MAKING PHILADELPHIA A SAFER CITY Michael A. Nutter Charles H. Ramsey

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1 MAKING PHILADELPHIA A SAFER CITY 2011 Progress Report on the Crime Fighting Strategy And Five-Year Plan Michael A. Nutter Mayor, City of Philadelphia Charles H. Ramsey Police Commissioner

2 City of Philadelphia A Message from Mayor Michael A. Nutter My Fellow Philadelphians: When I was sworn in as Mayor of this great city three and half years ago, I signed an Executive Order declaring a crime emergency. I asked then newly-appointed Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey to develop a comprehensive crime fighting and community policing strategy for the City of Philadelphia. We knew that in order for Philadelphia to become one of the safest cities in the country, we would need our people and our police to come together in a shared effort. This is no small request, but today, I m pleased to tell you that we have our foundation in place. We ve had many challenges and changes. We ve pulled through these hard times and we are smarter and stronger on crime. The Philadelphia Police Department, under the excellent leadership of Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, has made significant progress in reducing violence in our city, bringing communities together, and holding our officers accountable to the highest level of integrity. In my inaugural address, I asked all of us to recognize that we are responsible for each other, and that to make this city safe, it s not only about policing. The following plan presented by the Philadelphia Police Department reflects this commitment to communities and police working together to transform our neighborhoods. I am proud of the great work that we ve accomplished so far. I am inspired by the stories of our police officers working side by side with residents, businesses and our other city agencies. Join your community and join your Police Department in making Philadelphia a safer city. I am more hopeful than ever that we can achieve this vision together. Sincerely, Michael A. Nutter Mayor, City of Philadelphia

3 A Message from Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey My Fellow Philadelphians: On behalf of the Philadelphia Police Department, I present to you our crime fighting strategy progress report and plan for the next five years. Our men and women of this Department deserve to be commended for a job well done. Their hard work has set the foundation for all of us, police and community alike, to realize our shared vision of a safer Philadelphia. The past three and half years have shown that the Department made significant progress in reducing chronic crime and disorder, but we have much more to accomplish. The following report provides an in-depth understanding of the Philadelphia Police Department s approach to fighting crime and to re-aligning our organization to meet our mission. Our policing strategy is built on the character of this city a city of neighborhoods. The police team, along with residents and businesses, will work together to address crime and disorder problems. Our goal is nothing short of making every neighborhood in Philadelphia safe and strong through our collective actions. All of the members of this Department must live and act in accordance with our values of honor, service and integrity. That is our commitment to the people we serve. In return, we need your continued trust and your partnership. Together, we will move this City forward in reaching its full and highest potential. Sincerely, Charles H. Ramsey Police Commissioner

4 : A 2011 Progress Report on the Crime Fighting Strategy and Five-Year Plan Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 MISSION, VALUES & PRINCIPLES: THE PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT IN MISSION, VALUES & PRINCIPLES BUILDING AN ORGANIZATION ALIGNED WITH OUR PRINCIPLES INTRODUCING A NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED APPROACH TO POLICING THE VISION TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS REVIEW AND PROGRESS REPORT ON THE 2008 CRIME FIGHTING STRATEGY 11 PERFORMANCE GOALS STATUS OF THE ACTION PLAN NATURE AND EXTENT OF CRIME : PHILADELPHIA S NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED POLICING MODEL POLICE SERVICE AREA AUDITS CONCLUSION 32 APPENDIX A: GOALS & STRATEGIES FOR THE PPD: APPENDIX B: REVIEW OF 2008 CRIME FIGHTING STRATEGY ACTION PLAN 42 List of Tables & Figures TABLE 1: PERFORMANCE MEASURES 11 TABLE 2: CRIME & STAFFING CHANGES IN NINE TARGETED DISTRICTS & DEPARTMENT 12 FIGURE 1: TOTAL PART I CRIMES 19 FIGURES 2 & 3: PART I PROPERTY CRIME & PART I VIOLENT CRIME 20 FIGURE 4: PART I CRIME RATE PER 100,000 FOR 2007 & FIGURE 5: PART I CRIME PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NINE TARGETED DISTRICTS: 2007 V TABLE 3: TOP 10 DISTRICTS RANKED ACROSS SELECT CATEGORIES 23 FIGURES 6 & 7: TIME OF DAY FOR VIOLENT CRIME 2010 & TIME OF DAY FOR PROPERTY CRIME FIGURE 8: DAYS OF WEEK FOR VIOLENT & PROPERTY CRIME: TABLE 4: JUVENILE ARRESTS: TABLE 5: JUVENILE CRIME VICTIMS: Page 1

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provides an update to the 2008 Crime Fighting Strategy, an examination of the nature of crime in Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Police Department s strategic vision with goals and strategies set for the next five years. There are three phases in the development of the Philadelphia Police Department s strategic vision. 1) Define the operational strategy; reorganize the organization to be aligned with our mission and values, and establish performance measures; 2) Pilot major initiatives; refine our mission; establish a policing model appropriate for addressing crime and disorder in Philadelphia; 3) Establish goals, strategies and actions based on our neighborhood policing model, and assign accountability at every level of the organization in order to meet our vision. The Crime Fighting Strategy in 2008 started phase 1 and today we are in phase 3. Since 2007, homicides have dropped by twenty-two percent, shooting victims by seven percent and Part I crime by eight percent. The homicide clearance rate has ranged from seventy-five to seventy percent over the past three years. This is up from fifty-nine percent in The number of Part I crimes in Philadelphia was 75,051 in 2009, and 76,334 for These are the lowest levels since 1978 (72,948 crimes). Part I crime began to increase after 1978, rising to a high of 106,078 crimes in At the end of 2010, there were nearly 30,000 fewer victims of serious crime than there were in Though these numbers show significant improvement, there is still much to be done in terms of lowering crime in Philadelphia. Crime occurs across the city and it is highly concentrated in small areas. The 35 th Police District, for example, is ranked the third highest district in violent crime. Within the 35 th District in 2010, Police Service Area (PSA) 352 had 600 violent crimes 17 homicides, 387 robberies, and 398 aggravated assaults. This one PSA had fifty-eight percent of all homicides, robberies, and aggravated assaults in the entire district. Inside PSA 352, there is a smaller area that has one of the highest densities of violent crime in the city. These concentrated areas of violent crime will be targeted in our continued crime fighting efforts. The Police Service Area (PSA) model provides the foundation in which we will work with our partners, target areas of chronic crime and disorder, and refine our strategy using evidencebased practices. The next phase of our crime fighting strategy is based on the progress that has been made over the past three years. Our work will focus on helping our District Captains and PSA Lieutenants become more strategic about combating crime. Our overall goal is to advance Page 2

