On-demand video of Berks fugitives available on Comcast

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On-demand video of Berks fugitives available on Comcast

By Holly Herman Reading Eagle

4/6/2010

A 46-year-old Reading man is wanted for delivering cocaine to undercover police in Reading.

A 52-year-old Philadelphia man is wanted for identity theft and forgery.

Details of these and six other Berks County fugitives are available, starting today, on Comcast's new "Police Blotter on Demand."

The blotter is available in the Berks County and Harrisburg markets.

"This is the first time this has ever been done in Berks County," Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht said Monday. "We want the information on the mostwanted people out to the public as often as possible."

Reading eagle: Lauren A. Little Berks County Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht, at a press conference Monday outside the county services center with C. Elizabeth Sterner, senior director of government affairs at Comcast.

This project complements a separate project of publishing an insert in the Reading Eagle of the 300 most-wanted fugitives.

Weaknecht said the department arrested more than 60 fugitives as a result of the Feb. 21 insert.

The next insert is scheduled to run in June.

Weaknecht said the newspaper insert and the Comcast videos are part of an all-out effort to arrest the 4,800 fugitives in Berks.

Comcast, meanwhile, plans to update the video several times a year to include new fugitives.

C. Elizabeth Sterner, Comcast senior director of government affairs, said officials saw the newspaper insert and decided the cable provider also could contribute to solving crime in Berks.

She said a crew based in Comcast's Baltimore office traveled to Berks to film Weaknecht and his deputies providing information on the fugitives.

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"We wanted to help," Sterner said. "We have 23 locations where we provide the police blotters." Bob Grove, Comcast spokesman, anticipates the video will produce excellent results. "We are thrilled to be working with the sheriff in Berks County," Grove said. "It's a great program." The services are available in areas including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Baltimore and Richmond, Va. To date, 700 fugitives have been on video, resulting in 90 arrests. "We know that it works well in the other cities," he said. "We are expecting good results in Berks County." Contact Holly Herman: 610-478-6291 or hherman@.

Police blotter, when you want it

Berks County Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht has teamed up with Comcast to set up a fugitives list on the cable system. How to view For Comcast subscribers, Go to "get local." ? Select "news and information." ? The police blotter will appear with a video of about a dozen most wanted fugitives. Videos will be updated as fugitives are arrested. ? Instructions are provided on how to notify the sheriff's office to report anonymous tips. For anonymous tips ? Call 610-478-6390 for all crimes, or 610-478-2900, ext. 5936 for child support. ? Go to co.berks.pa.us/sheriff, click on "most wanted," then click "submit a tip." Source: Berks County sheriff's department

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