Resolution 160982

..Title Calling on the Philadelphia Police Department and the Department of Commerce to develop a plan to equip every major commercial corridor within Philadelphia with surveillance cameras within the next three fiscal years. ..Body WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is largely made up of commercial corridors comprised of pedestrian-oriented, consumer-driven store front businesses where customers can purchase goods and services, such as food, retail items, or personal and professional services; and WHEREAS, The Philadelphia City Planning Commission has identified 265 retail centers within the City, that represent three quarters of all retail sales for the City of Philadelphia. This number includes over 100 major commercial corridors with twenty or more businesses, such as Lancaster Avenue, Ridge Avenue, Baltimore Avenue and Passyunk Avenue; and WHEREAS, While many commercial corridors continue to thrive and are revitalized through the combined efforts of various City departments and agencies, incidents of criminal activity occurring in close proximity to businesses continue to plague commercial corridors and has a crippling affect on business owners, deterring residents and visitors from patronizing stores. These incidents of crime are serious and escalating, and include murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and gun violence; and WHEREAS, A majority of businesses throughout the City's commercial corridors are financially unable to take advantage of video surveillance cameras, which are a mutually agreed upon deterrence to violent crime. Surveillance cameras actively assist in the reduction of violent crime and aide the Philadelphia Police Department and District Attorney's office in the prosecution of violent crime, by catching the offenders on video; and WHEREAS, The City Council of Philadelphia should make it a top priority to ensure that the City's major commercial corridors are equipped with video surveillance cameras to increase the well-being and public safety of all residents, business owners and visitors; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby requests that the Philadelphia Police Department and the Department of Commerce develop a plan to equip every major commercial corridor within Philadelphia with surveillance cameras within the next three fiscal years. ..End