Castor Ave. security
gets new uniforms

By Diane Villano
Times Staff Writer

The Burlews Detective Agency, which had pitched security services to Castor Avenue businesses last fall, still patrols along the Oxford Circle street. They do it now, however, without the word "Police" in bold letters on their jackets and without a white sedan painted with the Pennsylvania state seal.
On Dec. 6, an officer stopped the vehicle driven by Burlews’ Larry Tucker and confiscated the car. The registration was suspended due to insurance non-payment, according to police.
Roughly three agents now patrol on foot or in unmarked cars.
Tucker was also told that Burlews agents were no longer to wear uniforms with the word "Police" on it. They now wear dark clothing.
The municipal code prohibits persons other than an authorized police officer from wearing "a uniform or accessory equipment identical or similar to that worn by members of the Philadelphia Police Department. Specifically prohibited is the wearing of black or navy blue trousers accented with a contrasting blue stripe running down the outside trouser leg seam and black or navy blue jackets configured to approximate the appearance of the regulation Philadelphia police officer’s jacket."
The jackets worn by Burlews agents were strikingly similar to those of the Philadelphia police narcotics strike force.
Burlews and Larry Tucker’s wife, spokeswoman Doreen Tucker, who is a 35th district police officer, did not return phone calls or e-mails to the Times for comment.
With offices in Conshohocken and New Jersey, Burlews has been in business for more than 20 years. The agency also has been operating in the area of the city’s 35th Police District, between the 4900 and 5700 blocks of N. Fifth St. for seven years.
Lt. Ronald Ball, of the 2nd District, said the business is bonded and legitimate, but the way they were going about it wasn’t.
Uniformed agents asked $50 a week from business owners, in exchange for security 12 hours each day, six days a week. Agents promise routine check-ins with business owners and the availability of being a phone call away.
According to Ball, Burlews seemed to target many of the non-English speaking business owners on the avenue, who may have been fearful of police in their home countries.
To help clarify things, police distributed letters written in English, Spanish and several Chinese dialects, last month, to make Castor Avenue business owners aware of the security agency.
Ball encourages anyone feeling that they might be getting strong-armed or feel intimidated to call police. ••
Reporter Diane Villano can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com