6 long-term crime reduction strategies in chronic crime hot spots. This requires us to improve our analytical capabilities, to refine our decision-making processes, and to hold ourselves and our partners accountable for developing and achieving these goals at the neighborhood level. The men and women in patrol will lead the Department in these efforts. We will review staffing levels of all units and make adjustments as necessary to ensure that high crime areas have the right number of police personnel. For our members to be effective in preventing and fighting crime, they must have modern equipment and technology, actionable information, and a habitable place in which to work. We are demanding excellence from our members and we must give them the tools to achieve that mission. Over the next five years, we must improve our infrastructure. We must also continue to invest in our employees. They must be prepared not only to meet the demands of today but those of the future. Training and education must remain an integral part of our development as an organization. We will work diligently to ensure our members are accountable to each other and act in accordance with our values of honor, integrity and service. The Philadelphia Police Department will become the police department of choice not only in this region, but a model of excellence for our profession. The specific strategies and goals listed in Appendix A are organized around three areas: 1) Police Services 2) Public Safety Infrastructure and 3) Employee Development. Our work will be guided by our principles of Smart Policing, Collaboration, Prevention, and Continuous Improvement. We expect that the goals and strategies will remain consistent over the next five years, and that our actions will change or be refined as we make progress. Page 3

7 Our Mission, Values and Principles: The Philadelphia Police Department in 2011 Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey was appointed by Mayor Michael A. Nutter on January 7, 2008, and was charged with developing a comprehensive crime fighting strategy for the Philadelphia Police Department. The crime plan, released on January 30, 2008, focused on uniform patrol as the core of the policing strategy and included a major restructuring of the Department. Guided by our principles of smart policing, prevention, collaboration and continuous improvement in operations and administration, the Department has made significant progress in reducing violent crime and adopting a neighborhood-based approach to policing. The dedicated men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department sworn and civilian are to be congratulated for making our Department stronger and our City safer since the release of the crime plan three and a half years ago. During this time, we have revised our mission statement, and recommitted ourselves to becoming a model of excellence in our profession: MISSION: The mission of the Philadelphia Police Department is to demonstrate excellence in policing by working in partnership with the community and others to: Fight and prevent crime, the fear of crime, and terrorism; Enforce laws while safeguarding the constitutional rights of all people; Provide quality service to all of our residents and visitors; and Create a work environment in which we recruit, train and develop an exceptional team of employees. All members of the Philadelphia Police Department must dedicate themselves to accomplishing this mission. Whether sworn or civilian, patrol, specialized units or administrative offices, every unit is essential in making the Philadelphia Police Department a model of excellence in policing. This requires that we hold each other and ourselves accountable for advancing our mission and performing our work with the highest level of integrity and professionalism. We must live our core values in our every day actions, and base our decisions on our guiding principles. VALUES: The core values on which this Police Department stands are emblazoned on the patch of the uniform of every officer Honor, Service, Integrity. Recent incidents involving members of the Department arrested for criminal misconduct have highlighted a troubling issue. Though it s a Page 4

8 minority of police personnel, the few affect the many. The Department, however, has taken many efforts to counter corruption and to re-instill our core values. We owe this not only to the citizens of Philadelphia but also the brave men and women who wear our uniform with pride and who treat our communities with dignity and respect. They deserve to be commended for a job well done for every single day of service to this Department and to the City. GUIDING PRINCIPLES Our strategy has reflected a commitment to working in collaboration with residents, businesses, city agencies, and other law enforcement agencies to address crime and disorder problems in our city. We will continue to meet this commitment through our comprehensive neighborhood policing strategy and structure. We also identified four guiding principles in our crime fighting strategy in 2008 that we continue to use today. They serve as the touchstones in developing programs, pursuing opportunities and delivering service. Smart Policing Our strategies and tactics are guided by data, information, intelligence and evidenced-based practices. In today s economy, we must be smart and judicious about allocating police resources. Saturation patrol is not an informed solution to preventing or reducing a rising crime problem. We must understand what works, how much works, when it works, and where it works. The answers to these questions provide the foundation for evidence-based policing strategies. We must have an IT infrastructure that houses real-time, current and accurate data that can be accessed by all police personnel. We must also have trained and talented people to help us develop systems that turn data and intelligence into actionable information. Collaboration Public safety is a community responsibility. Neighbors, parents, youth, business owners, city employees, school employees and teachers, and state and federal law enforcement agents all play a role in making Philadelphia a safer city. We have worked diligently over the past four years to create the kind of partnerships necessary to transform neighborhoods and sustain our progress. Prevention The ultimate goal of policing is to prevent crime and disorder from occurring in the first place. A sense of security arises from feeling safe in one s home, in school or at work, on the street, and in the neighborhood. Everyone deserves the opportunity to feel safe in his or her neighborhood. Page 5

