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.
