NCJ Number
203175
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 30 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 10-16
Date Published
2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses some of the programs and technology utilized by the Philadelphia Police Department to effectively reduce crime in the city.
Abstract
The article begins by describing the heroic accomplishments of Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, a highly regarded member of the Philadelphia Police Department since 1964. Under his direction, the police department implemented Operation Safe Streets, a program designed to have an immediate and lasting impact on the open-air, street corner drug markets in Philadelphia. Operation Safe Streets is not about making arrests, it is a program in which the drug trade is interrupted by the constant presence of police officers. In 1 day, approximately 600 officers were assigned to 300 of the worst open-air drug dealing corners of the city. After describing the immediate impact of the program on the drug trade, the article discusses the crime mapping and analyzing capabilities provided by the department’s Crime Analysis and Mapping Unit. The department boasts one of the most advanced geographical information systems in the country, and also makes use of Compstat, a statistical crime mapping and analysis computer program. Technological advancements have also helped streamline the arrest process; a program called the Preliminary Arraignment System (PARS) links the police department with the district attorney’s office and captures all arrest information pertinent to an individual. Finally, the article discusses Philadelphia’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau, which was created following the terrorist attacks in 2001. Approximately 100 members of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Joint Terrorism Task Force to thwart future terrorist attacks.