9 Continuous Improvement in Operations and Administration We must constantly review and refine our policies, procedures and operations to increase our efficiency and effectiveness. We will continue to look for opportunities to reduce bureaucracy and ensure that the right people with the appropriate training are in the right positions. A great deal of work has been done in improving our practices and the quality of our organization. BUILDING AN ORGANIZATION ALIGNED WITH OUR MISSION, VALUES AND PRINCIPLES Early in 2008, we reorganized the Philadelphia Police Department to become aligned with the goals and principles of our Crime Fighting Strategy. The structure of our organization is a critical element in aligning our units, our personnel and our resources to fit the core functions of the Department. The Philadelphia Police Department has long relied on a traditional, vertical organizational structure, with separate bureaus designed around specific functions. In reality, however, most police work takes place laterally, moving across different units that are serving a common purpose. The traditional police organization has provided little or, at worst, no accountability for the end results: solving the incident, partnering with other units whose purpose is similar, addressing the problem, and developing our personnel. Reorganizing the Department into a more horizontal and connected organization, matching the unit to its function, involved dividing the City into two Regional Operations Commands (ROC North and ROC South), each headed by a Deputy Commissioner under Field Operations. Three police divisions, within which the police districts are situated, comprise each ROC. There are a total of twenty-one police districts in Philadelphia. 1 The patrol and investigative bureaus, previously under separate chains of command, were placed together in the same division, streamlining communication and the delivery of service to our communities. In addition to the Regional Operations Commands, Major Investigations and Homeland Security, and Violence Prevention and Victim Services, were placed under the First Deputy Commissioner for Field Operations. Their overarching purpose is to ensure that all patrol, investigative, prevention and specialized units (for example, traffic, special victims, bomb squad and accident investigations) are supporting the mission of the Department. Administrative, personnel and technical functions were consolidated under a Deputy Commissioner for Organizational Support Services. All units whose function is to provide organizational accountability (for example, Internal Affairs, Overtime Management, Quality Assurance, Background Investigations) have also been squarely consolidated under another 1 The PPD consolidated the 3 rd and 4 th into one district, and the 22 nd and 23 rd, in order to more effectively manage resources and deliver police services. Page 6

10 Deputy Commissioner. Lastly, we created another area spearheaded by the Deputy Commissioner/Chief Administrative Officer for Strategic Initiatives and Innovations. This office is dedicated to ensuring that the Department is using and communicating best practices in our profession, identifying opportunities for developing our personnel, and pursuing organizational strategies that are guided by relevant and timely data, analytics and legal policies and procedures. PPD2020, the Department s strategic planning unit, discussed in more depth later in this report, is housed under this office. All of the organizational changes have focused on providing a more streamlined command system, accountability and greater coordination amongst units whose function is similar. The new structure represents nothing short of a complete transformation of the Department, from a bureaucratic, incident-driven organization, to a customer-service driven organization, focused on developing the partnerships that promote our neighborhood-based policing strategy. INTRODUCING A NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED APPROACH TO POLICING The philosophy of neighborhood policing drives how we organize and deliver police response and services. Residents and police in Philadelphia are working together to make their neighborhoods a place where all people can live without fear. This is not just the rhetoric of community policing; this is the reality of neighborhood transformation, and it s based on a different way of thinking about time and space with the introduction of the Police Service Area in The city of Philadelphia is geographically divided into 21 police districts, each led by a police captain. Within each district, the Department has created two to four smaller geographical subdivisions called Police Services Areas (PSAs), for a total of 64 throughout the city. Each PSA is headed by a police lieutenant, who along with an average of four sergeants and fifty-six officers, are now responsible for patrolling the same area, day in and day out, bringing greater community contact, familiarity and involvement. Page 7

11 The following illustration shows how the 26 th Police District is divided into three PSAs: The Police Service Area is the foundation on which our neighborhood policing strategy is based. The key elements of the PSA structure are: 1. PSA Integrity Officers stay on their PSA responding to calls for service, getting to know the people who live, work, play and commit crime in the PSA, and working on crime and disorder problems in the PSA. 2. PSA Problem Solving PSA team members are trained on problem solving and are expected to use this method to develop the PSA Plans and work with partners to solve crime and disorder problems. 3. PSA Community Meetings PSA Lieutenants host monthly PSA meetings involving the community and other stakeholders. 4. PSA Plan The PSA team will create and implement the PSA Plans in conjunction with partners based on chronic crime and disorder problems. 5. PSA Crime Analysis and Intelligence The PSA team will request and use crime analysis and intelligence reports to develop the PSA Plan, develop tactics, and make assignments. PSA officers are responsible for gathering and sharing information that can help solve and prevent crime on their PSA. 6. PSA Team Meetings The PSA Lieutenant will hold monthly team meetings involving the sergeants and officers assigned to the PSA. The purpose of the team meeting is to develop, assess, and update the PSA team on efforts. 7. Coordinated City Services The PSA team is able to access and participate in the developing and delivering coordinated city services to address chronic crime and disorder problems. Page 8

12 Before PSAs, officers were racing to and from one end of the district to the other. Now, they primarily handle calls within a much smaller part of the district. The PSA team spends more time getting to know the area, its chronic crime and disorder issues, and problem solving with the community members who live and work there. Geographic accountability and continuity of assignment for the officers within each PSA are at the core of this neighborhood policing model. The PSA structure provides the foundation in which we will work with our partners to prevent and combat crime. Our approach will be driven by evidenced-based practices that target our efforts on chronic crime and disorder problems within the PSAs. THE VISION TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS In 2008, we established a strategic vision for the Department where we asked ourselves: What should the Department look like in the year 2020? There have been three phases in developing and achieving our strategic vision: 1) Define the operational strategy; reorganize the organization to be aligned with our mission and values, and establish performance measures; 2) Pilot major initiatives; refine our mission; establish a policing model appropriate for addressing crime and disorder in Philadelphia; 3) Establish goals, strategies and actions based on our neighborhood policing model, and assign accountability at every level of the organization in order to meet our vision. We are in the third stage in this organizational process. The following chart shows how the Department has structured its efforts into three major areas: Police Service, Public Safety Infrastructure and Employee Development. The guiding principles described in the previous section continue to serve as the foundational pillars for our work. Page 9

