The PSA meeting on March 26th was well attended with people from all areas of Frankford. Representing the police was Captain McCloskey, Lt. Gordon and Officer Lewis.
Officer Lewis noted that the discovery of the woman buried in the alley off the 4700 block of Frankford Avenue was the result of a tip by the other residents. The beat officer was notified and that set of the chain of events that resulted in the arrest of the suspect. The victim was identified as Kelly Hepfl who has had addresses in West Chester, Downingtown and other locations in Philadelphia. The suspect has not been identified so far and no charges have been filed as of today.
Other news from the meeting:
- Robberies around the Frankford Transportation Terminal are still going on but have slowed down. SEPTA polie and the PPD are working together to put an end to the problem.
- The Narcotics Strike force has been active in the Bridge Street area and arrests have been made.
- Enforcement of the 2AM closing time for businesses in the commercial areas is being enforced. “Nothing good in Frankford happens after 2AM”.
- The police have been proactive in being present at school dismissal time on the Avenue and where crowds of teens had after dismissal.
- There was a discussion about a recent video posted of a car stop by 15th. The driver was stopped for heavily tinted windows which are illegal. The driver presented evidence from PennDot that he was allowed the tinting due to a medical condition. Some viewers have labeled the stop as police over reach. Others have called it an attempt by the driver to provoke the police into using excess force. The discussion about the incident was productive.
- Residents from Castor Avenue say that the traffic between Foulkrod and Pratt Streets has become a real problem with noise and speeding. In additions there are ATVs running up and down the streets. Excess noise from a vehicle is an offense punishable with a $300 fine. Although the police are prohibited from chasing the ATVs for safety reasons, when they are stopped, they can be confiscated and will not be returned. It is illegal to drive them on city Streets.
- Kim Washington, Managing Director of the Frankford CDC, asked about coordination between SEPTA and the PPD regarding the loitering around Margaret-Orthodox. Lt. Gordon noted that this has been a subject at past meetings and SEPTA police have committed to attending the PSA meetings. The schedule confusion this month was the cause of no SEPTA representation at this months meeting. Gordon and Lewis went on to discuss their view of what is going on at Margaret-Orthodox and Captain McCloskey talked about future actions that will be taken to control the activity their.
- Residents of the 5000 and 4700 block of Griscom both took the opportunity to thank the police for their work during the last year. They say it is much better now than it was last year at this time. It takes constant attention but the improvement is clear.
Kim Washington also introduced two new members of the CDC staff to the group. Illeana Garcia and Ellie Devyatkin are the new Commercial Corridor managers. You can hear more about their work at the annual public meeting of the Frankford Community Development Corporation which will be held in conjunction with the EPIC Stakeholders on April 30 at 5:30 PM at Second Baptist Church at 1801 Meadow Street.
The next PSA1 meeting will be held on April 23rd at 7PM at Aria Hospital.
