drunkenness cases during the month, both in the 200 block of South 3rd Avenue. The first was logged at 7:54 p.m. March 3 and the second at 10:13 p.m. March 30. In both cases, the disposition was listed as an arrest or non-traffic citation issued.
Traffic incidents were another steady part of the department’s March workload. Police responded at 4:01 p.m. March 3 to a non-reportable crash in the 300 block of South 7th Avenue and at 4:38 p.m. the same day to a reportable crash at West Shore Bypass and Buttonwood Street. Additional non-reportable crashes were logged at South 5th Avenue and Chestnut Street on March 4, at South 5th Avenue and Spruce Street on March 5, and on Route 400 West on March 26.
The report also shows police handled quality-of-life and service calls throughout the month. An unwanted person call at 12:05 p.m. March 2 in the 300 block of Penn Avenue ended with the person identified and released. A borough ordinance violation reported at 6:01 p.m. the same day in the 300 block of Summit Street was listed as gone on arrival. Police later responded at 11:03 a.m. March 7 to the 300 block of Tulpehocken Avenue for disorderly conduct, and that case was marked closed.
A missing adult case was reported at 1:15 p.m. March 7 in the 200 block of Olive Street and was later listed as closed, according to police.
Animal-related calls also appeared in the monthly log. Police responded at 9:29 a.m. March 5 to the 300 block of Penn Avenue for an animal complaint that was listed as gone on arrival. Another animal case was logged at 11:25 a.m. March 26 in the 300 block of Summit Street and ended with an arrest or non-traffic citation issued.
Fire-related assistance calls were also noted. Officers responded at 2:14 a.m. March 7 to the 500 block of Reading Avenue to assist the fire department, and another assist-fire-department call was logged at 10:07 p.m. March 12 in the 300 block of South 6th Avenue. Both were listed as paperless incidents with no report attached.
Traffic enforcement remained constant across the month. Police issued citations or warnings during stops at Delaney Circle and Buttonwood Street, Penn Avenue and North 5th Avenue, South 3rd Avenue and Franklin Street, South 5th Avenue and Pine Street, and multiple points along Buttonwood Street on March 26. The March 30 report also shows additional citation activity on South 5th Avenue and Spruce Street and in the 500 block of Reading Avenue.
The monthly report does not provide narrative detail for most incidents, but it shows West Reading officers spent much of March rotating between patrols, property checks, crash responses, ordinance complaints, intoxication calls, assaults, and traffic enforcement across the borough.
All suspects, arrestees, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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