Delco’s DA defends his seat as he and his opponent discuss a ‘spillover’ of crime from Philly

In conversations about crime in Delaware County, the shadow of Philadelphia looms large. The city’s immediate neighbor to the west has seen an uptick in recent months in both violent and quality-of-life crimes, especially in towns along the border.

It’s a topic that has come to dominate the discourse in the county’s district attorney’s race, in which incumbent Jack Stollsteimer — the first Democrat elected district attorney in county history — will face off against Beth Stefanide-Miscichowski, a former prosecutor in that office.

Stollsteimer, 60, of Havertown, defended his record in a recent interview, promising to continue programs he initiated, including a community-driven partnership that has curbed gun violence in Chester; the first county-level environmental crimes unit in Pennsylvania; and aggressive prosecutions of construction companies that misclassify their workers, robbing them of unemployment and worker’s comp benefits.

His opponent has challenged him as being soft on crime, prioritizing progressive ideas such as ending cash bail and reducing the county prison population over prosecuting criminals. And she has criticized the county’s handling of the prison itself, saying there has been an increase of violence against inmates and corrections officers in incidents she said were not always disclosed to the public.

» READ MORE: Delco DA candidate calls for investigation into county jail after deaths and reports of attacks on staff

“There is no doubt there are cases you can ID very early on that should be fast tracked, and individuals shouldn’t be languishing in prison,” Stefanide-Miscichowski said. “However, that should be looked at as the exception, rather than the rule. I want to prosecute all crime, and I want to end the culture of letting anyone coming into Delaware County think there aren’t consequences to their actions.”

Stefanide-Miscichowski, 55, of Thornbury Township, also accused Stollsteimer of having his eyes on higher office and running a “secret campaign” for attorney general in next year’s election. He appeared at a fundraiser for the Westmoreland County Democratic Party in early October, a flier for which said it was sponsored by “Jack Stollsteimer for Attorney General,” according to pictures circulating on social media.

“I don’t have an agenda for a higher office; I’m no career politician,” she said. “I’m passionate about this office because I’m passionate about public safety. That’s what I always wanted to do, and that’s what I went to law school to do.”

Stollsteimer acknowledged that he is mulling a run for the attorney general and said people “from around Pennsylvania” have encouraged him to seek the office, but said he has not made a decision about entering that race and remains committed to his current position. He said the chair of Westmoreland County’s Democratic party is a friend of his, and that the flier was created by people who wanted him to run.

“My intention when I’m reelected is to continue all of these projects, to continue the great work we’re doing every day,” he said. “You can’t let your foot off the gas. So when you’re district attorney, not only do you get to set the priorities of what your staff are going to work on, but you have to make sure that people every single day continue to do it.”

He considers his “pride and joy,” the crown jewel in his legacy as the county’s top prosecutor, to be the Chester Partnership for Safe Neighborhoods in the county’s lone city. Based on the federal Focused Deterrence program — and overseen by Deputy District Attorney Matt Krouse, a former Philadelphia prosecutor who worked on a similar initiative there — the partnership uses community-driven communication to target, as Stollsteimer put it, “the 1% of people who do 75 to 80% of the violence.”

Since the program started in 2020, Chester has seen a 68% reduction in gun-related murders, and a 65% reduction in shootings overall, according to statistics from Stollsteimer’s office.

» READ MORE: Shootings and murders are down in Chester as new community-driven program takes root

“I want to be clear about this: I think violent crime is a symptom of a larger disease. The disease is poverty,” Stollsteimer said. “So just like in Chester, we can do some things that are sort of an antidote to the symptom. But underlying all of that are local elected officials whose job it is to try to bring economic development. The people in Chester deserve a better life.”

He hopes to repeat that progress in other communities that have seen a spike in crime, including Yeadon and Upper Darby. The latter, he said, has been beset by a “spillover” from West Philadelphia, including a spate of retaliatory, gang-related shootings at a cemetery.

“I really think it needs to be an iterative process,” he said. “The theory of using intel to determine who the really bad people are and follow the trail of those people, that’s indispensable to modern police work.”

Stefanide-Miscichowski acknowledged that spike in crime, and also pledged to curb it as the top prosecutor. But she differs from Stollsteimer in how she says she would approach the issue.

“I get that he has a philosophy of fighting crime by giving people second chances, and addressing poverty issues, and, again, I’m not saying those aren’t valid policies,” she said. “I’m saying they should not be the the first line of attack for the district attorney, the county’s chief law enforcement officer.”

She pledged to support the county’s 44 police departments, and help them bolster their ranks amid national trends of dwindling recruit classes. Her focus on more aggressive prosecution also includes a re-working of the district attorney’s office itself, emphasizing collaboration among prosecutors and making it run “like one of the best law firms in Delaware County.”