Operation Safe Streets

ince the 1980s, the nation as well as Philadelphia began a well publicized "war on drugs." The fundamental strategy of this war centered upon law enforcement and incarceration. While the police began aggressive campaigns in the streets, our legislators fought by passing new mandatory drugs sentencing guidelines. Regrettably, the years have passed and despite these noble efforts the drug scourge in this country continues. Cities throughout America, including Philadelphia, seem to have clearly "lost" the "war". The unsung casualties have been our communities, our children and our sense of safety. The state of the drug trafficking in this country is a sad testament to this dark reality. In the last decade the drug trade has flourished, violence has intensified and the addicts have multiplied. Sadly, this too has been the case in Philadelphia. Open air drug markets, once the anomaly, have become the norm in almost every neighborhood throughout the city in varying degrees. These open air markets are the heart and soul of crime, violence and death in Philadelphia. Consequently, children no longer play in these neighborhoods, the elderly are afraid to leave their homes, businesses have vanished, and despair has set in. Undoubtedly, the time has come for a new approach, one where all the stakeholders are a part of the solution, one where hope and optimism have a chance. This new approach is called Operation Safe Streets.

Vision
Operation Safe Streets evolved from a vision of Mayor John F. Street. The Mayor knew that before any city can be truly revitalized or transformed, crime, the fear of crime and the scourge of drugs must be eradicated. He envisioned a city where every child could play in front of his or her house in safety, where the sounds of gunshots are not a daily occurrence, and where people are not afraid to leave their own homes. Terrorism may be new to Americans on a national level; however, many citizens of Philadelphia have been living and dying from it for years. The terror of the drug trade in Philadelphia, like other cities is no less deadly. The homicide rate and the over dose deaths are a sad tribute to this fact. Mayor Street knew that it would take decisive action and a massive logistical undertaking to accomplish his vision.

Clearly, law enforcement was a key in this plan; however, history has shown that law enforcement alone would never solve the problem. A new approach was needed. One whereby all the elements of the cure are united as a team - the police, social and health services, the clergy, prisons, probation, faith-based organizations and, more importantly, the communities. In other attempts throughout the country the people most devastated by crime and drugs are often forgotten in the plan - the victims. These are the true stakeholders in our cities. These are the people who will live or die as a result of our success or failure. They must be respected and included in the solution. Their input is critical to lasting success. This is the vision that gave birth to Operation Safe Streets: all stakeholders acting in unison to combat crime, violence, drugs, but also combating addiction and the underlying impetus for crime - hopelessness and despair.

Mission
Hence, the mission of Operation Safe Streets is to dramatically and permanently improve the quality of life throughout the neighborhoods of Philadelphia by creating a partnership between the police department, the communities, the clergy, faith-based organizations and the city's network of social service agencies to eliminate the violence and tragedies associated with both the open air drug trade and drug addiction.

Turning Vision into Reality
While many people may have had similar visions, it takes strong leadership to turn a vision into reality. Mayor Street has shown such leadership and the commitment, dedication and perseverance to turn his vision into reality. The political risk associated with attempting such a comprehensive operation is daunting. The fear of failure and the consequent fallout has surely stopped other leaders from acting. Nevertheless, Mayor Street is committed not to his office but to the people of Philadelphia which he has sworn to serve. This vision and fearless attitude was presented to Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson in April of 2002 with the mandate to develop an operational plan for the police department to spearhead his vision. The Mayor wanted an innovative, pragmatic plan that would work. Conventional policing has proven ineffective. Arrests have never stopped crime and violence; however, criminals rarely commit crime in the presence of police. Herein lies the simple wisdom behind the policing component of Operation Safe Streets.

