I understand. Can you give us any sense of, one, that sounds like a large number. And second, it seems to be consistent year to year. Why?
I can tell you why the number may seem large. If you remember several years ago, there was an issue about how we investigated and coded incidents of sexual assault. And so as a result of that, the protocol that's used in the Special Victims is extremely stringent. And if in doubt, we're going to code it rape and then we'll reclassify it.
I appreciate that and respect the fact that we're at least coding them properly and we're categorizing them correctly. 885 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET What I'm now concerned about is what are we doing to make the numbers go down because, they have been so consistent at least over the last four years and possibly further back? Why are there so many rapes in the City?
I would have to do a much large analysis. As of right now, we have 196 as of last Friday for this year so far.
How does that compare to the two and a half month period last year?
196. So the difference probably isn't that great. But I will tell you this, that weekly, just anecdotally at COMSTAT, we go over every one of them. AND there are a large number that are non-stranger rapes. Not that they're acquaintances, there are individuals WHO recognized to the female. And I guess one of 886 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET my thoughts is we have victims who are more willing to come forward now because of the professional treatment that they're getting by us. So if there are or in a given 6 district in a given month, there maybe or 7 what we would stranger assignments. But the 8 others are women who are coming forward. 9
Well, what are 10 we doing from a public information and 11 education standpoint to reduce these 12 incidents? What messages are we delivering? How much information are we giving to potential victims or women in general as to either how to protect themselves, what to look out for? We had a recent series, was that Feltonville or maybe the lower Northeast.
A man, five different incidents. What has concerned me about that in the past is that it seems -- I'm not saying that it is -- it seems that only after a series of these incidents, and I have 887 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET no idea what it takes to investigate these matters and try to connect the dots, but it seems like the individual in some situations gets to go almost a spree for a while before there's any public announcement that there's something going on. And obviously, in the last situation I think almost within a week of the announcement, the person was caught by, I think, two police officers who kind of figured it out pretty quickly, observed something and grabbed him. But all during that time period where the investigation is going on or whatever else is going on, we have women in a very dangerous, vulnerable, and suspecting mindset with no information out there. How do we improve that?
Well, I hate to admit this. I would say that one the reasons that the dots get connected more quickly in some assignments than in others is our ability to have DNA analysis. Prior to this, and this is Deputy Commissioner Brennan's bailiwick, but just in general terms. Those six jobs 888 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET that got connected got connected because of DNA. In none of the cases could the women have identified the perpetrator.
Because of the methodology. In some cases, however, where the identification is clear and we're able to get some kind of a picture drawn, certainly that would be put out much more quickly. But I can tell you that when Commissioner Brennan gave us those six, we had not connected those dots at all investigatively. So while it's upsetting to get them that way, certainly 10 years ago we wouldn't have gotten those connections. So there is a positive bend to this. And what happens is, when the DNA come back as a match, every once in a while he really hits a home run gives us the individual's name as well. And then he really had a royal flush because he gave us the individual in jail in another jurisdiction. But the truth of the matter is 889 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET because of the methodology of a lot of these sexual assaults, it's often very difficult for the female to provide us with any information, and that's why the rape kits and the DNA analysis and the clothing that's gathered, which in some cases is process, is so important. The second piece of your question, which I think from a Police Department standpoint we can answer in a very positive way, is that our relationship with the women's group, with the Women's Law Project and Women Against Rape, has been absolutely incredible since the time of the complaints. The Women's Law Project still regularly goes up to Special Victims and randomly reviews cases. At then Commissioner Timoney's approval and now with Commissioner Johnson's, they are extremely pleased with the manner in which the assignments are handled. They've never produced for either of us any assignment that they felt wasn't handled properly. Because of the positive relationship with them, we now have many of the women shelters who share 890 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET materials with us. The Commissioner put together a Victims Services Division primarily to deal with incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault, and the relationship, if you were to check with any of these groups, is extremely solid. It's very cooperative. And I think that this is the best treatment that I've seen for female victims in this City since I've been around.
Lastly in this area, is there any programmatic activity through the City? In addition to whatever th women's groups might be doing, is there any active programmatic activity on our part seeking to deliver messaged to both women and men on this particular issue? For the most part, I assume, through the statistics, I mean, if men aren't engaged in it, then it's mostly not happening. What are we doing on that side?
