University of Pennsylvania and the
Philadelphia Police join forces
by Jason Schwartz
The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
As the unofficial border between the
Penn campus and West Philadelphia, 40th Street has held an unsavory reputation
in the minds of many. That perception is something both the Penn and Philadelphia
Police have been working in the last three months to change.
The two police departments launched a new bike patrol on 40th Street last
September, in an attempt to improve "quality of life issues" on the street,
according to Maureen Rush, Penn's vice president for public safety. The patrol
is a joint effort in which one Penn and one Philadelphia police officer traverse
40th Street between Baltimore and Market streets nearly all day and night
long.
Joseph Fischer, a captain of the University of Pennsylvania Police Department
who oversees the patrol, said that since the actual number of crimes that
occur on 40th Street is not exceptionally high, the bike officers will focus
on curbing such problems as public urination on sidewalks, drug use, open
containers of alcohol and double-parking.
"If you take care of the small things, then the bigger things fall into place,"
he said.
"The area may be safe," Fischer continued, "but people perceive it not to
be safe, because of the activity going on around them."
Fischer said that he meets with community groups regularly, and they believe
there has been some improvement.
"I think it's safer now," said Flo Mayes, manager of Nan Restaurant, which
is located at 40th and Chestnut streets.
Noting that she has seen a decline in panhandling outside her restaurant
over the last few months, Mayes said, "There used to be people standing around
outside when we left work around 1 a.m. There aren't anymore."
"I think the customers feel safer, too," Mayes continued. "Panhandlers used
to come in here and ask for money while people were eating. That doesn't
happen anymore."
The impetus for this patrol initiative came over the summer, when Rush received
an e-mail from a community member complaining about the state of 40th Street.
"The perception of 40th and Market has been a problem for a long time," Rush
said, noting that the joint patrol was launched because she did not think
this border area was solely Penn's responsibility, but rather one that could
be shared with the Philadelphia Police Department.
The split patrol also helps to coordinate the UPPD and PPD, as each day the
bike officers report back to their superiors, who meet regularly to discuss
any issues.
New Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey especially likes this aspect of the patrol,
saying, "We have the same mission [as the PPD]. It enables us to be stronger
in our response and coordinated in our response, so we're all working together
for a common cause."
Fischer emphasized that one important aspect of the patrol is community
relations. Officers are assigned to the patrol on a volunteer basis, and
"officers [know] that part of their assignment [is] to interact with the
community," Fischer said.
"They're not just riding their bikes up and down the street," he said, adding
that the officers had established "casual relationships" with local shopkeepers.
"I talk to them every day," said Christal Rollins, manager of the McDonald's
located at 40th and Walnut streets. "I just say, 'Hi, bye,' [and] they see
how everything's
doing."
Reprinted from the Daily Pennsylvanian, Nov. 2004. This article appeared
in the Spring 2005 issue of IPMBA News. |