13 Appendix A will detail the specific performance goals, strategies and actions that we have established for the Department. The three areas and their respective goals are outlined in the following table. Each member, sworn and civilian, will play a role in ensuring that we move forward and evolve into a model of excellence for our profession. Police services: Goal 1: To Prevent Crime and Criminal Victimization Goal 2: To Provide Justice by Calling Offenders to Account for Their Crimes Goal 3: To Enhance the Sense of Safety and Security in Public Spaces Goal 4: To Improve Police and Community Partnerships Infrastructure: Goal 5: To Create a Safe and Healthy Work Environment Employee Development: Goal 6: To Increase Public Confidence in the Department Goal 7: To Create an Exceptional Team of Employees Page 10

14 Review and Progress Report on the 2008 Crime Fighting Strategy The focus of the 2008 Crime Fighting was to better align the organization to meet the demands of our mission. It reflected our commitment to continually improve, innovate, evaluate and change. Our work was not done in isolation but in collaboration with the communities we serve, other city agencies, academic institutions, and law enforcement partners. All of our collective efforts were and continue to be focused on preventing crime and disorder, and bringing those who commit crime to justice. As stated in 2008: Our mission, core values and guiding principles will guide our work and not change. Ultimately, we will be judged not just on the reduction of crime but also on how well we individually and collectively hold to these values and principles. PERFORMANCE GOALS The 2008 Crime Fighting Strategy set forward a series of performance goals for the Department that are detailed in Table 1. Appendix B provides a detailed action report of all of the strategies and goals outlined in our initial Crime Fighting Strategy. Table 1: Performance Measures Measure 2007 (Base) % Change Reduction in the number of homicides % -8.8% 1.3% -21.7% by 25% Decrease the number of shooting 1, % -2.6% 6.2% -6.9% victims by 20% Reduce Part I Crimes by 20% 82,974.5% -10.0% 1.7% -8.0% Increase the number of illegal guns 3, % -18.7% -.2% -17.5% taken off the street by 5% (does not include buy backs) Increase the homicide clearance rate to 58.6% % 65% Increase the clearance rate for all 23.8% % violent crime by 5% to 25% Reduce the backlog of 6,000 pieces of ballistic evidence 6,046 2,878 1, % Page 11

15 We have exceeded some of our goals while not meeting others. This is to be expected, but these performance measures provide a means by which to judge how well we are achieving our mission and vision for the Department, and where work is still needed. STATUS OF THE ACTION PLAN The initial Crime Fighting Strategy (2008) listed a series of actions under the categories of Smart Policing; Collaboration; Prevention; and Continuous Improvement Strategies. There were forty-four (44) actions identified. Appendix B lists the current status for each action as of June Several highlighted initiatives are detailed below under each principle. Smart Policing 2 Allocation of Police Resources The Strategy identified nine districts that accounted for 65 percent of the homicides, 64 percent of the shooting victims, 55 percent of the robbery victims and 59 percent of the aggravated assaults. These districts were 12 th, 14 th, 15 th, 18 th, 19 th, 22 nd, 25 th, 35 th, and 39 th. We made a commitment to focus human and material resources on these districts. Table 2 compares crime and staffing changes over the past three years in the original nine targeted districts identified in the plan. In 2008, the Department committed to placing more officers in the targeted districts. Staffing in the nine districts was increased by almost thirteen percent during the same time as the staffing level in the entire Department dropped by almost two percent. Table 2: Crime and Staffing Changes for the Targeted Nine Districts and Department Nine Districts 4 Department - Total Percentage Part I crime change Percentage sworn staffing change % -12% 1.8% -10.3% 5.0% 4.6% 2.6% 12.7%.5% -10% 1.7% -8.0% 1.5% -2.9% 0% -1.5% We increased the number of officers working in the nine targeted districts because police visibility and activity reduces crime had the biggest decrease in crime in the nine districts (twelve percent) after there was a five percent increase in officers assigned to the nine districts in both 2008 and Part I crime in the nine targeted districts greatly 2 The term used in 2008 was Intelligent Policing. 3 There were 141 officers in summer Initiatives and detailed to one of the nine districts. 4 In 2010 the 22 nd and 23 rd districts were merged. For comparison purpose, all years the data reflect the combining of the 22 nd and 23 rd. Page 12

16 contributed to the changes in crime reflected in citywide totals. When crime in the nine targeted districts was reduced, a corresponding change was reflected in the total numbers. In 2009, three more districts were added to the targeted list: the 16 th, 17 th, and 24 th. Commanders from these twelve districts participate in weekly crime briefings at Police Headquarters. Discussions about recent crimes, current tactics, statistics and case updates are shared. Personnel and assignments are then set for the current week. This constant attention coupled with a sense of urgency helps keep the focus on combating crime. The core of our policing strategy has been and will remain in uniform patrol. Between 2008 and 2010, we increased staffing in the targeted districts by 12.7% by adding new officers, combining several districts, and abolishing several specialized units in order to reassign those personnel to patrol. 5 This double-digit increase occurred while our overall sworn strength decreased by 1.5%, or approximately 200 officers, as a result of attrition and a hiring freeze. We have also made several important adjustments in our deployment to support maximizing the number of uniform patrol personnel available during peak crime periods. We have created a new shift from 8pm 4am in select districts in order to combat violent crime in the time period in which the majority of crime occurs. We have also deployed additional personnel from specialized units back into patrol units for the spring and summer months, thereby ensuring that we have adequate staffing in the areas where police presence is needed the most. We have used data to determine where and when officers need to be working in order to combat crime. They were given specific assignments and additional training to better fulfill those assignments. These efforts helped contribute to the crime reduction over the past few years. Evidence-Based Approaches: The Philadelphia Foot Patrol Experiment is changing the way police departments understand foot patrol, and demonstrates the importance of research partnerships in supporting police management. The PPD worked with the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University in developing an initiative that would test the effectiveness of foot patrol in reducing violent crime. Over 200 new police officers were assigned to 60 foot patrol areas in the summer of 2009 in Philadelphia. Results showed that the use of foot patrols had a 22% reduction in violent crime compared to the control areas and a 13% increase in arrests. Foot patrols are now a permanent part of the Department s crime fighting strategy for reducing violent crime. We have a much better understanding of the conditions under which they are effective. 5 The 92 nd District, the SITE (Strategic Intervention Tactical Enforcement) Unit were disbanded, and police personnel were reassigned to patrol districts. The IMPACT (Integrity Management Police Anti-Corruption Unit) Unit was dissolved, and the function was moved under the recently expanded Integrity Control Office in the Internal Affairs Division. Page 13

