Local officials planning to open new juvenile detention facility to reduce increasing crime

BEAVER, Pa. — State officials and representatives from eight counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including Beaver County, gathered this week to discuss the juvenile crime crisis.

“Southwestern Pennsylvania is in the middle of a juvenile crime crisis and as that’s hitting us. We’ve had a number of juvenile detention facilities close,” said Beaver County District Attorney Dave Lozier.

Lozier said since the pandemic, they’ve seen a dramatic increase in serious juvenile crimes, including robberies, shootings, thefts and assaults.

Lozier said in seven months, they’ve had 103 car thefts in Beaver County, mostly involving minors.

Channel 11 learned exclusively this week that 60 representatives from these eight counties got together in Pittsburgh to discuss this widespread multi-county problem.

“We are all in this together and I think the solution is coming together and have a regional approach to these issues,” said Beaver County Commissioner Jack Manning.

Once a juvenile is taken into custody, Lozier said the county has six hours to find a place for them. Since detention facilities have closed in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, they are calling places in central PA and Ohio but most of the time, he says nothing is available, so police have to release the juvenile back to their family.

But Lozier thinks they have a possible solution.

“What we are discussing is building one or more juvenile detention facilities,” said Lozier. “This could potentially be a northern and southern facility, repurposing another facility or building a new facility.”

Lozier said the facilities might be jointly operated by all the counties involved. State leaders from the Department of Human Services also attended the meeting.

“Good news about that meeting, too, was the state is willing to pay 50% for renovations and costs for expansion,” said Manning.

The group of representatives will have follow-up meetings in two weeks in Fayette and Lawrence counties.

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