Resolution 010198

..Title Authorizing the Legislative Oversight Committee and the Committee on Law and Government to hold joint hearings for the purpose of making recommendations to the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass legislation that will allow the Philadelphia Police Department to properly identify defendants arrested for summary offenses. ..Body WHEREAS, Under our current Police Commissioner, Philadelphia has made great progress in concentrating on so-called quality-of-life crimes, which include such summary offenses as disorderly conduct, underage drinking, public urination, curfew violations, loitering, public intoxication, highway obstruction, and aggressive panhandling; and WHEREAS, As the Philadelphia Daily News recently revealed, when these laws are enforced, under Pennsylvania law the suspects cannot be detained if they do not have proper identification, and consequently many choose to give false names and addresses, thus avoiding paying their fines or performing their community service; and WHEREAS, When defendants do not show up for a court date, the court system sends a letter detailing their punishment, and half of those letters are returned because of bad names or addresses, and it is estimated that thousands escape punishment for summary offenses each year in this manner; and WHEREAS, In contrast, New York City's police are allowed to detain those charged with quality-of-life crimes until they can be identified, which former Police Commissioner William Bratton has described as "a very significant factor" in their unprecedented drop in crime, because identifying minor offenders often leads to solving other more serious cases; and WHEREAS, Not being able to properly identify defendants arrested for summary offenses has seriously weakened Philadelphia's ability to improve its quality of life and undermined confidence in its judicial system; now therefore RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That authority be given to the Legislative Oversight Committee and the Committee on Law and Government to hold joint hearings for the purpose of making recommendations to the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass legislation that will allow the Philadelphia Police Department to properly identify defendants arrested for summary offenses. ..End