17 This past October, the Department received one of two honorable mentions from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Award for our research collaboration with Temple University involving foot patrol. The Bureau of Justice Assistance, SMART Policing grant is another example of applying this principle in practice. Similar to the foot patrol experiment, the PPD is working with Temple University to test the effectiveness of problem solving, an offender-focused intelligence initiative, and foot patrol on reducing violent crime. Temple is currently analyzing the data from this effort. We will continue to engage our local academic institutions when operationally feasible so that we can match the appropriate strategy and tactics to the problem at hand. Collaboration City Collaboratives PhillyRising is a multi-agency effort that provides coordinated City services to the neighborhoods most affected by crime and disorder. PhillyRising began with a pilot initiative in the 26 th police district in 2010, and is now expanding in 2011 to at least three other sites, with more slated for later in the year. This initiative is a promising example of leveraging multiple partnerships with other city agencies, educational institutions and community organizations to deliver services in a streamlined manner to the areas that need them most. Law Enforcement Collaboratives Another example of applying the principle of collaboration to work is Operation Pressure Point, which involved sixteen local, state, and federal agencies working together to focus on weekend violence. As a result, shooting victims decreased by 21 percent and homicides decreased by 33 percent during the targeted times. Working together and focusing on the same mission can bring significant results. We will continue to establish partnerships to combat crime. Private/Public Sector Partnerships The Department s relationship with the Philadelphia Police Foundation has also grown much stronger over the past three years, bringing civic and business leaders together to fund select initiatives, which are beyond the scope of the City budget. Currently, the Philadelphia Police Foundation has partnered with the Department to re-establish the Mounted Unit. The PPD, in partnership with the Center City District, was also honored by the IACP with the 2010 Chief Michael Shanahan Award for Excellence in Public/Private Cooperation. Collaboration is critical for sustainability as we move the Department and the City forward into the future. Page 14

18 Prevention Prevention efforts focused on the most vulnerable and high-risk populations are an invaluable tool. The Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP), for example, provides a very successful collaborative model for how public and private organizations can address youth violence. This is a coordinated intervention effort involving police, probation officers, the District Attorney s office and street workers, targeting those youth who are at-risk of either committing or becoming a victim of violent crime. YVRP has been serving Philadelphia s youth for the past eleven years and will continue to work toward expanding its efforts. Programs such as the Police Athletic League (PAL), CHEERS (Community Health Empowerment Enrichment Resource Services) and our Police Explorer Program develop and strengthen our young people. We must help to cultivate the qualities and skill sets in our young people that contribute toward making a positive difference. The Department also works with the Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging on the Philadelphia Financial Exploitation Task Force. Together with the District Attorney s Office, we provide training for the banking industry on how to identify elderly persons who may have been victims of scams or frauds. Continuous Improvement in Operations and Administration Employee Development We have worked over the past four years to improve the quality of training provided to our personnel. We contracted with Penn State to deliver two courses the Police Supervisory In- Service Training (POSIT) and Police Executive Development (POLEX) training. These programs for sergeants (POSIT) and lieutenants (POLEX) are designed to improve their knowledge and skills in supervising and managing. A total of 334 personnel completed the POSIT course and 200 completed POLEX. In addition, Northwestern University has provided their premier School of Police Staff and Command to 248 PPD members. The Department has also sent six to eight people each year to training at the FBI Academy, where two of our members have also attended the National Executive Institute. Two more of our members are attending the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security and finally, we send three people per year to PERF s (Police Executive Research Forum) Senior Management Institute on Policing. The skills needed to be an effective police officer in the 21 st century have demanded that we re-examine our current hiring standards. As a result, applicants in 2012 must have 60 hours from an accredited college or university, be 21 years of age, and have a driver s license for at least three years. The polygraph has also been reinstituted in 2011 as another tool to Page 15

19 determine whether or not a candidate has the requisite background to be in law enforcement. Finally, our efforts to combat corruption and aggressively root out police misconduct have been a critical part of the Department s mission. The details of this effort are in the report, Preventing Corruption within Our Ranks: Creating a Values-Driven Organization, released in August We have reinforced our training, made reporting acts of corruption and misconduct easier, added investigators to Internal Affairs Bureau, increased staffing in our joint IAB /FBI Task Force, and are revising how we address first complaints of verbal abuse. These efforts may, in the short run, result in more officers being disciplined and/or terminated. At the same time, it also serves as a sign that the Department has a zero tolerance policy for those who tarnish the badge. We will continue our commitment to being a model of excellence for ourselves and for our profession. Policies & Procedures In 2007, there were public concerns about the Department s use of force. An internal review of our use of force policy and procedures indicated that we had a strong policy. In order to ensure, however, that we were reflecting the best practices both in policy and training, the Department contracted with the Police Executive Research Forum, a national policy organization in our profession. They reviewed and recommended changes to our use of force policies, procedures and training. As a result, we updated our use of force directive, improved our Employee Assistance Program by contracting with Penn Behavioral Health, improved our use of force training, and expanded the distribution of and training for less-than-lethal weapons. In the fall of 2009, with an increasing concern over the rise in domestic homicides, we decided to make several sweeping changes to the ways in which police first respond to calls for domestic violence, of which there are on average 150,000 per year. The Department partnered with the District Attorney s Office, domestic violence advocacy groups, and academic experts from Penn s School of Social Policy and Practice, to pilot an initiative that would more efficiently document allegations of domestic violence on the initial report for domestic violence cases. The actual form was developed in collaboration with all of the above partners, piloted in the East Police Division in August 2010, and implemented citywide in March The data from the first quarter of 2010 compared to the first quarter of 2011 is showing that the overall arrest rate for domestic related crimes has increased 7.5 percent. More specifically, arrests for domestic simple assaults have increased 17.1 percent. During this same time period, officers identified and coded 7.5 percent more incidents as domestic-related, while showed a 2.2 percent reduction in domestic related calls for service. The Department shares information about completed reports with our advocates, and they have made the commitment to contact all victims who report a second domestic incident Page 16

