Enforcement and awareness
emphasized at 15th PDAC

By Diane Prokop
Northeast Times

For their involvement in several arrests of dangerous felons, Officers Daniel Gorman and David Pinkerton were selected as the Officers of the Month for October at last week’s 15th Police District Advisory Council (PDAC) meeting.
The pair work the steady midnight-to-8 a.m. shift and made seven felony arrests, including those for narcotics, stolen autos and chasing down a man armed with a gun.
"Very quickly, things happen," said the 15th district’s commander, Capt. Frank Bachmayer, noting that the officers prevented serious incidents from escalating.
The two were also recognized as the May Officers of the Month for the apprehension of a suspect who was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, violations of the Uniformed Firearms Act and other related charges stemming from a May 25 shooting.
"There are some outstanding officers out here that take their time and do a fantastic job," said Bachmayer.
Kathleen Berry gave PDAC members a brief but powerful presentation on the Philadelphia Police Department’s HEADS UP narcotics education program. The acronym stands for Heroin Education And Dangerous Substance Understanding Program.
The program was established in 2001 to attack drug problems from a preventative standpoint.
"We, in the Narcotics Bureau, have come to realize the importance of presenting a no-holds-barred outlook on the true damage and destruction that drugs are causing young and old alike," according to its Web site, which is listed under the subtitle "Prevention" at www.ppdonline.org
Berry is a member of the MOMS Squad, a group of mothers who have lost children to drug or alcohol abuse or its related violence. Berry lost her daughter Karen to a heroin overdose.
"It’s important to get kids to start talking," she said. "Slow it down so they understand, so they can think for themselves."
Berry pointed to the recent death of a Warren G. Harding eighth-grader who died at a pharm party, where kids share or trade prescription medication from their family’s medicine chests, as a call to action.
The presentation not only focused on what happens when people take drugs — from addiction to physical appearance to death — but how to talk to a friend who has a drug problem or what to do if you’re concerned about a parent or a child, and it offered counseling and treatment resources.
"(The program) doesn’t cost anything, so it fits in everyone’s budget," Berry said.
Bachmayer also pointed out that narcotics breeds other crimes and that attacking quality-of-life issues, such as curfew and truancy, affects the bigger picture.
"We’re having a lot of success with our stats," the captain said.
They include a 7-percent decrease in violent crimes. Shootings are down 26 percent. Curfew violations are up 79 percent, and truancy arrests are up by 36 percent.
The captain noted that he hears about problems with juveniles at every community meeting and encouraged people to volunteer at the district’s curfew center at Frankford Group Ministry, at 4620 Griscom St. The center’s operation depends on volunteers.
"I don’t want to lose that curfew center," he said.
In other business, Bachmayer recognized members of the Police Explorers club for their assistance in putting up hundreds of "no parking" signs on parking meters along Frankford Avenue in advance of the Mayfair-Holmesburg Thanksgiving Parade.
Officers from the 2nd and 15th districts will host a holiday party for disadvantaged children on Monday, Dec. 17, at the Northeast Community Center. The neighborhood schools will decide which students will attend.
The next 15th PDAC meeting will be held on Monday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. at the John Perzel Community Center, 2990 St. Vincent St. ••
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com