Philadelphia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/07/2019 -- In a landmark victory for his campaign, Republican City Council At-Large candidate Bill Heeney has officially won his appeal against the district attorney of Philadelphia in accordance with Pennsylvania's Right to Know law. According to the ruling by the Harrisburg Office of Open Records, the D.A. must now hand over documents, which reveal the number of declinations of crime in Philadelphia, to Heeney. Heeney has promised to be tough on crime during his campaign for Philadelphia City Council, and this is a victory for his platform.

Heeney had initially filed his right-to-know claim to the D.A.'s office as a request that these records be made public, but the D.A claimed that these documents did not exist. Believing this answer to be unacceptable, he then took an appeal to Harrisburg.

The district attorney had recently proclaimed that 26% fewer convictions had been made since 2014. He credits this to more dropped cases, with crimes such as retail theft instead being charged as summary offenses. With these documents becoming publicly accessible, there may be some new light shed upon these statistics.

Heeney, a business owner in Philadelphia, was a recent victim of a burglary at his store. Arrests were made, and the defendants - one of whom was a former employee - are on the record confessing to the crime and identifying themselves as the perpetrators filmed in the security footage of the incident. The district attorney, however, claimed there was no malice, and threw out the case.

The D.A. now has thirty days to hand the records over to Heeney, who believes that these records should be accessible to any taxpayer in Philadelphia. Taking a tougher stance on crime has been one of the highlights of Heeney's blueprint for Better Days Ahead in Philadelphia, and this ruling is a step in that direction.

About Bill Heeney
Bill Heeney is currently the GOP Leader of Philadelphia's 62nd Ward and has seen first-hand that this city needs change. With focuses on cleaning up crime, eliminating the unpopular Philadelphia Soda Tax, and bringing businesses back into the city, Heeney promises that there are Better Days Ahead for Philly if elected to the City Council. Visit www.votebillheeney.com for more information.