The PSA1 meeting this month will be held tomorrow night, February 25th, at the Bridesburg Boys and Girls Club at 2901 Bridge Street.
Tag: PSA 1
Northwood Burglar Apprehended
Officer Kennelly lead the 15th police District PSA1 meeting on January 28th at Aria Hospital with about 30 residents attending.
He reported that an individual was arrested in connection with the recent string of Northwood burglaries on January 7th and since that time similar burglaries have not been a problem.
This is not to be confused with the “Theft from Vehicles” which is another crime category. The picture below is of one that occurred last weekend in Northwood. Lock your car doors. Don’t leave any valuables or anything that this crook thinks may be valuable, in plain sight.
No arrest has been made yet in the homicide that started off the new year in Frankford on the 4600 block of Penn Street.
Cell phone thefts are a major problem says Officer Kennelly. Don’t be an easy target. When you are out in public, holding your cell phone and talking makes it too easy for a thief to grab it and run. Tell your kids to keep them in their pocket when out in public.
The truck parking problem around Harding Middle school continues. There are no truck parking signs on Ditman Street which are being ignored. Advice from Kat Hardy of Senator Tartaglione’s office:
A lot of phone calls about the tractor trailer parking on Ditman Street at the corner under “no trucking parking anytime” post. We will be working on it at the office all day but we need everyone to call 911 when you see a violation. Do not call the 15th, we were told to call 911. They will send an officer out to ticket the truck. The more calls, the sooner we can get this tractor trailer towed. That’s how it works.
It’s not safe for the kids crossing the street trying to get to Harding school and it’s just against the law.
We (Frankford ) have to do our part. We asked for no tractor trailer parking on that street, we got it, now let’s all try to make it happen. All it takes is for one tractor trailer to start. Before we know it they are lined up again.
Cars parking on the sidewalk by the used car dealers on Torresdale Avenue between Church and Margaret has been going on for years. It creates a danger for pedestrians who have to walk in the street to get by. Officer Kennelly will refer it to Roll Call.
Ronald Ryan of Town Watch Integrated Services discussed town watch and the benefits of implementing that program in Frankford.
Officer Staten talked about the Philly Cheers program which is being held at Aria Hospital again this year with the first session on February 27th. This is a good program for kids aged 8 to 17. It is held on Saturdays from 9 AM to noon with breakfast and lunch served free of charge You can get more information at this link.
The next meeting of the 15th District PSA1 will be held on February 25th at 7 PM at the Bridesburg Recreation Center at 4625 Richmond Street.
82 Guns off the Street
The 15th District PDAC (Police District Advisory Council) reports that the gun buy back held on December 19th took in 82 guns. That was a record number of weapons turned in. The buy back was sponsored by the 15th Police, the PDAC and Barbera on the Boulevard.
At the 15th District PSA1 meeting on December 17th, about 20 people were in attendance which is a good number given that Christmas was fast approaching. Lt. Gordon announced that the February PSA1 meeting will be held at the Bridesburg Recreation center on February 25th. Bridesburg is part of PSA1 and this will give the folks over there a convenient opportunity to attend the meeting.
Officer Kennelly gave an update on burglary activity. He said that burglary is up again in the past few weeks but this time on the West side of Castor Avenue. The crooks are taking advantage of open or unlocked windows during the day time when people are at work. Some advice: Lock your windows, especially those on the ground floor that are not in public view. If your windows are hidden by tall shrubs, trim them to make the windows more visible.
Lt. Gordon said to beware of anybody who comes to your door and says they need to come in to repair or inspect. Always ask for ID. If they are in a private vehicle that is a tip off. Call 911 right away. Also, take care to hide any signs of mobile devices in your car. Do not keep your phone charger or gps mount where the can be seen. If the crooks see those things they will break into your car to find the phone or gps.
The next meeting of the 15th District PSA1 will be on January 28th at 7 PM at Aria Hospital.
PSA1 Town Watch
Lt. Duane Gordon at the PSA1 meeting on September 24th described the Town Watch being formed in PSA1. PSA1 includes Frankford/Northwood and Bridesburg.
Reverend Clodfelter, Rector of St. Marks at first expressed reservations about residents fearing retaliation for participation in Town Watch. In many neighborhoods that is a reality. However, volunteers are not being asked to patrol or take any public action. You are being asked to use your eyes and ears and then report, to a special phone number, any activity that is suspicious or criminal. The phone number will be dedicated to the 15th district PSA1 use only and a knowledgeable person will be assigned to take your calls. You will not call 911. This will give your report special handling.
To volunteer, email Lt. Gordon at duane.gordon@phila.gov. He needs to know your name and what block you live on.
There will be more information at the next PSA1 meeting, which is on October 22nd at 7 PM at Aria Hospital.
July PSA1 Meeting
There were some new folks at the meeting on July 23rd to talk to the police about the issues on their block. Lt. Gordon, Captain McCloskey and Officer Jacobs were on hand to deal with their questions. We leave the details out to protect their anonymity.
Also on hand was Andrew Jennemen, Assistant DA and head of the Public Nuisance Task Force. He talked about how the task force works and what is required to take property of convicted drug dealers. He also addressed the issue of the Frankford Deli, at Foulkrod and Frankford. The proprietor has been arrested several times on drug charges and a large quantity of marijuana was seized at the store in one of those arrests. Jennimen says that the proprietor is not the owner of the property and therefore the property cannot be taken. However, when he notified the owner, he got a call almost immediately saying that he had not been aware of the problems being caused and he would begin eviction proceedings immediately, which he did. Eviction can take months but eventually there will be a new tenant at that location. That was one way to handle it.
The next PSA1 meeting will be held on August 27th at 7PM at Aria Hospital.