20 within one year. We expect to continue this project and develop a second phase, which will include an update of Department policy and a shared standard set of protocols for investigations. The Department s Overtime Management Unit is an excellent example of operational efficiency through collaboration. We established this unit in January 2009, and personnel have done an outstanding job, both internally with providing feedback and oversight for all of our units, and externally, through partnerships with the District Attorney s Office and the Courts. As a result of their efforts, the Department has reduced its overtime expenditures by $16,920,000 since the office was established. We have taken a coordinated approach to monitoring the usage of overtime, and it s making a significant difference in how the Department is doing its job. Strategic Planning: The strategic planning effort that we call PPD2020 illustrates how our four guiding principles are put into action. PPD2020 started in 2009 with nine months of data gathering, analysis, and recommendations for piloting selected change efforts. A major consulting company in Philadelphia lent five full-time staff to this effort and the PPD matched them with five dedicated staff. A department-wide survey of all members was conducted and focus groups were held to identify strengths and challenges. Initiatives were identified and piloted in the 26 th Police District. These initiatives included technology improvements, problem solving training, supervisory training, and performance measurements. An assessment of these pilots resulted in the Department-wide implementation of the initiatives over Some of the results include an electronic roll call where sergeants can share information such as, photos of wanted people in the district, crime maps, intelligence reports and PSA plans on a 42-inch flat screen 6. Additionally, the effectiveness of license plate readers (LPRs) were tested and resulted in the recovery of stolen cars and arrest of offenders. As a result, ten LPRs were obtained from the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority. The PPD2020 staff worked with Philly311 staff to develop a protocol where the police could enter service requests related to crime and disorder directly into the Philly311 system. Requests may be marked by the PPD and given priority in order to combat crime and disorder issues. There are trained personnel in every police district where this process is now available. Finally, the PPD2020 team worked with other members of the Department to refine its problem solving training, which was approved in 2010 by the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission for mandatory in-service training. By the end of 2011, every sworn member will have received problem solving training. 6 Twenty-three flat screens were donated through the Philadelphia Police Foundation. Page 17

21 In summary, we are doing as much as we can to become more efficient and effective, as well as create more opportunities for improvements in how we deliver service. The Department is becoming more evidence-based and collaborative in its approach to fighting and preventing crime. NATURE AND EXTENT OF CRIME These efforts provide a snapshot of how the Philadelphia Police Department has approached organizational change and its crime fighting strategy. We have made significant inroads in decreasing crime in this city, and improving public safety in collaboration with our partners. The most used and standard measure of crime is the FBI s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. UCR crime is divided into different categories of crime. Part I Crimes consist of both violent and property crime, and include the following seven crime categories: homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, theft and auto theft. The PPD submits its crime statistics to the FBI on a monthly basis. The UCR numbers are often used to compare cities and assess a city s level of safety. Part I crime in Philadelphia for 2009 was 75,051, and for 2010 was 76,334. These are the lowest levels since 1978 (72,948 crimes). Part I crime began to increase after 1978, rising to a high of 106,078 crimes in At the end of 2010, there were nearly 30,000 fewer victims of serious crime than there were in Though these numbers show significant improvement, there is still much to be done in terms of lowering crime in Philadelphia. The next section presents a view of the crime data over the most recent years, providing a more comprehensive look into the environment in which we all live and work. Specifically, the data examined includes an eight-year trend in total Part I crimes, Part I property crimes, and Part I violent crimes as well as the crime rate. The concentration of crime across time and space is also explored. Crime occurs across the city and spans all days and hours. It is also highly concentrated in relatively small geographical areas. A Total Picture of Crime Examining Part I crime from 2003 to 2010 and provides a longer-term perspective on crime trends in Philadelphia. Total Part I Crime includes: homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and vehicle theft. The first four crime categories (homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) comprise the Part I measure for violent crime. The latter three categories (burglary, theft and vehicle theft) comprise the Part I measure for property crime. All three measures will be explored in this section. Page 18

22 Part I Crimes ,074 81,833 Figure 1: Total Part I Crimes 82,028 85,493 82,974 83,351 75, Years 76,334 Figure 1 shows that there was a dramatic 10 percent drop in Total Part I crimes in Property crimes - burglary, theft, and vehicle theft drove the total Part I crime due to their volume. For example, in 2009 there were 75,051 Part I crimes. Property crimes accounted for 75 percent (55,888) of these crimes. In 2010, the percentage rose to 76 percent of the total Part 1 crime. Violent crimes like homicide, rape, aggravated assault and robbery often drive news media coverage and a sense of perception around crime rates. Many more people, however, will be the victims of burglary, theft and auto theft than violent crime. Page 19

23 Property Crimes Violent Crimes Figure 2: Part I Property Crimes 62,454 61,795 62,580 62,610 60,931 60,419 55, ,317 21,612 Year Figure 3: Part I Violent Crimes 22,382 23,927 21,179 20,771 19,163 57,799 18, Year Figures 2 and 3 show the eight-year trend for Part I property crime and violent crime. The drop shown in Total Part I Crimes in Figure 1 is mirrored in Part I Property Crimes. Part I Violent Crime also shows a steady decrease since Violent crime dropped by 12.5 percent between 2007 and 2010 while property crime dropped by 6.5 percent. The focus of the 2008 Crime Fighting Strategy was on combating and lowering violent crime. As a result, homicides decreased by 22 percent, robbery decreased by 19 percent and aggravated assault decreased by 7 percent. Page 20

