8th district captain
gives the nitty-gritty on crime

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

New Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey isn’t the only one with a new crime-fighting strategy.
Five weeks after Ramsey revealed his 22-page law enforcement road map to the city, Capt. Deborah Kelly, commander of the 8th district, on March 4 detailed her localized plan to about 60 community leaders.
Echoing Ramsey’s citywide plan, Kelly’s strategy establishes targeted patrol areas based on frequency and types of crime and seeks to capitalize on a department-wide shift in resources toward the patrol bureau.
It also includes ambitious community outreach efforts focusing largely on youth intervention.
In accordance with Ramsey’s directive, Kelly’s plan is adjusted by season. She is looking ahead to the spring/summer period from May 1 through Aug. 31. Also, police are seeking to keep pace with trends in crime as they change.
"We know where crime is, and we will be deploying accordingly," Kelly said during the meeting at her district’s Academy and Red Lion station. "It’s a work in progress, and it will change. If we displace the (problems), we will follow them."
Relatively speaking, residents of the district are fortunate to have a crime rate that is low and on the decline, according to the captain. The district is bounded by the Delaware River to the east, Bensalem Township to the north, Roosevelt Boulevard to the west and Rhawn Street to the south. It is 14.5 square miles and has about 98,000 residents.
While the news media have focused their reporting largely on the increased citywide homicide rate of the last couple of years, violent crime and other major crimes were actually down across the city in 2007.
The number of violent crimes, including murders, shootings, aggravated assaults and robberies, returned to a five-year norm last year after spiking up in 2006, Kelly said. Meanwhile, part-one offenses — violent crimes plus other offenses such as thefts, auto thefts and burglaries — dropped to a five-year low.
The 2007 murder total of 392 was second highest in the five-year span but still represented a reduction from the 2006 total of over 400.
Using computerized statistic-based crime maps, Kelly identified the so-called hot spots for certain part-one crimes in the 8th district. A hot spot is an area within a quarter-mile radius in which specific crimes are more frequent.
A color-coding system allows police to distinguish on the map among the most crime-ridden hot spots and other less-intense crime areas.
For shootings, the only hot spot in the 8th district is in the area surrounding the Liddonfield Homes public housing complex at Torresdale Avenue and Megargee Street. Likewise, the same area is a hot spot for narcotics crimes. This is not surprising, according to Kelly, because drugs and guns usually go hand in hand.
In response, Kelly plans to commit extra patrol officers and resources to the Liddonfield hot spot this spring and summer at times of the day when most crime occurs.
For aggravated assaults, the area of the Philadelphia Prison System facilities, at 8001 State Road, is considered a hot spot because all crimes occurring within the prisons are counted in the 8th district’s total. However, Kelly noted, assaults occurring within the prison walls are not a threat to surrounding communities.
Addressing specific quality-of-life problems in the district will also be a warm-weather priority for the district. Community complaints and observations by patrol cops, particularly the district’s tactical platoon or "5-squad," will largely dictate where and when there will be heightened police activity.
Graffiti vandalism and underage drinking are two of the greatest problems seen in pockets across the district. They generally increase in warm-weather months.
Vandals most frequently target commercial properties like strip malls and playgrounds. Illegal drinking commonly occurs in wooded areas, parks and playgrounds, Kelly said.
Vandalism and underage drinking enforcement will focus in known youth hangouts within Holme Circle, Fairdale/Millbrook, Parkwood and East Torresdale. Franklin Mills and the Frankford Avenue corridor will continue to remain high priorities.
Individual points of emphasis in Ramsey’s plan that the district will adopt include increased truancy enforcement and presence at schools during student arrival, dismissal and special events.
Kelly believes that overtime, redeployment of administrative staff and specialty unit personnel within the department and the department’s heightened investment in equipment and technology will help the 8th district implement its strategy.
According to Ramsey’s citywide plan, the vast majority of new police recruits — those graduating from the Police Academy — will be assigned to nine high-crime districts across the city. The 8th district is not one of the nine.
However, Kelly said, the commissioner has ordered a review of all administrative staff positions throughout the department so that 10 percent can be redeployed to the 14 lower-crime districts on a rotating basis. Ultimately, Ramsey wants to see 60 percent of all sworn officers working in uniformed patrol.
In addition to targeted enforcement in the aforementioned areas, the captain wants to use increased manpower to improve sector integrity.
That is, officers should be able to spend most of their time in their assigned patrol sectors rather than flocking to other parts of the district in response to police radio calls.
On a crime-prevention level, Kelly’s plan is to increase public education and youth programs in the district. Police will be available to inspect local homes and businesses for security.
Officers will also work with Town Watch groups, civic groups, youth groups and other community organizations to distribute personal safety information.
Kelly will host monthly "town hall" meetings at the district to discuss current neighborhood issues. The next meeting is planned for Tuesday, April 1, at 7 p.m.
The district’s community services officers are working on a series of youth-targeted events, including "cops vs. kids" basketball and softball games and a teen movie night.
Kelly believes that the district would benefit from more free youth activities, summer employment opportunities for teens and stronger parental supervision of young people. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com