Trespassing at quarries on decline in PA

August 15, 2017

Increased security measures used by law enforcement is helping reduce trespassing and fatalities at quaries in PA.

Trespassers in search of a place to cool off might be getting the message to stay out of private quarries following a handful of drowning deaths and serious injuries in recent years, reports lehighvalleylive.com.

So far this summer, Bangor police and Pennsylvania State Police in Belfast have reported no deaths as a result of trespassing into the Flory Mill quarry in Bangor and Martins Creek quarry in Lower Mount Bethel Township, Pa. The quarries also are commonly referred to the Seven Slopes and Eastern Industries, respectively.

And trespassers being cited decreased significantly this past summer and last summer compared with 2015. Bangor Police Chief Scott Felchock said to date, five people have been cited for quarry trespassing in the borough.

In 2015, more than 80 people were cited at the Martins Creek quarry alone compared with nine in 2016 and none to date this summer, Pennsylvania State Police in Belfast said.
"(State police in Belfast) has not received any calls regarding trespassers nor have we proactively encountered them this year to date," said Sgt. J. Patrick O'Malley, the station's commander.

Sgt. Joseph Sparich, also previously with the Belfast barracks, attributes the decrease in  quarry trespassing to increased security measures used by law enforcement.