O’Neill sets his sights
on parolees in Rotary address

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

To City Councilman Brian O’Neill, there’s one overriding issue in Philadelphia — crime.
"This city is losing to violent crime and murders," he said.
O’Neill (R-10th dist.) was the guest speaker at last week’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Frankford-Northeast Philadelphia. The club meets every Tuesday at noon at Torresdale-Frankford Country Club.
The Republican, who was elected in 1979, is seeking his eighth four-year term. He faces Democrat Sean McAleer in the Nov. 6 election.
Among the anti-crime proposals he would like to see implemented is the Parolee Search and Seizure bill, introduced in the state House of Representatives.
Anyone in prison for a violent or gun-related crime would be required to sign a waiver upon parole subjecting them to search and seizure at any time by police officers, with or without a search warrant or probable cause.
There are about 8,800 parolees in Philadelphia. Statistics show that 80 percent of the crime in the city is committed by individuals with police records.
O’Neill believes parolees who want to lead a law-abiding life shouldn’t have a problem with the measure.
"If they’re not carrying a weapon, they have nothing to worry about," said O’Neill, the only lawyer on the 17-member City Council.
O’Neill favors the approach by Michael Nutter, the Democratic candidate for mayor and his former Council colleague, whose call for a stop-and-frisk policy by the police department helped lift him to a come-from-behind victory in the May primary.
Republican mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger, who was in attendance at the Rotary meeting, opposes the policy.
O’Neill said the tactic is constitutional and will catch people who have a disregard for life. He thinks Philadelphia, which has a murder rate five times per capita greater than New York’s, should adopt the aggressive policing implemented in the 1990s by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
"You can do it, and you can do it legally," he said.
O’Neill, whose late father was a police officer, said the city’s police officers and their supervisors do a good job and offer productive ideas. He is looking forward to the next mayor appointing a new commissioner to replace the retiring Sylvester Johnson.
The councilman favors a return to beat cops, calling them the city’s "infantry."
"Most people don’t know who the local police officer is," he said.
As for staffing, O’Neill backs a bill sponsored by state Rep. John Perzel (R-172nd dist.) that would add 10,000 officers to departments across Pennsylvania. Some 1,300 would be hired in Philadelphia.
In O’Neill’s view, the 7th and 8th police districts in the Far Northeast get shortchanged because most of the officers are assigned to areas where violent crime is high. The councilman calls that system "antiquated" and thinks officers should be assigned based on 911 calls for service.
In related crime areas, O’Neill likes the city’s curfew centers. Minors are picked up, but not arrested, by police for curfew violations and brought to a community center like the one in Frankford and held until their parents pick them up.
"Maybe it’ll hit home a little more what their children are doing," he said.
Two weeks ago, O’Neill offered a resolution that called on the police department to check the immigration status of all suspects arrested on felony charges. Police would notify federal immigration authorities if they determined a suspect was here illegally.
The resolution, in O’Neill’s own words, "failed miserably." The vote was 12-4, with lame duck Councilman Juan Ramos (D-at large) not voting.
"(Jack) Kelly, (Frank) Rizzo and (Joan) Krajewski were the only allies who stuck with me," he said.
Ramos, who was defeated in the Democratic primary and will leave office in early January, called the resolution "divisive" and said it would lead to racial profiling. He labeled introduction of the resolution as the "politics of fear."
O’Neill disagreed with that characterization.
"This is a crime issue," he said.
On other matters, O’Neill said he expects a resolution soon to Fox Chase Cancer Center’s bid to expand in Burholme Park. The councilman has expressed concerns about increased traffic.
Also, O’Neill does not expect the Board of Revision of Taxes to move anytime soon to a full assessment method of calculating property taxes. He thinks that system would see reduced taxes for deteriorating neighborhoods but higher taxes for strong areas of the Northeast. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com