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Tom Knox: We Need to Attack Crime at Its Root
Plan Calls for 1,000 New Police; Aims to Cut Recidivism  

PHILADELPHIA – With the release of his comprehensive plan, Democratic mayoral candidate Tom Knox today proposed to attack Philadelphia crime through bold new programs and significant expansion of existing ones.

 “We have a serious crime problem in Philadelphia, and it’s time to attack it at the root,” Knox said. “We can’t keep trying to arrest our way out of it, because it just doesn’t work. It’s no coincidence that our crime hotspots are also our dropout hotspots and our unemployment hotspots.  We must do more to combat the lack of education and job training that fuel crime.” 

Knox continued to say he will make fighting crime his top priority as Mayor. “Making this city safe again will be my top priority when elected Mayor.  We can no longer ignore the number one problem facing our city,” said Knox.  “My plan includes both short- and long-term solutions – programs that attack core problems, break the cycle of violence and put men and women on the road to being productive citizens.  Philadelphians deserve a system that works.”

Tom Knox’s Stopping the Violence plan sets out a multi-faceted strategy focused on increasing the number of police officers, decreasing recidivism and breaking the cycle of violent crime. His plan includes these short-term and long-term solutions:

SHORT-TERM PROPOSALS

Dedicate new resources to law enforcement: Hire 1,000 new uniformed officers and bring police technology and tactics up to latest standards. Our police force will be equipped with tools such as ShotSpotter® to pinpoint gunfire, police PDAs to file reports from the field, and high-resolution security cameras in crime hotspots to deter property crime.

Create a Mayor’s Office of Public Safety: This office will better coordinate the resources of the Philadelphia Police Department, the District Attorney’s office, the local office of the U.S. Attorney, the local desks of the FBI, the BATFE, and the DEA, the School District of Philadelphia, and dozens of community-based organizations, making it easier to combat crime in our city.

Crack down on illegal guns:  Tom Knox proposes we crack down on illegal guns by fighting for tough new gun laws – anti-trafficking limitations on purchases to one per month, waiting periods for handgun purchases, gun safety and licensing requirements, ban on “Saturday Night specials”, gun registration laws and ballistic fingerprinting laws.

Identify funding for a system of community-based criminal justice:  The known benefits of ‘same-officer/same-beat’ policing tactics should be applied to the other elements of our criminal justice system: the DA’s office, the court of Common Pleas, and the Probation and Parole Board. Tom Knox will support citizen groups such as Town Watch, and also develop City Action Centers to house community-based criminal justice programs.

 LONG-TERM PROPOSALS

Cut recidivism by 25 percent in four years: Tom Knox will establish new programs that include intensive support and rehabilitation services for first-time and ex-offenders. He also promises to coordinate and expand existing programs that have substantially reduced the return of offenders into the justice system.

Support at-risk youth: Philadelphia’s Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP) is an intensive program with great results. Tom Knox proposes to double YVRP’s budget through a combination of new grants and the transition of funding from ineffective youth programs to YVRP.

Improve the Philadelphia School District: Tom Knox plans to make schools safer, improve the quality of education, and provide students with attractive and affordable options for career training and education. The greatest antidote to the hopelessness and desperation that fuels much of the crime in Philadelphia is getting unemployed Philadelphians into well paying, dignified jobs. Tom Knox will make workforce training and education a top priority.

Curb drug sales:  Tom Knox will implement a three-pronged initiative aimed at curbing drug sales, rehabilitating current users, and preventing future ones:  Tom Knox lost his brother to drugs, knows the destruction that drug abuse can bring to a family, and is dedicated to providing a sustainable solution.

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Last Updated: February 22, 2007