Tag: 15th police district

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4403 Frankford Avenue

A stop work order on 4403 Frankford Avenue (L+I sticker is up) has been issued, but a crew of guys continues to work on the property.  It is a large property that starts on Frankford Ave and wraps around Unity Street.

From Jorge Santana to Sharon Krause, community relations officer, 15th district:

The neighbors are very concerned that the property will be a large recovery home or a beer distribution facility.  L+I instructed me to contact the 15th to have the men stopped.   I called the district and got a busy signal, so I am sending this email instead.  We need these guys to stop the work until it is fairly vetted by the community and approved by L+I.

Can you place a daily roll call on the property to ensure that work is not happening on the place.  I have been told that work was being done at odd hours, including at 10pm last night (probably to avoid an arrest or work stoppage).

Thanks in advance for addressing this issue.  A 3-1-1 complaint has also been filed.  The ticket numbers are1333382 and 1324831.

This property is buttoned up so tight, you can’t see what is going on inside.

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New Links

We have added a couple of new links to the Blogroll over there on the left side of the page.  The news of the new building for Frankford Friends is being blogged at their own site.  You can keep up with the developments as they happen.  Click on Frankford Friends new building or follow this link to get a look.

Also Thanks to Tim Wisniewski, we got notice of the PSA1 meeting held last night.  I haven’t been doing my job of monitoring the 15th district web site where they have the schedule of community meetings or I would have posted it earlier.  So click on PPD 15th district or follow this link to get the most current information on any and all public meetings.

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PSA 1 Meeting

Tim Wisniewski discusses the safety ambassadors with Lt. Zaffino and Officer Andrews

The PSA meeting was held Thursday night at Aria Health.  If you read only that first line you would think we were all getting together for a prostate check.  No wonder so many guys were there.

Seriously though, PSA in this instance refers to patrol sector area of the 15th district of the police department.  PSA number one is the area that covers Frankford and Bridesburg.  The meeting gives citizens an opportunity to talk with the police about what is going on, in their neighborhood and on their block.

If some slime sucker has decided to sell drugs on your doorstep, you can talk to the Lieutenant and he’ll tell you what can be done and what he’ll do and he’ll give you his email address.  That’s what the meeting last night was about.

Lt. Zaffino runs a very good meeting.  He asks everybody what is on their mind and then provids answers.  There is not always a easy solution but over the last few months, I’ve seen that he has done things that have helped people who attend this meeting.

I don’t report details of the issues discussed at these meetings to protect the identities of the people who attend.  However, Tim Wisniewski of the Frankford Special Services District discussed the positive impact the safety ambassadors are having on the avenue.

If you have a problem, show up at the next PSA meeting for Frankford which is on August 10th at 7 PM at Aria Health, second floor conference room.  This is your best shot at talking to somebody who can get things done.

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Patrol Sector Area 1 Community Meeting

PSA 1 community meeting was held last night at Aria Health, Frankford at 7PM.   About 30 people from Northwood, West Frankford, East Frankford and Bridesburg attended.

So what is the point of this meeting and what exactly is a PSA?  Good question.  Let me try to translate.

The Police Department has made a lot of progress in reducing the crime rate by redeploying their officers and focusing on areas and times where crime takes place.  This strategy has its limits.  There are too many bums and criminals out there compared to the number of cops available.  The most recent strategy implemented was Patrol Sector Areas which is meaningless unless you also understand that specific police officers are assigned permanently to those areas.

The cop you see driving down the street today will be back tomorrow and the next day and the next day.  You will eventually recognize them and they will get to know you and your street and your neighborhood.  They will also get to know the folks who need watching.  This is contrary to previous procedures which would have officers patrolling any where within their districts.

Now that you know the police officer driving in that car, maybe you will be encouraged to help him out.  Nobody knows what is happening on your block better than you.  You can cooperate with the police by calling 911 when you see things going on that should not be happening.  Crimes call 911.  Quality of life call 311.  Better yet, come to the PSA monthly meeting and tell Lt. Zaffino and Sgt. Rosenbaum what’s really going on.

Lt. Zaffino and Sgt. Rosenbaum with two patrol officers

I was impressed last night as they went around the room and asked each person what issues they had.  They both showed that they do have a very detailed knowledge of what is going on in this area.  I won’t go into specific situations but they covered the range from nuisance to to drug sales to bad neighbors to illegal parking.  None of these things are minor since quality of life issues may often lead to more serious problems later.

The bottom line is that if you want to reduce crime, the police cannot do it all alone.  Community involvement is a necessity.  They provide you an opportunity every month to sound off and talk directly to the people who do the job.  It’s up to you to take advantage of it.

The next PSA 1 meeting is scheduled for June 1st at Aria Health, Frankford.