24 Boston, MA Phoenix, AZ Pittsburgh, PA Philadelphia, PA Washington, DC Baltimore, MD Houston, TX Cleveland, OH Detroit, MI Figure 4: Part 1 Crimes Per 100,000 People, 2007 and ,106 4,493 4,507 4,898 6,042 6,778 Figure 4 shows the Part I crime rate for Philadelphia and eight other cities selected by the Pew Charitable Trusts (State of the City 2011 Report). Philadelphia s 2010 crime rate was 4,898 per 100,000 population, which is below Washington, DC, Houston and Detroit, but higher than Phoenix and Boston. 5,751 5,875 7, Part 1 Crime Rate 2007 Part 1 Crime Rate The Top Crime Districts We identified in 2008 the nine districts that had the leading number of violent crimes. These districts were the 12 th, 14 th, 15 th, 18 th, 19 th, 22 nd, 25 th, 35 th, and 39 th. They accounted for 65 percent of the homicides, 64 percent of the shooting victims, 55 percent of the robbery victims and 59 percent of the aggravated assaults in In 2010, there were 1,265 fewer violent crimes in these nine districts than in This reduction accounts for 48 percent of the entire reduction in violent crime in the city between 2007 and Figure 5 shows the changes in violent and property crime in these districts. All nine districts show a reduction in violent crime and seven of the nine also demonstrated a decline in property crime. Page 21

25 15% 10% 5% Percent 0% Change -5% -10% -15% -20% -25% -30% Figure 5: Percentage Change from for Top Nine Districts Identified in TH 14TH 15TH 18TH 19TH 22ND 25TH 35TH 39TH ALL 9 CITY Violent Crime Districts Property Crime There are twenty-one police districts in Philadelphia. Table 3 shows the ranking of the top ten districts for violent crime, burglary and vehicle theft across three different time periods: 1) 2008; 2) 2010 and 3) the combined total for 2007 through For example, in 2008, the 15 th police district was ranked first in violent crime. In 2010, the 15 th District was also ranked first for total violence, burglary and vehicle theft. Finally, from 2007 through 2010, the 15 th District also ranked first for total violent crime, burglary and vehicle theft. Table 3 illustrates that districts ranking the highest on violent crime have remained fairly stable over the past four years. These top ten districts were also ranked as the highest in burglary and vehicle theft. There are a few exceptions the 2 nd, 3 rd, and 26 th appear for burglary and vehicle theft, replacing the 18 th, 19 th and 39 th districts. The geographic concentration of crime has remained consistent over the years. These ten districts accounted for 69 percent of the violent crimes in 2010 and 54 percent of Property and Part II crimes and dispatches. The remaining twelve districts accounted for less than half of the crime and calls-for-service Page 22

26 Table 3: Ranking of Top Ten Districts Rank Combined Violent Total Burglary Vehicle Total Burglary Vehicle Crime Violent theft Violent theft Crime Crime 1 15 th 15 th 15 th 15 th 15 th 15 th 15 th 2 22 nd 22 nd 22 nd 25 th 22 nd 14 th 25 th 3 35 th 35 th 14 th 24 th 25 th 24 th 35 th 4 25 th 25 th 24 th 35 th 35 th 22 nd 24 th 5 12 th 24 th 19 th 2 nd 12 th 19 th 2 nd 6 24 th 19 th 2 nd 14 th 24 th 2 nd 14 th 7 18 th 12 th 35 th 26 th 19 th 35 th 12 th 8 14 th 18 th 12 th 12 th 14 th 12 th 3 rd 9 19 th 14 th 25 th 22 nd 18 th 25 th 22 nd th 39 th 39 th 3 rd 39 th 18 th 26 th Further analysis reveals that even within these high crime districts, there are Police Service Areas (PSAs) that have a higher concentration of crime than other PSAs. For example, the 35 th Police District is ranked third highest district in violent crime. Within the 35 th District in 2010, PSA 352 had 600 violent crimes 17 homicides, 387 robberies, and 398 aggravated assaults. This one PSA had fifty-eight percent of all homicides, robberies, and aggravated assaults for the entire district. Inside PSA 352, there is a smaller area that has one of the highest densities of violent crime in the city. Though crime occurs across the city, there are small high-crime areas that remain consistent over the years. Page 23

27 When Crime Occurs Crimes :01 AM 2:00 AM Figure 6: Time of Day of Violent Crimes in :00 AM 6:00 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM Time 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM In addition to knowing where crime occurs we also know when crime typically occurs. Figure 6 shows that crime is at its lowest in the mid-morning hours, climbs until it peaks between 8:00-9:00 p.m., and then lowers after midnight. Property crime shows a different time trajectory. Figure 7: Times of Property Crime in Crimes :01 AM 2:00 AM 4:00 AM 6:00 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM Time Page 24

28 Figure 7 shows that property crime starts increasing at 7:00am, peaks at 4:00pm, and then slowly drops. For this type of crime, victims often discover that their vehicle has been stolen in early morning and that their properties have been broken into after returning home from work. These time curves illustrate the need to have flexible work schedules and adequate police staffing across the full twenty-four hour period. Figure 8 shows the percentage of violent crime and property crime across the days of the week, from 2007 through Crime is evenly distributed over the course of the week % 15.00% % of Crime 10.00% 5.00% 0.00% Figure 8: Days of Week for Violent and Property Crime MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN Days of Week Violent Crime Property Crime Violent crime occurs at a higher rate from Friday through Sunday, while property crimes occur at a higher rate Monday through Thursday. Policing strategies and tactics must match the temporal differences in violent and property crime shown in the above charts. Victims and Offenders An analysis of homicide victims for the years 2007 to 2010 indicates that 79 percent of these victims were African-American, 88 percent were male and the majority was between the ages of 18 and 24. The primary motive was an argument. Eighty-two percent of the homicides were committed with a firearm. Seventy-six percent of homicide victims had a criminal record at the time of their death. Of the 306 homicide victims in 2010, 154 or 63 percent of them had a prior arrest for a violent crime. Nine of these victims were linked to previous homicides before they were killed. Page 25

