10/06/2025
READ ALL ABOUT IT: Check out this awesome write up from CBS last month - GOOD THINGS are happening in Chester ⤵️
“Chester had one of the highest per capita murder rates, not in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but in the entire country,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said Wednesday.
But over the last few years, state, county and city leaders say they’ve made a concerted effort to crack down on the violence plaguing Chester streets. It was in 2020 that they launched the Chester Partnership for Safe Neighborhoods.
Five years later, officials say they’ve made significant progress.
“That five-year run, and especially the success we’ve had this year, has made this the most-safe stretch we’ve had in the city of Chester literally in decades,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.
It’s a community that has long been no stranger to violence. In fact, officials say, Chester, Pennsylvania, was once one of the most violent places in the country.
But over the last few years, state, county and city leaders say they’ve made a concerted effort to crack down on the violence plaguing Chester streets. It was in 2020 that they launched the Chester Partnership for Safe Neighborhoods.
Five years later, officials say they’ve made significant progress.
“That five-year run, and especially the success we’ve had this year, has made this the most-safe stretch we’ve had in the city of Chester literally in decades,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.
“Now hope is here in Chester,” Mayor Stefan Roots said.
Officials provided new data on violent crime in Chester, specifically on gun-related incidents. Their numbers show that since 2020, gun homicides have fallen 74% in the city. Gun incidents, or shootings as Stollsteimer put it, were down 65% in that same span.