The Police Commissioner and Carol Tracy from the Women's Law Project are co-chairs of a task force that the Mayor put together. And on that task 891 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET force is every City agency that involves themselves with domestic violence and sexual assault. And so we have DHS represented, we have probation and parole, but we also have groups like Menergy which is a somewhat City-funded private group as well who deal with males that have anger issues and with sexual assault issues. And this Committee has gotten together, put together their first report for the Mayor, which took approximately six or seven months. Every group that's involved in this has done a presentation, and they've put together a series of recommendations, the purpose of which is to ensure that our victims get holistic treatment. The term they keep using is it's a one-stop shop. They want to be able to go any one of these groups, whether it be the police, DHS, one of the women's groups, and get exactly the same treatment because of the relationship that we all have together. So I can tell you from a City perspective, they really raised the bar.
Madam Chair, I 892 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET have one other question, but I'll wait.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
I got some interesting statistics from the Fire Department. We talk about the homicide rate and we talk about the murders in the City of Philadelphia. After reviewing the information that I got, I think that the murder rate would be so much higher -- and the reason I tell you this is I asked for information from the medics, the paramedics, which you'll have to agree 15, years ago they did not have the 16 technology to save lives the way they do 17 today. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of 18 victims of crime, and I'm talking drug 19 activity against drug activity, the lives of 20 those individuals, these, for lack of better word, these people that involved in the business of crime are killing each other, but our medics are saving their lives by the hundreds every day in the City of Philadelphia. So I think that some day we 893 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET really need to know not how many people are dying as a result of gun violence, but I think we need to know how many people are physically being shot every day and being saved by the wonderful paramedics that we have. They don't care whether it's a bad guy or a good guy; their job is to save the life, and they do. So I would love to hear the numbers of not about how many people die as a result, I'd like to know how many people have been shot violently, seriously, but have been able to be saved because of the -- I mean, I see on occasion where police officers put people in the back of their patrol vehicles and race them to hospitals, don't even wait for the medics. So I think some day all these numbers have come together so we really know how bad the situation is in our City. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I agree with you. The fact is that shooting victims as of March 13th, we had 322. I was at 17th and Dauphin last week, and I agree with everything you say about the paramedics. I think they're outstanding. We 894 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET had one person who was shot six times who was pronounced. We had a 15-year-old boy who was shot three times, and they actually saved his life and then went to the hospital. Not only did the paramedics do a great job, but our hospital in the City of Philadelphia have done an out standing job. So again, the things you say about the paramedics and the fact that police officers -- our directive basically says that you're not to move a person who is shot because you might damage them. But an enormous amount of police officers take shooting victims, to save time, take them right to the hospitals and eventually save their lives.
Also, it amazed me the number of how much violence is with knives. Not just shootings, but I got some statistics from the Fire Department, the medic side, on the number of -- I just asked them for crime related with guns and knives. And that is significant. What would you say, Commissioner, the number ws so far this year 895 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET of shootings in our City? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: As of March 13th, 322 people have been shot.
Well, all I can tell you, I've than told by a few doctors that work in these trauma units that if it weren't for those firefighters and police officers, a lot of that number would have dead. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I agree with you.
I can tell you this, because I work with YVRP. Years ago, it would be for every three people shot, one would die. And nationwide the numbers are now one in five. For that for every five people seriously injured, but shot is what they're talking about, for every five gunshot victims, one will die. There's no question it's because of medics, it's because of the increased emergency rooms. 896 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
I'll wait for the Fire Department for that one. Do you have any stats on stabbings? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: We don't have them with us at this point.
I'd just be curious just to see how bad it is out there the real number. Did you hear that, President Verna, 371 shootings in the City? So we need to do something about the guns. Thank you.
Thank you. Councilman Nutter, your light is on. Did you want to be recognized?
Thank you, Madam Chair. Commissioner, I want to lastly talk about police radio and get from you information regarding staffing levels in the police radio unit. How many people presently work as dispatchers? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I'll have Deputy Commissioner Brennan, but I believe the number he told me was 255. 897 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
There's 259 dispatchers presently in radio civilian dispatcher.
259 civilian dispatchers. Is that in the detail somewhere?
Do you know whether there's a line in some of the budget detail that lays out the number of dispatchers?
That's all right. Now, I was honored to be asked but it was certainly a tragic circumstance. In my first term, we had the well-known tragedy of young Eddie Pollock. And so I had an occasion back at that time to be a participant on a task force to spend some time down at the now police headquarters in the dispatch room and the consoles and the workforce. Now, there 898 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET are people who take the calls and then there are people who dispatch the calls. My recollection is that either they sit at separate terminal areas -- this is going back over years -- or maybe in different parts 7 of a larger room. Is that the case? 8
So there's a call-taker and a dispatcher. And through technology the call-takers call in information, then gets sent to the dispatch room. I know some of doesn't transmit because we don't want the officers going to people houses under circumstances. Is that still the case?
