Turns out it’s not about the statistics after all. Amid growing criticism that the city’s rising murder rate is a sure sign of Operation Safe Streets’ failure, Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson lauded the program’s accomplishments at a Sept. 11 community meeting.
Speaking at the Hawthorne Family Center, 11th and Christian streets, the commissioner derided the press’ coverage of the increasing murder rate as an outgrowth of the upcoming mayoral election.
"Yes, our murder rate has risen, but it has also risen in 12 other major cities in our nation. But [Safe Streets] is not just about statistics — it’s about changing people’s lifestyles," said Johnson, the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the South Philadelphia Equal Partners in Change Stakeholders — a group formed mainly to tackle truancy. "There were neighborhoods in this city that people were afraid to even walk around in for the last 15 or 20 years. You talk to people in those neighborhoods now, and it’s finally OK for them to sit out on their steps, for their kids to play outside."
The commissioner offered numbers to back up his claim. A recent raid of a drug house in Philadelphia was highlighted by the seizure of more than $100,000 in narcotics, $40,000 in cash and 15 firearms. Johnson also cited the 300-plus drug corners that have been shut down by Safe Streets police officers as further proof that the program is doing its job.
"We’re in the middle of a political season, an election year. The press was trying to twist one or two figures around to say that we have a crime epidemic, that the program doesn’t work," he said.
The program does work, the commissioner contended, reminding the audience that Philadelphia led the nation in reduction of overall crime just a year ago. The battle, however, is far from over. Drug dealers adapt and set up shop in other neighborhoods, on other corners. Johnson said that residents must unite and help the police with information and cooperation.
"Law enforcement cannot solve all of the city’s problems by itself. We need a more holistic approach — we need your help."
The assistance can be as simple as calling the police about someone or something suspicious in the neighborhood or even going to court to help keep offenders of the street, he said.
For the most part, residents embraced Johnson’s call to unite in the war on crime.
"It’s important to have a close-knit community and to work hand-in-hand with the police, but our problems do run deeper than drug corners," said Fran Copper, a resident of the 1200 block of Catharine Street. "As neighbors, we have to remain vigilant because more police presence doesn’t necessarily mean an end to our problems."
