Crime Report for the 15th Police District – PSA1
January to June 2017
Compared to the average of the first 6 months of 2013 to 2016.
We are comparing our actual experience in the first 6 months of this year to the average of the first 6 months of the previous 4 years. There were a couple of very bad and very good periods there but we average them out to get a more realistic view.
We track PSA1 because it includes almost all of Frankford. Frankford North of Bridge Street is in PSA2. PSA1 also includes Bridesburg. PSA1 is representative of the trend for our area. I do this report myself and do not rely on reports from the 15th District or any police official. From my experience in working with the data, I have found it to be fairly reliable.
Here are the facts:
- Aggravated assaults overall are running lower than they have over the last 4 years and are down 25%.
- Burglary is down significantly by 47%.
- Robbery is down 12%.
- Thefts are slightly up over last year but are down on the average by 3%.
- Firearm crime is down slightly from last year and down compared to the average by 3%.
- Arrests for weapons violations are up 18% compared to the average. That is good news because those guns are then off the street.
- Total incidents which includes the major crime above and the less serious crimes are down compared to the average by 8%.
- Homicide, 4 in the first 6 months, is down from the average of 6 which is 56%.
That all sounds pretty good, so why do people not feel good about it? Because people are still being killed and gun shots still ring out in the night. That tends to make people feel unsafe. That and the media in this city follow the blood. If its crime, its big news. If it bleeds, it leads on the news shows.
Why have things improved? Captain Luca says that the strategy he put into place is paying off. I might be inclined to agree with him. Even though crime overall has been falling nationwide, changes made in the policing strategy in the 15th may be working.
- Focus on those individuals who are known to commit violent crimes and when they are arrested make sure they are dealt with by the courts.
- Community engagement with the police in a variety of ways from the bike ride for peace to the small meetings that he has with community groups to get their input.
- Innovative things like taking the parking meters off the 5200 block of Frankford Avenue. That seems like an insignificant thing but business owners say it has made a difference. The drug dealers have no cover at all and no place to hide things.
Homicide
With 2 homicides back to back in July, clearly there is still a lot of work to be done, In addition, there were 2 other deaths on the 4700 block of James Street on July 16th. No charges have been filed in that case to date.
The PSA1 meeting is tomorrow night, July 27th, at 7 PM at Aria hospital. Bring your issues directly to the police. This is part of the community engagement that is working.