Police Department's Goal in Operation Safe Streets
Thus, the formidable goal of the Philadelphia Police Department in Operation Safe Streets is to return control of the streets of Philadelphia to the neighbors by preventing any open air drug markets from conducting business within the boundaries of Philadelphia. To meet this daunting goal, the police department, has identified over 200 "drug corners" and intends to disrupt, dissuade and deter the drug trade by committing an indefinite and unrelenting presence of police officers on these drug corners. Night and day, police officers will hold these corners not to arrest, but to prevent drug sales from occurring. It is the intention that the mere presence of the police will effectively and instantly bring an end to open air drug markets in Philadelphia. This combination of police presence with the complete elimination of open air drug trafficking will provide the residents of these beleaguered neighborhoods the safety and security needed to again reclaim their streets without fear of violence, retribution or intimidation.

Strategy
Clearly, the first step in developing the operational plans for Operation Safe Streets was to identify every open air drug market and potential market in the City of Philadelphia. To accomplish this task, crime patterns, shootings, and homicides were analyzed and mapped using the Department's geocoding software. Input was obtained from seasoned officers from the Narcotics Bureau regarding existing criminal enterprises and ongoing investigations. The District Commanders and sector officers were consulted and, equally important, the communities were asked to help. Consequently, almost three hundred open air drug markets were identified and mapped.

This was only the first step. Once the locations were identified, Commissioner Johnson and Deputy Commissioner Robert Mitchell developed a staffing model which would enable the police department to place two uniformed officers on every location identified. This was not as easy as it may sound. It would require approximately six hundred officers for each tour of duty around the clock. While this was overwhelming in and of itself, the Mayor was insistent that existing emergency service would not be compromised in any manner. Hence, the shifts were extended to ten or twelve hours and officers were recruited to work on their days off. Obviously, the cost of Operation Safe Streets is not cheap. However, the cost of not implementing it is far greater. In a bold gesture the Mayor approved the plan and the cost.

Thus, on May 1, 2002 phase one of Operation Safe Streets began. Two police officers were deployed to every identified open air drug market in the City of Philadelphia. The effects were dramatic and anticipated. Open air drug markets were out of business. As expected the criminals have shifted their operations indoors. This is where the plainclothes Narcotic Officers are being utilized. The communities and the Safe Street Officers are continuously receiving information about indoor drug sales. Once, this information is passed on to the Narcotics Unit and arrests are made, these properties then become subject to possible forfeiture. Soon these criminal organizations will have nowhere to hide.

As these criminals become more desperate under the intense pressure, they have begun to move and change their modes of operation. For this reason, The Mayor, Commissioner, and Command Staff meet weekly and analyze the previous week's crime trends and patterns so as to modify and adjust policing strategy.

In the very near future, the Police Department will enter the second phase of Operation Safe Streets. Certain areas of the city have a disproportional amount of the crime corners. In fact, some identified drug corners are often only blocks apart. Operation Safe Streets has proved extremely successful in these areas. The drug dealers have fled. Constant vigilance in these areas is no longer necessary, but the area must be guarded to insure the drug trade can not again take root. Accordingly, Commissioner Johnson has developed a plan whereby specially trained narcotics officers will assume the duties in these areas. These officers will be patrolling on bicycles assigned to several drug locations. In this manner manpower can be reduced without impacting the goal of the operation.

Conclusion
The drug trade in Philadelphia, like other large cities, has flourished for years. It is a well structured and deeply entrenched criminal enterprise and it will not disappear overnight. Dedication, perseverance and constant vigilance is necessary. Operation Safe Streets was never intended to be a quick fix. The mission of Operation Safe Streets is to dramatically and permanently improve the quality of life throughout the neighborhoods of Philadelphia by creating a partnership between the police department, the communities, the clergy, faith-based organizations and the city's network of social service agencies to eliminate the violence and tragedies associated with both the open air drug trade and drug addiction.

This mission is never-ending nor it Operation Safe Streets. The battle for our streets will be long and hard, but its worth it. Operation Safe Streets is working. Children now play where drugs and death once prevailed. Neighborhoods are reemerging. The future of Philadelphia has been altered forever. Where there was only despair now lives hope for our youth and Philadelphia.

Information listed here is believed to be current at the time of publication. However, some of the material presented here may have expired since it was posted. Persons should contact a Philadelphia Police representative whenever relying on dated material or information that is subject to change.

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