Upper Darby police turn weapons into electricity

UPPER DARBY, Pa. (WPVI) -- Police in Upper Darby showed off dozens of weapons Wednesday that they have taken off the streets. Now, they're making sure those weapons are rendered useless.

Handguns, long guns, swords - more than 100 weapons recovered over the past few years are set to be destroyed.

Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood says it's a way of cutting down on gun violence in the community.

He explains, "This is our way of making sure that these guns never hurt anybody again."

Each weapon has a different story. Some police seized in drug raids, while many others came in through domestic violence calls. All of them will be destroyed Wednesday when Upper Darby police officers bring them to a trash-to-steam plant in Chester to be turned into electricity.

Chitwood says, "When we feel that it's an offensive weapon and we're called there for some time of criminal activity - it goes, it's gone. Because I don't want my officers going back, and God forbid having somebody use it on them."

At a press conference Wednesday morning, Chitwood showed those in attendance a rifle that he says was used to threaten a store owner, and a hatchet used to threaten a police officer.

They were all laid out on tables at the police department - cross bows, swords, 75 handguns, and 70 long guns.

"Some are sophisticated with scopes, and some are of them are high powered," Chitwood said.

Chitwood says they won't make a dime off the weapons. He doesn't know how many were purchased legally.

"These guns will ever be used to assault anybody or hurt anybody," he said.

The guns are being taken by police escort, and the officers won't leave until the guns are destroyed.