What the pols would do

By DAVE DAVIES, BOB WARNER & CATHERINE LUCEY
daviesd@phillynews.com
215-854-2595

Philadelphia remains gripped in an epidemic of gun violence. So far this year there have been 214 homicides in the city, well ahead of last year’s pace of death.

It seems the Police Department rolls out an initiative to confront the issue every month — intensive patrols and social services in high-crime areas, an elite new unit to focus on hot spots, the enlistment of citizens to watch troubled corners, and enforcement of youth-curfew laws.

So far, the violence hasn’t abated, and it’s clear the problem will be there for the next mayor. Here’s what the six leading potential mayoral candidates are saying and doing about the issue:


State Rep. Dwight Evans was a leader in the effort that brought John Timoney to Philadelphia as police commissioner in the late 1990s.

Evans made gun violence the centerpiece of his 1999 mayoral run, and has sponsored legislation that would grant Philadelphia the authority to enact its own gun controls.

Evans says violence is still the No. 1 issue for the next mayor. “If you can’t make people feel safe, it affects everything, including education and economic development.”

Evans proposes an increase in the police force, funded by state aid, gambling revenues or, if necessary, a shift in budgetary priorities.

And he says a broader, sustained multiyear effort is needed that would include gun courts, gun controls and increased enforcement efforts. He also favors intensive efforts with at-risk teenagers and young adults, including mentoring and counseling, conflict resolution, and after-school activities.

“New York has been effective with a sustained effort since the ’90s,” Evans said. “We’ve had an off-again, on-again record.”


Former City Councilman Michael Nutter said that more cops and tougher policing are key to battling violence in Philadelphia.

Nutter, who early this year successfully pushed for the hiring of 100 more police officers, said the city should hire more and try to prevent current officers from retiring.

“We should have an immediate call for police officers to stay on the job,” he said. And Nutter also said the city has to get tough on illegal firearms.

“We’re going to have to be more aggressive in our policing to take guns away from criminals,” he said. “People should think twice about coming out of their house with illegal weapons.”

Nutter said the city simply has to take control of the streets.

“I can’t think of any more important expenditure of city tax dollars at this moment than public safety,” he said. “It’s not a cost issue, it’s a political-will issue.”


Former City Controller Jonathan Saidel said yesterday the Police Department should hire more officers and redeploy its forces to put more uniformed officers on the street and more undercover officers in high-crime areas.

He said it wouldn’t necessarily require more money.

“We spent $70 or $80 million last year on police overtime,” he said. “I’d rather hire more officers and reduce what we spend on overtime. . . .We don’t have to raise taxes to do any of those things. You’d only have to go in that direction if the government were spending every dollar wisely, and I don’t think this government is.”

Saidel also urged more aggressive prosecutions of people involved in illegal gun sales — not just those who wind up in possession of illegal guns, but the second and third parties who help them get the guns.

“Everyone in that entire chain has to be prosecuted,” Saidel said.

“I don’t think Philadelphia needs any more studies or any special sessions to pass new laws,” Saidel said. “What we need is more cops on the street . . . and much more aggressive prosecution of the laws that we have.”


U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah has focused more on education and housing issues in the past, though he has secured federal grants for community crime-fighting groups and law-enforcement agencies.

In a statement yesterday, Fattah said the city “must embrace proven methods like hiring more police officers, targeting violent hot spots, and getting illegal guns off the streets. The community must make a commitment to rejecting the culture of violence.”

He said he will soon announce a program to place surveillance cameras in crime-riddled commercial corridors.

He said his exploratory mayoral committee will hold policy forums to develop the best ideas for fighting crime.
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Businessman Tom Knox is developing his position on the issue, and he sponsored a forum on gun violence in March.

Knox has said he’s interested in more handgun controls, putting more cops on the street, developing police units for tasks like tracing guns used in crime, regulating handguns to the extent the law permits, and increased communication among police, community groups and other agencies. He wasn’t available for comment yesterday.



Labor leader John Dougherty supports limiting the purchase of handguns to one a month and believes the city should be allowed by the state to regulate gun sales here.

He also favors adding more police, with the help of the federal government.

“Beyond controlling the flow of guns and adding more police, we need to continue to make investments in our youth and in prevention programs,” Dougherty said in a statement. “ Curfews aren’t the answer. We can’t blame kids for falling into violent behavior patterns if we don’t give them constructive alternatives to the mean streets.”

Dougherty would try to partner with corporations and nonprofit organizations to have all-night recreation available to kids and staffed by adults.

“We also should be investing more dollars in our social-services network — to help parents cope, to help keep kids in school, to help parents and young adults get GEDs and offer them assistance in finding jobs,” Dougherty said. “There’s no one answer.”

Earlier this year, Dougherty announced creation of “Enough is Enough,” a program to recruit union mentors for at-risk youth.