Thursday December 4, 2008, Soliciting
On December 4, 2008 at approx. 4:30 pm, a resident in the Borough received a telephone call from a man who claimed to be soliciting money for the Martinsburg Police Department. When the resident began asking questions, the man cut the conversation short and demanded an answer. I would like to remind everyone that the Martinsburg Police Department does not participate in telephone solicitation. If you receive a call similar to this, ask the caller a lot of questions and get as much information from them as you can, and then immediately call your local police department and file a report. There are occasions when the PA Chiefs of Police Assoc. or the FOP will solicit by telephone, and they notify us in advance so that we can answer any questions you may have when you call. If you have recently received a call from someone claiming to be soliciting money for the Martinsburg Police Department, please report it to us by calling our office at 793-2838, or via email at police@martinsburgpa.org.
Wednesday June 26, 2007, Vehicle Entries and Theft
The Martinsburg Police Department is investigating several vehicle entries that occurred sometime overnight between Tuesday evening June 26 and early Wednesday morning June 27, 2007. Vehicles were entered at 204 Locust St., 214 Locust St. and 307 S. Market St. The PA State Police are investigating vehicle entries that occurred on Penn St. during the same time period. Some of the vehicles were ransacked and items were stolen from at least one of the vehicles. One of the vehicles had the dash partially removed in what appears to be an attempt to remove the radio. If anyone has any information concerning these incidents, please contact the Martinsburg Police Department at 793-2838 or via the web at www.martinsburgpa.org under the Case Solvers section of the police department web page. The Martinsburg Police Department would like to remind citizens to keep the doors locked on the vehicles at all times, especially overnight, park vehicles in a well lit area or an area which is covered by a motion activated light, and don’t hesitate to call 911 to report suspicious persons or activity in your neighborhood.
Friday October 27, 2006, Trick or Treat Night
Trick or Treat night held Thursday October 26, 2006 was an uneventful evening for the Martinsburg Police Department. Several officers spent the evening patrolling in cruisers and in plain clothes on foot throughout the borough. Special thanks to the numerous volunteers from the Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Department and the Fire Police who also patrolled the streets on foot to assist in keeping our community safe for everyone. It was nice to see that most of the children going door to door were accompanied by adults. Thanks to all of these efforts incidents were kept to a minimum for the police department and resulted in one of the most peaceful Trick or Treat nights in recent history.
Friday September 29, 2006, Police Department Web Site -
The Martinsburg Police Department has recently updated the Department’s web site located at www.martinsburgpa.org. The Police Department web page has a new look and now contains several new features which include:
1) A Lost and Found section, where items that have been recovered by or turned into the police department are listed so that owners of lost or missing property can see whether the item may have been recovered by the department,
2) A Request for House Check section, if you are going away on vacation, etc., you may fill out a form and submit it online to request a periodic check of your residence. This is also beneficial if you have already left and forgot to request a house check, you may request it online if you have access to the internet.
3) A Report a Crime section, where you can fill out a form and submit it online to report a crime, or to provide a useful tip to assist the department in solving a crime.
4) A Martinsburg Area Neighborhood Watch section which contains information to keep you up to date with current activities and meetings of the group.
5) A section which explains how you may obtain free gun locks.
6) A list of interesting, police related links to other sites.
7) An Arrests Stats section which lists the monthly arrest report as provided to Borough Council.
8) A Staff Members and Email Addresses section which lists all members of the police department and their martinsburgpa.org email address, for those people who would like to communicate with the department via email.
9) A Case Solvers section is a list of investigations that we are seeking public information about. People can then Submit a Tip by clicking on a button at the bottom of the page.
Please be patient as we continue working on and improving this site as well as the entire Borough Web Site. There are more changes to come so be sure to check back often to see what new changes have been made.
Friday June 16, 2006, Motorized Scooters –
The Martinsburg Police Department has recently been receiving many questions concerning motorized scooters and motor scooters and would like to issue the following reminder for everyone’s safety.
Gasoline and electric motor scooters and motorized scooters have become hot items among children and teenagers. Motorized scooters closely resemble a skateboard with handlebars. The rider stands on the platform, holds onto the handlebars and controls the power of the engine with a hand control. A motor scooter resembles a small motorcycle or a mini-bike. Unfortunately many individuals are spending their hard earned money to purchase motorized scooters just to find out that they cannot be operated on Pennsylvania’s roadways or sidewalks.
The Pennsylvania Vehicle Code classifies both a motor scooter and a motorized scooter as a ‘motor vehicle’. To be driven on the highways and roadways of the Commonwealth, a motor vehicle must be registered, titled, inspected, insured and the driver of a motor vehicle must possess a valid driver’s license. However, most motor scooters and all motorized scooters lack required equipment including some of the most basic safety features and cannot pass inspection as required for registration. Therefore, driving these scooters on the roadways and highways of the Commonwealth is both unlawful and unsafe. It should be emphasized that it is also against the law to drive a motor scooter or a motorized scooter on a sidewalk. Motorized scooters and motor scooters which are not registered, inspected and insured may only be driven on private property.
The following is a link to the Penn DOT web site where you can find more information on this subject.
Friday June 23, 2006, Police Department History Request
Chief Kerry L. Hoover is gathering historical information about the Martinsburg Police Department. If you have any items related to the Martinsburg Police Department such as photos, old patches, old equipment, or any historical information about the police department, or previous employees or chiefs, I would kindly request that you contact me at the police office, or call 793-2838, or email me at chiefhoover@martinsburgpa.org. I am also interested in obtaining information about the different police cruisers that the police department has had over the years, including photos.
Friday June 23, 2006, Bargain Day Booth
The Martinsburg Police Department will have a booth located in front of the Martinsburg Borough Building during Bargain Day on Friday, June 30, 2006. Officers will be providing free bicycle safety inspections. There will be a display of police equipment and a cruiser, along with games for children to play. There will also be free “Child Identification Kits” along with informational brochures on important topics such as seat belt safety, underage drinking, neighborhood safety, driver safety, and others. PennDot “Bicycle Drivers Manuals” will also be available free of charge. In addition, three bicycle helmets will be given away in a drawing for children aged 12 and under. Children may register any time during the day and do not need to be present to win. The winners will be notified by Friday evening. Gun safety locks will also be available for parents free of charge. The gunlocks are being provided through the Federal Government “Project-Child Safe” program.