So you've got 259 dispatchers. How many call-takers do we have?
I'm sorry. The term "dispatcher" is generic. They're all police communications dispatchers, so some work as call-takers and some work as dispatchers. So 899 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET they're not two separate job classifications, they're all the same. So that's 259 --
How many are call-takers and how many -- are you going to take me back through what you just said?
It varies every four hours of the day. And what we do is we staff radio by a formula, Councilman, and the formula is based upon the number of calls that we received in that four-hour block of time for the last three years. And we do adjust. Like, for example, if we were going to have the Greek Picnic and it wasn't the same day last year, we'll staff up. If the weather changes, we'll staff up, things like that. Then we have a certain number of calls that we expect them to answer. We divide that by the number of calls received. That becomes the staffing level.
I understand. Let me ask a couple other questions 900 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET in this area. We have 259 now. Do you know how many we had or so years ago at the time 4 of that incident? Obviously, there was a lot 5 of attention around that 6
Before Pollock, it was 7 the 195, 196 range, and it was raised from 8 195, 196 up to about 258 or 259, just about 9 what is today. 10
Councilman, we were told earlier in testimony that the high point, and correct me if I'm wrong, was 277.
That's correct, Councilwoman. The 277 number came because between 1998 and 2001, the number of 911 calls jumped by a half million during those couple of years. In addition, in radio we added two consoles and a few other things we added to radio which increased our staffing. That half million calls has not dropped. We've gone from about 2.8 million in 1998 to 3.3 million today, and it's pretty much leveled off at 3.3 million.
So the 901 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET high point was 277, they presently have 259, and their attrition rate is 3 a month, correct?
Thank you, Madam President for that. Now, deputy Commissioner, I have to ask you, if the result of the bump from 258, 259 up to 277 was caused as a result of a half million increased calls and that level has now stayed the same, is what you're saying, don't we have fewer dispatchers? 14
You staffed up 20 at one point to deal with the half million 21 jump -- 22
In all fairness, that 277, you never actually get there, ever. You never get there. I explained to Madam President that I would get to say 258, 259. I 902 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET might hire to people, but by the time they get out of training, I've lost 6. So the 277, you never got there. Probably highest we would ever be would be 270, 271, 272, in around there.
But in any 8 event, lower than what it was, which was the 9 reason that you increased it in the first 10 place? 11
So the call 13 dispatchers have gone down, the calls have 14 maintained pretty much a high of 3 million 15 something? 16
The pickup time has so far since we've dropped to 250, we were actually down to 255 and they called layoff people back. In the cold weather, we've been pretty good. We answer 98 percent of the calls within 2 seconds. That has remained pretty steady over the years. The State 903 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET mandates that we handle 90 percent of the calls within seconds, so we are well within 4 what the State requires us by law to answer. 5 I could probably tell you the effect of this 6 when the weather gets warm. 7
Okay. But I 8 guess the other question is, are we at the 9 right level? 10
I think the Commissioner answered that earlier, and he said that we were.
Tell me a little bit about -- I know there's been discussion in the industry about the increased volume of cellular calls and the inability, I think at the moment, to still identify by location as compared to land line through the enhanced 911 system.
Cellular calls now make up about 35 percent of our business, so over a million calls a year we get with cellular. Within a last about 30 days or so, the Police Department and the Fire Department are what's called phase compliant. We have 904 1 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET done the soft work necessary to identify a cellular caller. The cellular phone companies -- I think there's about six, Councilman. They've been notified by law in December that we were going to do this. They have six months to comply with the law to send us the phone number and the cell location from where the phone is coming from. So anytime between now and May when we get a cellular call, we will get in fact the cell number of the person making the call in most cases. And I say in most cases because there are a couple types of phones that present a problem for us. One is those phones that are rented, you know, you buy them and you really don't know who owns them. They have caused, in some cases, a lot of havoc for 911. The other ones are the phones in which service has been disconnected. You know when you get rid of your own phone, 911 still works, by law. So if you happen to throw it in the trash and someone picks it up, they can dial 911. Those phones also cause us a lot of havoc.
So six months 905 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET from now the companies are going to -- it will come up on the screen in live time the name of the person to whom the phone is registered?
It will be the cell phone number and the cell cite tower that they hit. And from the cell number, we'll be able to find out who owns the number.
