YORK, Pa. — This month, York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow has been doing his job without a crucial piece of equipment — his gun.
“It’s more than just idle words,” said Muldrow. “It’s me actually extending myself out there to them. It’s me actually showing them, putting my life where my mouth is.”
He says his decision is about sending a powerful message to the young members of the city’s community.
“I’ll continue to tell them to put their guns down, let us handle it as a police department, try to move different in society,” said Muldrow.
As the city continues to battle gun violence, Muldrow is hoping it makes a difference.
“I care about what happens to you, I care about the decisions you’re making, I don’t want to see you gone, I don’t want to see any more lives lost, I don’t want to see you locked up,” he said.
Muldrow said 50% of York’s violent crime is being perpetrated by young men.
“If this can help a young guy make a decision and decide not to wreck two families: the life they take, and their own when they get locked up, then this was well-worth it,” he said.
As someone who grew up on the same city streets he now watches over, the commissioner says this message is personal.
“This isn’t success or failure for me," he said. "This is personal. These are my neighborhoods. I know these kids, I know these families. I was these kids, these are my family."