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More blood spilled in the “City of Brotherly Love”
Police Commissioner Ramsey Inherits City in “Crisis”
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J. Smith
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Philadelphia–The death of Sgt. Liczbinski comes in the midst of a major revamping of the city’s Police Department, as Commissioner Charles Ramsey this week announced the elevation of several Captains to Deputy Commissioners, including Captain Thomas Wright of the 25th District.
Discussing his approach to “community policing” and his goal of placing “more cops out there on the street,” Commissioner Ramsey held in a community forum, Monday, and was joined at the headquarters of Concilio by the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Everett Gillison, Raul Serrano of Temple University Hospital, Councilwoman Maria Quiñones and Temple University Law Professor David Kairys.
During the nearly two-hour meeting, arranged by Israel Colon, head of the Mayor’s Multi-Cultural Affairs, the new Police Commissioner responded to a variety of concerns, defined his objectives and spoke candidly on a wide range of issues.
The forum opened with Mr. Raul Serrano and Professor Kairys presenting a series of suppositions on community policing.
Among the four basic items identified by Mr. Serrano and Professor Kairys, the use of “permanent” Mini-Stations was emphasized and deemed to be vital to “building a relationship with the community.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I’m still not convinced that’s the best way,” replied the Commissioner. “We’ve got to use our police as wisely as possible.”
“We’ve got 6,500 (Officers) and I’ve got to get them out there on the street fighting crime.”
The Commissioner went on to explain that he required more flexibility in order to respond to changing “patterns” of crime, and that allowed him to “move folks around.”
“I like mobile mini-stations as opposed to fixed-stations,” added Commissioner Ramsey. “The problem I have with fixed station locations is that people tend to congregate there and I need (officers) on the street.”
“I’ve been a proponent of Community Policing for a very long time,” Commissioner Ramsey said, noting that he implemented such strategies in Chicago and Washington D.C.
While acknowledging that Community Policing needed to be tailored to the unique characteristics of Philadelphia, Commissioner Ramsey bristled at some interpretations of it that produced “specialized” units that were “separate and apart.”
“I just think it’s a way of doing business,” he said .“I believe that it ought to be integrated throughout the department and in everything we do and not something specialized.”
On the recommendation of increasing the use of foot and bike patrols, Commissioner Ramsey was in full agreement, saying “I think that people need to be able to touch and feel the police. That is the biggest benefit that you get from foot and bike patrols. It breaks down barriers.”
Along with foot and bike patrols, the Commissioner suggested that he would also consider using two-wheel vehicles, as well as cars. “There has to be a healthy combination.”
Commissioner Ramsey similarly endorsed the notion of keeping Police officers assigned to a particular area for at least a year, referring to it as “continuity of assignment.” Nevertheless, he conceded that it was difficult to “really restrict the movement,” of officers.
In addition, Commissioner Ramsey characterized community participation as a “key component” of community policing, saying “You have to have community people involved.”
The Commissioner stressed the need for “organized” community cooperation. “Some of the most troubled neighborhoods don’t have a Townwatch” or block captains. “You’ve got to build from the bottom.”
“When criminal activity takes over neighborhoods, it’s because the community is unorganized. The more organized a community, the less likely it is to have the kind of really chronic problems over time.”
The Commissioner also sketched some specifics of Community Policing, including: Intelligent Policing, the use of technology to locate where most of the crimes are occurring and identify the people most likely to be committing those crimes.
The Commissioner repeatedly emphasized the need for “partnerships” and even monthly meetings between the community and district captains.
Another effective component of crime fighting, according to the Commissioner, is the use of preventative measures, such as the Reentry programs recently launched by Mayor Nutter and City Council, which invests in Employers who give people the “opportunity to turn their lives around.”
The Commissioner also referred briefly to developing a sort of “Auxiliary force” with some police training, “not the full amount,” that could “perform some (police) functions.”
In brief remarks, Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sanchez spoke of the need to “better protect” officers and went on to praise Commissioner Ramsey for “getting cops on the street and holding Captains accountable.”
“I can already see the difference. The Commissioner came in and started wearing his uniform,” noted Councilwoman Quiñones-Sanchez. “I think one of the first things the Commissioner did was to put some pride back in being an officer.”
“It’s going to take us a while,” said the Seventh district Councilwoman, adding that they still need to “connect the dots” between prevention and enforcement.”
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