To combat gun violence, should Philly invest more in its police? | Pro/Con

Last week, the city experienced one of the worst stretches of gun violence in years. Between Thursday and Sunday, 55 people were killed or wounded by gunfire.

The city has to do something to blunt this deadly trend, especially as warmer weather looms — but what? One suggestion is to shore up the police force with more officers and a bigger budget.

We asked two local experts: To combat gun violence, should Philadelphia invest more in its police?

By Kris Henderson

Mayor Jim Kenney and Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker propose that Philadelphians continue throwing good money after bad ideas. Mayor Kenney’s 2023 proposed budget suggests an increase of $24 million more than was proposed in the 2022 budget for the Philadelphia Police Department. Councilmember Parker calls for community policing and for 300 additional on-the-ground beat officers and bike patrol officers.

Currently, more than 560 police officers are out on “injured on duty” claims — many of which are fraudulent — and more than 400 fully-funded police positions remain vacant. What is the point of funding more police positions when there are already hundreds of vacancies?

» READ MORE: MIA: Crisis in the ranks

Councilmember Parker cites evidence of falling crime rates in Camden, where a push for more community policing and increased surveillance has been followed by drops in crime. She says this is proof that something similar can work in Philadelphia, but she conveniently leaves out critiques of the massive surveillance that has sprung up in Camden and the increase in cases of excessive force. If something like Camden happens here, more police will give Philadelphians the illusion of security but not safety, while also increasing police harassment of our neighbors and community members.

Councilmember Parker hopes that when we see these 300 officers patrolling our streets, we won’t think about how only half of homicide cases are resolved. We won’t recall the police killings of Walter Wallace Jr. and 12-year-old Thomas Siderio Jr. We won’t think about the gassing of protestors on I-676 or of people sitting on their porches near 52nd Street.

The fact is that Philadelphia spends more on our Police Department than any other city agency, and what is it getting us? Mayor Kenney and Councilmember Parker want us to be fooled into thinking that the only logical solution to an increase in violence is more police. In 2016, the mayor proposed $687 million for the Police Department. Year after year, as that number keeps climbing, so has the homicide rate. Philadelphians are not any safer.

“The fact is Philadelphia spends more on our police department than any other city agency, and what is it getting us?”

If Councilmember Parker wants to look to New Jersey for answers to improving public safety in Philadelphia, don’t look at Camden. Look at Newark, where a community-based strategy, the Newark Community Street Team, takes a holistic approach to responding to and preventing violence and retaliation. NCST played a role in reducing homicides in Newark in 2019 to the lowest they had been since 1961. Instead of investing in police, Philadelphia should invest in organizations that interrupt cycles of violence, de-escalate situations, and help people who have been harmed access healing services and support.

We should also invest in jobs programs in the communities hardest hit by gun violence, and community resources like well-funded libraries and recreation centers. Our libraries should be open six days per week, year-round. Young people should have well-maintained parks and playgrounds where they can play. We should have people with street credibility who are trained in de-escalation across the city to interrupt cycles of violence. We should be able to call 911 for a loved one experiencing a mental health crisis and have a trained mental health professional arrive to support them, not a police officer. We could increase funding for mobile crisis teams, which currently exist but are woefully underfunded in Philadelphia, to $20 million. This would be less than 3% of Mayor Kenney’s proposed Police Department budget.

We must stop issuing blank checks to the Philadelphia Police Department. It hasn’t worked in the past, and it won’t work now.

Kris Henderson is the executive director of Amistad Law Project.

By Jabari K. Jones

Last week, 24 people were shot within 24 hours in Philadelphia. Just think about that for a moment.

We are facing an emergency in gun violence and must do everything we can to stop it.

That effort must include an increase in police funding and presence. That’s not just my opinion — in 2021, the Pew Research Center published a survey showing that 47% of Americans want to see an increase in police funding in their area; only 15% said they believed funding for police should decrease. More than 20% of respondents said police departments should get “a lot” more money.

The same trends are true in Philadelphia. Another Pew poll conducted earlier this year showed that 61% of Philadelphia residents believe the city doesn’t have enough police officers, including 69% of Black Philadelphians. That’s not surprising, seeing as how 75% of shooting victims this year are Black.

I support Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposal to increase funding for Philadelphia police and have worked with Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker to help design a plan to put more than 300 police officers on the street.

» READ MORE: 300 new community police officers could help stem Philly’s pervasive violence | Opinion

The crisis of crime and lawlessness gripping Philadelphia affects every neighborhood — carjackings, shootings, and other violent crimes have claimed victims of every race, age, socioeconomic status, and position. Even my councilmember, Jamie Gauthier, was nearly a victim of gun violence when gunfire broke out near a community event in the district.

While some have advocated for alternative measures — such as deploying unarmed conflict mediators, prevention programs, and trauma support — the harsh reality is that if an individual decides to shoot up a Philadelphia block, none of those things is going to stop them. But if an armed police officer who is known and trusted by the community is circling the neighborhood, they could stop a shooting before it starts. More police can and will make our communities safer.

“More police can and will make our communities safer.”

To be clear: I’m not saying that prevention is not important. It is a useful tool for making sure future generations of people don’t resort to committing gun violence. But sufficient preventative programs are not yet in place, and city residents can’t wait for them to get up and running. The crisis is here now.

When a fire happens on a city block, the Fire Department doesn’t show up only with smoke detectors and fire prevention pamphlets. They show up with a water hose, extinguish the flames, and then provide the information and detectors to avoid future fires. You can’t fight a crisis with prevention once the crisis has already begun.

We can implement prevention programs and, at the same time, expand the police presence; if the programs work as expected, maybe we will be able to scale back on policing in the future. But that time isn’t here yet.

The increase in visible police creates a natural presence that deters crime and reduces police response times to incidents. With proper funding and support, police who are assigned to and patrol an area can build relationships with local community members. Once neighbors get to know their local officers, police aren’t just a faceless, frightening bureaucracy — they’re people who have names. Residents and businesses will feel more comfortable reporting crimes and criminal activity to someone they know and trust.

One look at the weekend crime numbers shows that we are in a crisis. We can’t wait for prevention efforts to take effect. We need a larger and stronger police force now.

Jabari K. Jones is the president of the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative, West Philly’s largest business association.