Philadelphia is beefing up its police presence on the streets during the weekend nights. Deputy Commissioner John Stanford announced that the Philadelphia Police Department will increase the number of officers on patrol on Friday and Saturday nights, as reported by CBS News Philadelphia. "A significant contingent of officers, they will traverse throughout the city, obviously with the idea in mind of crime-fighting," Stanford said.
The move is a tactical one, part of Mayor Cherelle Parker's efforts to clamp down on crime in the city streets. According to NBC Philadelphia, the so-called "surge team" will be made up of officers drawn from non-patrol units, such as administrative and tactical support units, to ensure there's no shortage of boots on the ground in regular patrols.
This strategic maneuver aims not only at lowering crime rates but also at ensuring the safety of patrol officers, especially during large incidents. "The focus is obviously on the crime fighting, but a major focus as well is just making sure that our officers are safe," Stanford informed in an interview with PhillyVoice. Currently set to operate on Friday and Saturday nights, the unit may broaden its operations as the situation necessitates, ready to tackle issues from violent crime to retail theft, Stanford told the publication.
While the decision has been publicized, police are keeping details such as the exact number of additional officers involved under wraps. However, the surge team will be utilized to bolster current units and respond to both "planned or unplanned events," such as large gatherings or car meetups, ensuring that the wheel keeps turning when it comes to city safety, as per the explanation provided by Stanford to NBC Philadelphia. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the strategy is up for debate. A 2018 study by Penn found that interventions such as cleaning up vacant lots could cut gun violence by 29%, challenging the assumption that an increased police presence alone is the silver bullet for combating crime.
