Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan will take part in community meetings focused on countering bias-motivated offenses.
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The “Safe From Hate Roundtable Series” is designed to work on strategies for combating and preventing hate crimes across the county, according to the district attorney’s office.
The goal is to bring law enforcement together with religious, ethnic, and racial leaders, the district attorney’s office said Wednesday.
Three sessions are scheduled across Bucks County in the coming weeks.
The Lower Bucks County roundtable will be on Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. at the Peace Center in Langhorne Borough. The Central Bucks County gathering will be Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. at Delaware Valley University, and the Upper Bucks County event is scheduled for November at a time and location yet to be announced.
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Each roundtable will feature a diverse panel of participants and will be streamed live online for public viewing, officials said.
“The Peace Center and Delaware Valley University both have rich legacies of promoting peace, dialogue, and understanding,” said Brendan Flynn, chief of staff for the prosecutor’s office. “We are incredibly grateful and proud to partner with these institutions to begin this important work.”
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The program follows recommendations outlined in “Building a 21st Century DA’s Office: The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office 2026 Transition Report.” The report advised the district attorney to visit houses of worship across all faiths, connect with different racial and ethnic groups, and form a task force or roundtable to establish channels of communication.
The report was co-authored by Flynn and retired attorney Tom Jennings.
The report also advised prosecutors to establish clear guidelines and strategies for the proactive investigation and reactive prosecution of bias crimes in the county.
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Since taking office in January, he has met with police departments, faith centers, and civic groups throughout Bucks County to gather feedback, concerns, and recommendations, Khan said.
The announcement comes after the recent arrest of an Upper Bucks County man accused of sending violent racial slurs, anti-Muslim statements, and a threat to kill the leader of a historically Black church in Plumsted Township. The man was charged with felony ethnic intimidation and related offenses.
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District attorneys in Pennsylvania have the authority to pursue both criminal prosecutions for ethnic intimidation and civil court remedies to obtain equitable relief for victims, the office said.
“We’re going to utilize every tool at our disposal to provide justice and safety for victims of hate crimes,” Khan said. “At a time when people are increasingly feeling at risk because of who they are, our Office is committed to ensuring that each and every member of our community knows that their DA will fight to keep them safe.”