29 The profile for homicide offenders mirrors that of their victims. For the years 2007 through 2010, 912 people were arrested for homicide. Eighty-one percent of those arrested were African-American. Ninety-three percent of the offenders were male. Slightly less than half (48%) of the offenders were between the ages of 18 and 24. Eighty-eight percent arrested in 2010 had a prior arrest history. Of this group, 74 percent had an arrest for a violent crime. A 2008 analysis of shooting victims and offenders yields the same profile of race, age and gender. Of the 1,562 shooting victims in 2008, 73 percent (1,135 victims) had a prior arrest. There were a total 5,286 arrests for the 1,135 victims with prior arrests. Slightly more than one out of every five shooting victims had at least ten arrests. Both victims and offenders have strong prior contact with the criminal justice system. The arrest history of victims of shootings indicates that the majority has engaged in past criminal behavior, increasing the likelihood of future victimization. Understanding that arrest history is associated with future criminal activity will assist the Department in developing effective prevention strategies. How we collect, use and respond to intelligence about previous and potential violent offenders is a critical part of our smart policing efforts. Juveniles Table 4 provides arrest statistics for juveniles, ages 17 or younger, for Part I crimes and Part II crimes for the years 2007 through Table 4: Juvenile Arrests Crime Level Percentage Change Part I Crimes % Part II Crimes % Total % The most frequent arrests for Part I Crimes were for theft, robbery and aggravated assault. For Part II Crimes the most frequent arrests were for simple assaults and narcotics. Juvenile arrests accounted for 11.2% of all arrests during this period of time. All arrests went up by 2.8% while juvenile arrests when down by 25%. Page 26

30 Table 5: Juvenile Crime Victims Crime Level Percentage Change Part I Crimes % Part II Crimes % Total % Table 5 shows that the juvenile victims have also declined during this same time period. The most frequent crimes in which juveniles were victims were aggravated assault and robbery for Part I crimes, and simple assault and sex offenses for Part II crimes. The top ten districts in which violent and property crime occur are also the top districts in which there are juvenile victims and arrests. The 15 th police district had the most juvenile victims in 2010 with 942 juveniles, followed by the 35 th district with 653. Juveniles are also the victims of homicides. There were eighteen juveniles murdered in This was the second lowest total in the past twenty-one years. All of these victims were African-American and sixteen were males. Eleven were 16 or 17 years of age and six were 10 or younger. Summary There have been significant reductions in juvenile victimization and offending. We must continue, however, to strengthen our partnerships in the community that focus on prevention. As the above data demonstrates, our most violent offenders often bring an extensive criminal history with them. The more we understand about the nature of crime, when and why it happens, patterns of victimization, and the environment in which crime occurs, the more strategic the Police Department can be in targeting our efforts with our partners. Page 27

31 Making Philadelphia a Safer City: Traditional policing has placed law enforcement as the end goal for the profession, and public safety squarely as a government function. Typical tactics include responding to calls-forservice, visibility, hot spot policing, and zero-tolerance. Community policing is often viewed as foot and bike patrols and community meetings. Problem-oriented policing focuses on problem solving, primarily led by the police. The neighborhood-based policing model acknowledges that all of the above approaches are legitimate and can be effective, depending on the needs of the community. This model also places multi-agency city and community collaborations, such as PhillyRising, at the center of sustainable neighborhood transformation. This model is dynamic, flexible, involves multiple stakeholders, and allows for different police strategies and tactics to be matched to the presenting issues of crime and disorder. These efforts will be geared toward the most violent concentrated areas of crime within the PSAs listed in Table 3. Evidence-based tactics, such as problem solving, foot patrols, and offender-focused intelligence initiatives will be used to prevent and fight crime in these areas. There is no one size fits all approach. PHILADELPHIA S NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED POLICING MODEL Philadelphia s neighborhood policing approach (see model on the following page) is based on the work done in other cities and partly by the theoretical work of Nolan, Conti and McDevitt (2005) 7 on situational policing. The authors theorize that there are four neighborhood types as illustrated in the below graph. Each type suggests different community needs and levels of organization, different amounts of crime and disorder, and therefore a different policing approach. 7 James J. Nolan, Norman Conti, and Jack McDevitt, Situational Poling, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Nov. 2005, 74 (11): 1-9. Page 28

32 For example, the distressed 8 neighborhood first needs to be secured, then organized by its community members. Hot spot policing tactics may be appropriate within this type of neighborhood in order to rid the immediate and persistently dangerous areas. The responsive neighborhood, however, is a place where joint community and police problem solving may be an effective primary crime prevention and fighting tool. Low crime neighborhoods may be less motivated to work proactively with the police on a regular basis, partially because they are satisfied with the level of police service. Under this model, the Police Department can address crime and disorder based on the specific needs and type of community. The authors argue that, effective policing involves not only reducing crime and disorder but facilitating neighborhood development. The overall goal for the Police Department is to partner with community members to help them transform their neighborhood into stronger, safer environments. 8 The authors use the term anomic to describe the high crime, low organization neighborhood. Page 29

33 POLICE SERVICE AREA AUDITS An important part of our strategy going forward will consist of doing PSA Audits, which will detail what is known about the nature and extent of crime, community issues, local resources and an assessment of the neighborhood types in the PSA. Audits will be guided by each PSA Lieutenant with support and input from the community. The audits will set the framework from which priorities for prevention, problem solving, and enforcement are developed, and guide the PSA Action Plan and problem solving process. The intent of this new process is to help our District Captains and PSA Lieutenants become more strategic about combating crime. This requires a long-view of the causes of crime and the desired outcomes of the efforts. Short-term tactics will always be required to address emergent crime but, as the analysis indicates, crime hot spots tend to remain stable. In order to make Philadelphia a safer city, we must strategically coordinate police, city, and community resources to focus on the underlying causes of these hot spots. Using our guiding principles of smart policing, collaboration, prevention and continuous improvement, we will develop and implement localized PSA plans that focus on the specifics of each location, the victims and the offenders. Page 30