Poll Finds Public Safety Is Issue That Worries Philadelphia Residents Most
By Anita Oh
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A recently released poll finds that public safety is the biggest issue that some Philadelphia residents feel the city is now facing.
Researchers surveyed about 1,600 residents in the city out of the about 1.5 million living in Philadelphia and while that is a small sampling, many people that Eyewitness News spoke with said that doesn't make their concerns about crime any less valid.
"If we could get this crime down, it'd be nice," said Wanda Moore of Hunting Park and she is not alone in her thinking. The recently released Pew poll found that public safety is the top concern for Philadelphians.
"There was a time when this city, they used to call it 'Killadelphia,'" said Lawrence Dixon of West Philadelphia. "There was a lot of gangs in the city back in the day. All that kind of got a little better, but it's still a remnant of it."
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The surveyed shows a shift from last year when 32 percent of Philadelphians surveyed named K-12th education as the biggest issue facing the city and its mayor and it still is for some like Bonnie Magwaza who has two young children.
"You have to be in a competition to get into a good school in Philly," Magwaza said. "I don't think that's fair. I think all kids should have a chance to be in a good, safe school."
While that is also an important issue, many believe right now, curbing crime is most pressing.
"A lot of people are being killed and it's really unnecessary," Moore said.
Philadelphia Police say that so far in 2016, there have been 227 homicides, up 3 percent from this time a year ago.
Philadelphia Police Lt. John Stanford said that in most every violent crime...
"Overall part one crime, we're down," Lt. Stanford said. "I'm talking about going back for the past six, seven, eight years."
He added that an emphasis on training and building community relationships are key to keeping that trend going. "Our men and women suit up each day and they go out here and work hard."
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Interestingly enough, those crime numbers are down amid a staff shortage of about 350 police officers. The department is actively recruiting at this time.