Posted on 03/16/2007 3:58:51 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker
In an unusual display of police might, Mayor John F. Street and Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson yesterday announced plans to deploy 80 additional police officers in the 12th Police District in Southwest Philadelphia.
For emphasis, the officials, after inviting media coverage, conducted a roll call of 80 uniformed police officers in the parking lot of Woodland Village Plaza at 60th Street and Woodland Avenue about 4 p.m.
The roll call, in which officers drilled in formation and displayed their handguns, was held "so the people of this community can see that we are serious about the problem of crime and violence," Street said.
The effort, which starts today, targets a district that "has been troubled by gun violence," Street said, and is viewed as one of the most dangerous areas in the city.
"We are starting an enhanced program of public safety," Street said. "We will be very aggressive in deploying in this area."
As of Tuesday, there had been 79 murders in the city this year, a 27 percent increase over a year earlier. Philadelphia's total exceeded those in much bigger cities; for instance, New York, with eight million people, had 66 homicides as of Sunday.
The deployment in the Southwest is similar to Operation Safe Streets, with the goal of saturating the area with a heavy police presence.
The deployed officers come from the department's elite Strategic Intervention Tactical Enforcement unit, the Highway Patrol, the Narcotics Strike Force, and other assignments in the 12th District.
Street and Johnson emphasized that the deployment would not take officers from other police districts.
Street said the deployment would involve a "holistic approach," adding that other city departments would work in Southwest Philadelphia to clean and seal vacant properties and lots, remove trash and graffiti, and "provide an enhanced level of social services to the community."
"We expect to have an unprecedented partnership with the people in this community," he said.
". . . The roll call, in which officers drilled in formation and displayed their handguns . . . ."
Funny, I thought 'Rats were all about bugouts. I mean if it's good enough for Iraq....
So how many years in a row has this city had nothing but RAT mayors?
I'll be impressed when they shoot somebody who needs killin'.
NO BLOOD FOR,,,um,,,CHEESESTEAKS!!!! OUT OF PHILADELPHIA NOW!!!!! I BLAME THE PHILLIES!!!
;-)
LOL!!! The 'Rats should be having the Philly PD redeploy to Altoona.
Oh, not another escalation!!! And without an exit strategy!
It would be better if the police and the mayor didn't spend so much time depriving the honest citizens in Philly of their firearms so that the aforementioned CITIZENS could display their handguns to the crooks (the muzzle end)
Redeploy them to Okinawa before someone gets hurt.
South Philly - a shining example of the success of the "war on drugs" and the "war on poverty"
They should deploy to Market and Broad and remove that worthless John Street before he and the brothers and sisters running the city (his words) do any further damage.
I heard on O'Reilly lastnight that 500 teachers had been attacked in Philly schools so far this year. The teachers blamed it on the parents not disciplining their kids. They have a "time out" room at the school. Yeah, it looks like it is really working out well.
Follow the money.
The firearms 'display' was mis-characterized: it's not to impress anybody...standard procedure ...to make sure the guys have their guns. It really sucks when you need it that one time, you reach down, and slap an empty holster.
Like those two unarmed auxiliary police officers who were shot dead in the line of duty in NYC night before last.
As a proximate cause that might not be too far off the mark, but why don't the parents discipline their kids? I would guess that most of the "parents" in that case were welfare queens who were squirting out kids to get a bigger check. Who be yo baby's daddy? What is it now two trillion dollars spent so far on the "war on poverty" since LBJ started it with the "great society?" Now we have more "poor" or at least wefare dependent worthless lazy bums whose only abilitys lie in eating, defecating, watching TV, doing drugs, committing crimes and breeding.
Philly needs another Frank Rizzo like America needs another Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately there are neither.
I like the NO BLOOD FOR CHEESESTEAKS idea. Would make a great tee shirt.
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