In Delco, weapons turn to electricity

In a recycling twist, Upper Darby Township police are taking more than 150 weapons from their evidence room - seized in domestic-violence incidents, assaults, shootings, drug busts, and suicides - to a trash-to-steam plant.

"Our way of addressing the gun issue in America is to destroy them all," said Michael Chitwood, township police superintendent.

He said the weapons would be taken to the Delaware Valley Resource Recovery facility, in the City of Chester.

"Gun violence is a way of our life," said Chitwood.

Set out on tables were 70 long guns, 75 handguns, high-powered bows, large knives, and other weapons.

Chitwood held up a large ax.

"This was used to attack an officer several years ago," he said. He picked up a gun and said the weapon was used to threaten a worker at a dollar store. He pointed to a table overflowing with weapons and said they were taken from a man who had fired shots at neighbors and then barricaded himself in his home.

Last year one homicide was reported in Upper Darby. An elderly man, who had a permit to carry a weapon, was attacked. He killed his assailant. The death was ruled justifiable, he said.

While some departments sell the weapons to gun dealers, Upper Darby will destroy them so they will never be on the streets again, said Chitwood.

He did not know how many were legally purchased before they were confiscated.

The guns will be loaded into a van and escorted to the Chester plant. Two officers will stay with the weapons until they are placed in vats and destroyed, he said.

"We don't get a dime," Chitwood said.