The Bottom Line

Public Safety


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Published: Apr 4, 2007

Bob Brady

Unlike the forests of trees killed for the other four candidates' proposals, Brady's is 111 words long. "On day one of the Brady Administration, we will begin to reclaim our streets," it reads. Putting more police into the neighborhoods will speed up response time and focus on repeat offenders, he continues. Brady also wants to make a cabinet-level position that focuses on community policing and job training. This, he says, will happen with the help of churches, mosques and synagogues. While he promises better equipment for the police force, he offers no funding ideas.

Increased cop count: 1,000.

Dwight Evans

Evans wants to attract police recruits from the military, use court orders to keep drug dealers from returning to the same neighborhood and require gun-using criminals to register with police (not unlike the current sex-offender list). Evans has a detailed funding scheme, proposing concrete ways to lower the city's purchasing costs, along with stepping up the collection of luxury-box rental fees from the sports stadiums. The rub? He intends to use casino revenue for most of the funding.

Increased cop count: At least 500.

Chaka Fattah

The first two sections of Fattah's proposal deal with using new technology, hiring more police officers and incorporating newer law-enforcement tactics to reduce crime. But the plan's missing something: how to pay for it all. Fattah wants to plug in 1,000 surveillance cameras across the city (that's more than his opponents), test an acoustic gunshot-detection system and consider using software that can tell whether people are carrying guns by their movements. He's proposed a $200 food voucher for a surrendered firearm, and storage facilities for legal hunting rifles to prevent theft.

Increased cop count: Undetermined.

Tom Knox

Knox breaks down his $85-million-proposal-a-year by the numbers and promises to deliver by the dollar. He wants to improve 911 to trace cell phone locations (with Department of Homeland Security funding) and, like Michael Nutter, create a 311 system for quality-of-life issues. Knox also emphasizes creating an office of public safety, where a deputy mayor will oversee a safety budget and work with the community, schools and government (it's $250,000 a year to operate, with money from the Department of Justice and the existing budget). He also intends to fund initiatives through work force attrition; as city employees retire, they won't be replaced. His crackdown-on-illegal-guns section is light.

Increased cop count: 1,000.

Michael Nutter

In his aggressive policing plan, Nutter would immediately declare a crime emergency in the most plagued neighborhoods, allowing police to limit gatherings on sidewalks, establish curfews and prohibit the carrying any weapons. He'd convene a Public Safety Cabinet with the mayor, police commissioner, district attorney, judges and department heads. Other tactics include encouraging police to "stop-question-and-frisk" anyone who may be carrying a gun; install "thousands" of surveillance cameras; and arrest anyone with outstanding warrants. Under his plan, businesses would receive a $2,400 tax credit for hiring an ex-con, while remodeling the re-entry program with private funds and money from the city's general fund. When Nutter talks about funding, it's usually a federal or state grant.

Increased cop count: 500.

And the Verdict is...

Three plans — Nutter's, Knox's and Fattah's — contain similar ideas, says Temple criminal justice professor Steven Belenko: "They recommend some of the same approaches to beefing up policing and addressing illegal-gun distribution." He also noted that Brady and Evans' plans "were a bit thin."

Details that set some apart included Fattah's focus on church and community involvement and Nutter's idea of stronger law enforcement. The most notable idea belonged to Knox, who went in-depth about the need to stop drug abuse — obviously a main cause of violent crime. "His three-pronged approach to fighting addiction was reasonable," Belenko said.

He also cautioned many of the funding schemes: grants are temporary and aren't always a sure thing, and neither is casino revenue. "I also get a little skeptical when policymakers say they'll pay for things though savings, like attrition," he said.

As part of City Paper's ongoing election coverage, The Bottom Line will take a weekly look at important issues in the mayoral campaign, examining each candidate's stance on the issue and having an independent expert interpret the plans and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. The Bottom Line will run each week leading up to CP's mayoral endorsement.