Public Safety - May 14

A City That Works - May 14, 2008
Public Safety Discussion Group at The Inquirer

The group was comprised of three men and two women. The participants were all very excited to contribute their thoughts and opinions regarding the importance of public safety.  The exercises in place appeared to be a very fluid and engaging process for the participants. They exchanged ideas in a very respectful way and discussed ideal solutions for proposed ideas, identified performance measures and the impact it could have within the community as well as preferred customer-service standards.

-- Erika Evans and Franne McNeal

What does this goal mean to you?

• An increase in children feeling safer in schools, one of the reasons this doesn’t happen is because of children that bring weapons to school and impact that feeling of safety.

• While an increase in police is great, there’s a concern that this increase will result in more arrests and more prisons but not more rehabilitation.

• Success in regards to above goal would be an increase in training programs and opportunities for non-violent offenders.

• Success in regards to above goal would also be a decrease in crimes against persons.

• An increase in police would not lead to just more arrests but would also include creating a police presence/visibility in the neighborhoods by walking through or by bikes.

• Police would gain more of a connection or an integration within neighborhoods so people could know them more.

• Police could live within their working districts to increase their level of investment.

• Increase in opportunities for youth to engage in activities (civic, social or otherwise).

• Stop people from being afraid of their neighborhood, their city.

• Success would include the decriminalization of prostitution and marijuana so that prisons will house “real” criminals.

• Courts/judges will hold repeat offenders of crimes, this would reduce crime by 25 percent.

Performance measures (What success would look like)

• The number of police on the streets would increase with a challenge being made to the unions to re-evaluate police allocation

• More of an outreach and connection with police and citizens due to the increase of visibility of law enforcement.

• Crimes by repeat offenders drop by 25 percent.

• Use existing facilities (naval yard, reopen Holmesburg, bus people to NY prisons), if the prisons are reopened then cells would be made available for repeat offenders.

• Increase educational events /initiatives more on youth that is friendly and healthy, occupy youth vs. setting them up for crime.

• An increase in educational alternatives for non-violent offenders while incarcerated so when they are released they have some skills developed that can get them employed instead of not being employable and ultimately setting them up for being imprisoned eventually again. It would also be helpful to help them with gaining the employment as prisoners have a “scarlet letter” on them when they are released which prevents employers from hiring them.

• City money gets spent before children go to school (better school performance, students will stay in school, go to college, then to work, productive citizens).

• Increase use of alternative teaching methods to appeal to the different learners within the school system.

Customer-service standards

• Mayor Nutter meets with people who were at “Great Expectations” Forums for more insight to what citizens want.

• People of influence engage in dialogue and conversation with citizens.

• If goals are not met then there would be a revisit with the citizens.

• City and Mayor use data to drive strategy

• Be responsive to system…as things change, the system has to change with it…change reaction as issues need them to changed.

• Calls to 911 for fire, police, and EMT and if the standard is not met someone has to come out into that community for community service or something to show good faith. (The purpose is not to punish the employee but increase good relations.)

• Reexamination of standards annually to identify whether the responsiveness occurring is appropriate. Compare with national standards.

• Eliminate burden for citizens to “prove” that they were disrespected by government workers/representatives. The benefit of the doubt should automatically go to the caller.

• People answering the phone or greeting citizens should be polite, attentive, use clear language, and able to connect citizens to the correct person with next day follow-up.

• An increased ability to communicate what is not working.

• City workers must identify themselves at the beginning of each phone call.

• Accountability for workers that go the “extra mile.”