New graduating class of Philadelphia police officers set to be deployed to Kensington
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Police Department's newest graduating class of officers will be deployed to the city's Kensington neighborhood.
The unusual personnel move comes as Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration has focused on efforts to clean up Kensington, specifically Kensington Avenue, a site known for the city's open-air drug market.
In a press conference Monday, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said 75 men and women from the Philadelphia Police Academy will be deployed to the Kensington area following their June 17 graduation. The new deployment of officers will address the area's drug corners and the activity that they believe is causing much of the violence.
"This is not about us going down there and trying to arrest every individual down there. We are going down there, as Commissioner Rosario [of the of the Kensington Initiative] said, to reset the norms. We are going down there to make sure that everyone, that we bring safety back to the community and to address the trauma that many of our young kids and children and families have been dealing with," Bethel said.
Bethel said he expects the newly deployed officers to form relationships and build support within the community.
Parker debuted her administration's five-step plan to tackle multiple long-standing issues in Kensington back in April.
Phase 1 of the plan, titled "Warning and Opportunity," will give warnings to people living on the street, and offer them treatment and housing options.
The plan then moves into the "Law Enforcement" phase. This will feature a heavy police presence, where officers will carry out warrant sweeps, and focus on drug sales and quality-of-life crimes.
That's followed by "Securing the Neighborhood" in Phase 3. Police will secure the blocks cleared in Phase 2, and city services will be brought in to beautify the areas.
Phase 4 brings "Community Transition." City officials say it will "focus on collaborative work between the city and residents, business owners, and the community at large." The final phase is "Sustainability," which will see a redistribution of police resources while maintaining a police presence in Kensington.
The Kensington Caucus is made up of city councilmembers Quetcy Lozada, Mike Driscoll, Jim Harrity and Mark Squilla.
They released a statement to address the plan for the increased police presence in Kensington.
"Residents in the Kensington area have been expressing a strong need for increased services to address the various public safety concerns in their community. The high levels of violent crime, retail theft, open-air drug sales and gun-related incidents in Kensington make it clear that there is a need for improved safety measures.
The community deserves to feel that their family and loved ones are protected and that their government is making their safety a priority. Increasing the presence of officers to address public safety as a whole is a much-needed first step in restoring stability to this community, and an opportunity to rebuild the trust with residents that have lost faith in our system.
We hope it will bring the much-needed changes and improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods. As their representatives, we urge residents to continue speaking out about what they observe in their community."
