Philadelphia gas station hires private security amid crime surge
Chief Andre Boyer joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss why the move is necessary and the broader crime surge in the city.
One Philadelphia gas station owner took matters into his own hands to protect his business and his customers by hiring private security to patrol the gas pumps.
Chief Andre Boyer, who is a Pennsylvania S.I.T.E. state agent, joined "Fox & Friends First" Thursday to discuss how the city's leadership has failed its people as crime continues to plague the streets.
"D.A. Larry Krasner, he's definitely a big part of it, because when we elected him, we elected him to be a prosecutor, and he failed us," Boyer told co-host Carley Shimkus. "But Danielle Outlaw has not been the commissioner, the police commissioner that she should be. She's been missing in action."
PHILADELPHIA VIOLENCE ‘OFF THE CHAIN’ SAYS LEAD AGENT HIRED TO PROTECT LOCAL GAS STATION
Chief Andre Boyer has been hired as private security at a Philadelphia gas station to help protect the business and customers from surging crime. (Fox News)
"She's really been missing in action," he continued. "There's not since she's been in office, a direct plan set forth by the police department to protect the citizens or to stop the flow of crime, not at all."
Neil Patel, who runs a Karco gas station at Broad and Clearfield streets in North Philadelphia, said he recruited Pennsylvania S.I.T.E. state agents to protect his employees and customers after his store had been repeatedly ransacked, according to local Fox affiliate Fox 29.
Patel explained he was finally moved to hire armed security after young people recently vandalized his business and stole its ATM.
He said his car has also been vandalized by criminals in the area.
"I don't want my customers to have to pull up at the gas tank and worry about being shot, stabbed, robbed or hurt, and his other biggest issue was drug dealers," Boyer said.
"Drug dealers took over his gas station until we got there. Now, he doesn't have that issue anymore."
With the ongoing crime surge in the City of Brotherly Love, Boyer said he has been contacted by other business owners who hope to secure another layer of protection against the city's criminals.
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"A lot of gas stations have reached out to me," he said. "I had an actual manager, female at Wawa, she says, 'I really want to talk to my boss and see if we can have you and your agency, at least have two people staying at each of our Wawas… at least at mine anyway, because the public would love it. We would feel safe. We wouldn't have to worry about incidents like just happened a few months ago where a guy walked in there and shot and killed everybody.'"
Overall, crime is up 24% in Philadelphia since last year.
Fox News' Jon Brown contributed to this report.
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