Coming together

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A few weeks ago, Judy Cerrone was watching the local news when Mayor Michael Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey were on and Nutter announced two districts in the South Police Division would become one.

To her shock, she learned the affected were her 4th and the 3rd — two districts housed in the same building at 11th and Wharton streets. Cerrone and others say they feel left out of the information loop, having only heard about the merger through the rumor mill or hearsay.

“The City is not being transparent in informing the people. The mayor is saying it will make the city run more efficiently. How? We would like more information. How is this going to affect us? Why was South Philly picked?” Cerrone, who lives on the 3100 block of Juniper Street and is president of the Stadium Community Council Civic Association, said.

The Mayor’s Office deferred comment to Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations Command South Kevin Bethel, a former 17th District captain, who said the 3rd and 4th Districts were selected for two reasons.

“The facility is one reason. We have the ability to merge because everybody is already in the building. Geographically, it’s conducive because the coverage area [for both districts] is small enough with 6.5 square miles,” Bethel said.

The 3rd covers Lombard to Tasker streets and Broad Street to the Delaware River, while the 4th spans Tasker to the stadiums and Broad to the river. The move follows a similar one made earlier this month, when Ramsey united North Philadelphia’s 22nd and 23rd districts.

“It’s going very well. We have a lot of officers on the street, foot beats, bikes, increased supervision,” Bethel said of that merger. According to the deputy commissioner and 3rd District Capt. Joe McDowell, the change is targeted for sometime in March and will be called the 3rd District. All of the cops will be absorbed into one staff. “The officers assigned to the 3rd and 4th will be remaining. That’s a positive thing for the community. And the number of sergeants will increase per platoon,” McDowell said.

Former 3rd District Capt. Mike Weaver is being brought back to command the new district. In 2008, Weaver was relocated from the 3rd to oversee the Police Athletic League. When 4th District Capt. Alan Clark was reassigned Jan. 11 to the Center City District, Weaver stepped in.

“I always loved South Philadelphia and the crime down here is always attackable. The people down here, when you help them, they appreciate it. I like being back,” Weaver told the Review.

The captain’s plan remains the same.

“We’re going to direct our attention to eliminating the serious crime, going after repeat offenders and getting them off the street,” he said.

Being proactive is another top priority.

“Youth violence reduction — once we find out these kids are heading that way, meet with them: ‘We know who you are, if you pick up a gun and cause this [violent crime], we’re going to be paying attention to you,” Weaver said.

As for McDowell, he will be reassigned — a post not yet determined at press time — something that is commonplace in department ranks.

“By no means do I see this as a negative thing. I will still be contributing my crime-fighting efforts to the Philadelphia Police Department,” McDowell said. “I enjoyed working here the last two years. I got tremendous help and support from the community.

“Since I’ve been here, violent crime has decreased 19 percent and property crime, 12 percent. I attribute that to the hard work of the officers and community who helped feed police information.”

The 11th-and-Wharton facility is being revamped with more modern work spaces for personnel.

“Which is a positive thing, good for morale,” McDowell said.

The five Police Servicing Areas (PSAs) in the 3rd and 4th also will not be affected. The three in the 3rd are Lombard to Washington and 10th to the river; Washington to Tasker and 10th to the river; and 10th Street to Broad Street and Lombard to Tasker. The 4th PSAs are Broad Street to Ritner Street, Ritner to Tasker Street and Broad to 10th Street; and Ritner to Tasker and 10th to the Delaware river.

Launched last year and now in all 23 police districts, PSAs are smaller geographical subdivisions within a district. Each PSA is led by a lieutenant, who, along with a team of sergeants and officers, are now responsible for policing within the smaller defined area of their district. Normally, cops respond to calls all over their district and are not assigned to set beat patrols.

“The officers are held accountable for the zones,” Lt. Frank Vanore of the Police Public Affairs Unit said. “It creates geographical accountability. The whole concept is that the officers get to know the good guys, as well as the bad guys. This program keeps [officers] in an area. They become more involved in problem-solving along with the community.”

Jeff Rush, president of the Queen Village Neighbors Association, said he respects the decisions Ramsey and his commanders make, but feels part of community policing means communication between police and residents.

“We trust the experts. I think the police do a hard job and great job. They speak of community policing, so when you make a change like this, inform the community. We’re appreciative of that,” Rush said.

The South Street Detail, staffed by cops who patrol the South Street area, also will not be impacted by the merger, McDowell said.

“Nothing will be lost in South Philly. We’ll have a hybrid of officers on bike, on foot, in cars. With the merger they will be one of the largest districts in the city,” Bethel said.

So if nothing is changing, why are residents like Cerrone and Rush uneasy?

“We didn’t know that anything was changing or not changing because nobody bothered to tell us anything. Why not put it on the table and say this is what we’re proposing instead of backpedaling,” Rush said.

Cerrone reiterated her point: “We want information. ‘Have the people been told? Where is the transparency?’ The City has not been proactive in informing residents. It’s the City, not police. When you keep residents in the dark, it makes people uneasy,” she said.

Cerrone added she has not called the mayor’s office for information because in the past when she’s done so she’s been referred to 311 — an information obtainment system Nutter established shortly after he was elected — and got nowhere.

Bethel said a series of community meetings are planned for sometime in February so residents can be informed before the merger takes place.

“We apologize to anyone who believed we were not going to get the community involved. There was no intention of putting one over on anybody,” the deputy commissioner said.

McDowell expects the merger to go smoothly.

“My prediction is it will be a seamless transition,” he told the Review.

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