Avondale State Trooper Kenton Iwaniec, 24, of Lancaster and formerly of Ligonier, died March 27 after he was involved in a car crash on his way home from work. He was laid to rest Friday in western Pennsylvania.

Find Daily Local News coverage of the funeral and burial here.

Emergency crews responded to two reports of auto fires within two hours of each other early Thursday morning.

The first car fire, which may have been intentionally set, broke out about 4:30 a.m. in the 500 block of East Lincoln Highway.

The second car fire, which likely was caused by a mechanical issue, started about 6:30 a.m. in the 500 block of Lumber Street between Manor Alley and North Sixth Avenue.

Authorities are investigating.

Honey Brook Borough has made moves to start its own police department. See Thursday's Daily Local News for a story that includes an interview with the borough's new police chief, Pat Ely.

The head of the state police announced Monday that 14 people were killed in the 508 car crashes investigated by the state police between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Additionally, 202 people were injured in the crashes.

Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said 11 of those killed were not wearing seat belts. Fifty-two of the crashes, including four of the fatals, were alcohol related, he said.

During the same time period, state police issued 4,467 speeding citations, charged 209 with driving under the influence, cited 205 people for not wearing seat belts, and issued 34 citations for drivers not securing children in safety seats.

The fatalities are up from last year's Easter weekend -- April 6 through April 8. Last year, one person was killed and 209 people were injured.

The North Coventry Police Department and Norco Fire Company are working to raise money to help the family of officer and firefighter Joshua D. Wuertz, who died Jan. 19, 2008.

And you can help.

The police department and fire company are holding a "Beef-N-Beer" event from 6 to 10 p.m. on April 5 at the Norco Fire Company, 144 W. Schuylkill Road, Pottstown.

Tickets are $25. The money raised will go to Josh's wife Shannen and daughter Lillyen.

To purchase your tickets call the North Coventry Police Department at 610-323-8360.

Authorities temporarily shut down three city businesses Friday morning while they arrested employees and seized a large amount of merchandise drug dealers and users are known to buy.

Six people were arrested Friday as part of a joint operation between the Coatesville Police Department and state Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations.

Authorities gave a DLN reporter and photographer exclusive access during the operation. See Saturday's Daily Local News for the full report.

The West Whiteland Board of Supervisors is expected to honor Sgt. Martin Malloy on March 26 for his 20 years of service in the police department.

Malloy has a master's degree in history and public administration. He currently serves as a patrol supervisor and public information officer. Malloy's hobbies include teaching history courses and learning Spanish.

Chief Brian Sheller recognized Cpl. Christopher Sandland at the borough council meeting Monday. Sheller presented Sandland with an award for his response to a cardiac arrest call on Feb. 8.

The patent's family asked that Sandland be recognized for his "professionalism, compassion and quick response."

Police said Tuesday the woman who fell from a five-story parking garage in West Chester Saturday stepped off of the ledge intentionally. More info can be found in the Daily Local News.

Parkesburg Borough Council decided tonight to reverse its decision to layoff 11 police officers. (You can find full details in Tuesday's Daily Local News.) What you'll only find here are some of Chief Brian Sheller and Detective Jerry Davis' comments following the council meeting.

Council approved the layoff plan Dec. 27, but following criticism from the law enforcement community council agreed to delay the staffing cuts. Monday the plan was eliminated all together.

Sheller publicly spoke about the layoff plan for the first time after Monday's vote.

"I'm very relieved that council has moved in this direction versus where we were on December 27," Sheller said. "I think the officers have demonstrated professionalism and dedication throughout this uneasy time in these...recent months."

Sheller and Davis went on to thank the residents, business community and law enforcement community, including DA Joseph Carroll and FOP, for their support through the process.

If the cuts had been implemented, Davis said, "We would have become a reactive department instead of a proactive police department."

PennDOT and Philadelphia area police departments are teaming up to enforce seat belt use.

Even though Pennsylvania has nearly an 87 percent seat belt use rate, PennDOT said Monday police in the region and across the state are working to get more motorists to wear their seat belts in their travels.

Police departments in Chester, Delaware, Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties are set to receive $179,000 grants to conduct seat belt patrols between today and March 30, according to a release issued by PennDOT.

Under state law, all front-seat passengers are required to wear their seat belts. If found without a belt, a driver or passenger could face a $60 fine and related fees.

PennDOT said in 2006 over 600 people were killed on state highways because they did properly wear a seat belt.

For more information on Click it or Ticket, go to www.buckleuppa.org.

Two of the county's law enforcement leaders are set to retire this month.

State Police Lt. Brian Naylor, who has served 26.5 years in law enforcement and heads up the Embreeville Barracks in West Bradford, will retire this Friday.

Tredyffrin Police Chief Richard Harkness, who headed up the department for seven years and served in law enforcement for 32 years, will retire from his post March 28.

State police and Tredyffrin officials are in the process of determining Naylor and Harkness' replacements. In the meantime, Captain Andrew Chambers will likely be appointed to acting chief.

Look for an interview with Naylor in the Daily Local News this weekend.

(Harkness is pictured above.)

Welcome to the new Chester County police blog.

This is a blog dedicated to criminal investigations in Chester County. Look here for police news you won't find in the print edition of the Daily Local News. Additionally, this forum gives readers an opportunity to weigh in on recent local police news.

So, welcome to this forum. I encourage your feedback. And, as always, I welcome any tips or ideas for public safety stories. You can e-mail me directly at jmiller@dailylocal.com.