September 14, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Mayor and police commish pass buck on crime
by JENNIFER KATZ

Short of passing out T-shirts that read “Don’t Blame Us,” Mayor John F. Street and Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson were clear in their joint message last week that the current surge of gun violence and homicides were not the result of poor management or a shrinking police force.

During a by-invitation-only editorial meeting with the city’s weekly and alternative newspapers, the mayor and the commissioner also decried the daily papers’ coverage as misleading.

“We believe there is a misunderstanding about crime,” Street said. “I think recent headlines have led to misapprehension.”

According to the mayor, shootings and homicides are up, but that is only in comparison to the success of the last few years. In 2002, there were 288 homicides, the lowest in 17 years, Street said. Furthermore, he added, overall crime is down 15 to 17 percent.

“There is no question we are moving in the wrong direction from that,” he said, “but previously over 400 homicides per year were the norm. I’ve heard people say to call in the National Guard or that the city is in a state of emergency, and that is simply not true.”

Street said it is important to put the current situation in context particularly in light of reports that cities across the country are experiencing the same spike in gun violence and homicides.

“In Boston they are seeing a 67 percent rise in homicides,” he said. “I don’t want folks in the suburbs and [potential] tourists to think Philadelphia is an aberration.”

Street lamented that federal funding, previously earmarked for crime fighting, is now being diverted to fight the war in Iraq.

“International terrorism is a shame,” he said. “But domestic terrorism is just as bad.”

The mayor sought to provide “perspective” for the crime statistics and also speculated on some of the contributing factors to the current struggle to contain gun violence in the city.

According to the mayor’s office, adding 100 officers would cost the city $27 million for the next four years, and 500 officers would cost the city $102 million over the same time period. And that, he said, is just not warranted when homicides are only one-seventh of the total crime evaluation.

Street said he has heard lots of people say that the city needs more police, a claim he does not agree with.

“By and large, I think we have the right number of officers,” he said. “If we had increases in other areas, I might agree. But that’s not the case.

Street said that when it comes to homicides, sheer numbers alone would not yield relief.

“Last year, 97 percent of homicides were victim specific,” he said. “How would more cops stop that?”

Additionally, an estimated 70 percent of the killings happen inside of buildings, not on the streets, which makes it difficult for police to intervene, Street said.

The Mayor expressed frustration that, as he put it, “almost no one has shown an appreciation for the cost of adding officers to the force.”

He noted that one additional police officer would cost the city $32 million a year and that five additional officers would cost the city more than $100 million a year. And that, he said, is just not warranted when homicides are only one-seventh of the total crime evaluation.

It is a challenging argument to make in a city where residents frequently tell stories about calling 911 to report a crime, only to have the police take a long time to get there or, in some instances, not show up at all.

Johnson said residents needed to understand the 911 priority system. Admitting that occasionally there are not enough officers on duty to respond to each call in a timely fashion, he said it is the exception, not the rule, for a department that fields approximately 3.4 million emergency calls a year.

Street warned that listening to the cries to add more police would create an environment in the city that he decried as unpleasant.

“I remember living in this city when people were very unhappy with the treatment some of the people got,” he said. “They felt singled out and that there was search and seizure without cause. I don’t want to see that kind of thing happen again.”

Street pointed to the changing fabric of homicide, saying that the catalyst for violence is becoming more and more “nominal.” The police department estimates that 50 percent of homicides are the result of arguments.

“Today homicides arise from arguments that in times past would not have resulted in someone taking out a gun,” he said.

Johnson also defended the police force, saying “it takes four seconds to commit a homicide, so where do you put an officer to stop that?

“Statistics don’t mean anything. It’s the quality of life for residents that matters.”

As of Sept. 6, there have been 266 homicides, with an estimated 10 percent drug related and another 50 percent the result of an argument.

Johnson said Philadelphia today is “dealing with things we’ve never dealt with before.” He cited the number of ex-convicts on the streets, people in recovery from addiction and the apparent fact that the city has “the purest heroin in the country” as factors that challenge the police.

Street also noted that the city is hiring 200 police officers this year. (half as a result of the budget agreement with city hall and half with funding from Governor Rendell.) He emphasized, however, that he does not believe there is a direct correlation between the number of officers and the homicide rate.

“When Rizzo was Mayor the police department averaged 8,000 officers and the homicide rate averaged 390,” Street explained. “Under my administration, the police department has averaged 6,800 officers and the homicide rate has averaged 320.”

Street said that homicides and gun violence are the city’s number one problem, but cautioned everyone not to overreact.

“We shouldn’t shoot ourselves in the economic foot because of a trend that isn’t so far out of normal range,” he added.

Street said he intended to lead the city’s fight against gun violence by lobbying for gun control legislation, and will lead a rally in Harrisburg on Sept. 26.

One program the Mayor mentioned specifically was a citywide initiative aimed at deterring truancy.

“Only bad things can happen if a child is not in school,” he said. “Many people think truancy is the responsibility of the school district, but it’s not, and we plan to implement the most aggressive truancy program in the history of the Philadelphia.

“Our goal is to increase the quality of services in education and policing to take a long term approach.”