Well, I understand that, but that's not telling you where the person is.
That's correct. That's called Phase 2 of FCC. We don't have the equipment and neither does the Fire Department. We are in a joint project now with the Fire Department. We expect to be Phase 2 compliant by about January of '06. We have the money for that. The project is moving. And right after that, we will notify the cell companies we're Phase 2 compliant. And some of them will actually send us the data now, we just can't use it. What they send you, Councilman, is longitude and latitude. At that point in time, we will be able to figure out where someone with a 906 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET cellular phone is calling from within maybe a hundred feet or so.
Okay. Last question. Given the challenges that the department continues to face, this is still in the radio room, number of calls, cellular calls, variety of other new services whether it's Live Stop or any other number of things that will come up from time to time, it's your position that with the current number of 255 civilian communications dispatchers --
Police communications dispatchers, that there is no 17 decrease in service to the citizens of Philadelphia based on your current complement of personnel? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I don't think there is. Deputy Commissioner in charge of it, he can answer himself. I think there's other things that are involved in this. I think one of the things that is involved is the amount of sick time the dispatchers have 907 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET been using that we're trying to resolve. But I'll let the Deputy give his own opinion.
I suspect that what will happen is that the time it takes us to answer a 911 call will go up slightly.
Our statistics have 10 been 98 percent. We answer 98 percent of the calls within 2 seconds. The State requirement is 90 percent within 10 seconds.
Councilman, if I can interject. Currently, in anticipation of increased workload over the summertime, we are in negotiation with District Council 33 about a shift change in police radio and certain give-and-take about the sick leave regulations to try and help reduce the amount of sick time so that in all actuality, we'll be able to staff more personnel during those peak times of activity, so that is ongoing now.
Let me go to Deputy Commissioner Brennan for a second. We are 98 percent in 2 seconds. The State 908 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET standard is 90 percent in 10 seconds.
You said that there might be some decline in service. So do we have a range or do we have an upper limit both on percentage of calls and time within which they must be answered?
I understand that. Are we going to adhere to that or are we going to set our own?
Well, the regulations about 911 and how we answer phone calls, a lot of it we comply with a law there. So that is what the law says. I'm just telling you what our stats were.
I understand that. All I'm asking you is if we're presently at 98 percent in 2, and the State is 90 percent in 10, and given all the activities going on, if there was a decline in service, would you have some number between 98 percent and 90 percent and 2 and 10 that would be the 909 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET absolute limit that the Police Department would be able to accept for the citizens of this City, notwithstanding whatever the state guidelines are?
I actually haven't thought about that, to be honest with you. I imagine we would hear from the citizens fairly quickly if service degraded that much. So far, we haven't gotten any complaints. I average less than 1 complaint per 250,000 calls. I'm not saying that's all the people who do complain because I know you get complains and Councilman Rizzo said gets complains. But official complaints to the Commissioner about 911 service average; less than 1 per 250,000 calls. So I can tell you that we're keeping a very good eye on it. Even today, if we spike of calls, which can happen for a whole lot of reasons, we actually yank people on the dispatchers if there's two on a console, and we'll throw them up to the 911 call-taking positions until it calms down. And the supervisors will pitch in too, so we're doing what we can. 910 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
Maybe you'll gently walk them up to the new location as opposed to throwing them. Thank you Commissioner. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
I want to end at least my participation in this by thanking the Police Department. Two initiatives that I had, which I want to thank Deputy Commissioner Brennan. And Councilman Nutter touched on it, but it was to give the Police Department the ability under exigent circumstances to not need under Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, to be able to fax a document to all of the cell phone providers even though we weren't Phase compliant, to be able to get the name within minutes under most circumstances of where a threatening call came from a cell phone provider. So we met with all the cell phone providers, and Commissioner Brennan 911 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET immediately implemented that program. And from what I understand, many attempts to make arrests, and we're just hoping that eventually the Police Department and the detectives will be able to make some arrests and send a message out there that it is not a good thing to call in a bomb threat or some other call that would be disruptive to our City. And then we expanded it after the Commissioner implemented that. We just met this week with Verizon and their executives to talk about the similar threats that come in via telephone to our schools. And we learned in that meeting that the School District is set up to trace these calls that would come in. The reason I'm making it public is I hope if anyone is listening, and media is listening, we want to get the word out there that if you call in a bomb threat from a land line telephone and think you're going to get away with it or a cell telephone, very, very soon you're not going to be able to get away with that. The Police Department has gotten 912 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET very aggressive go after the people that make these types of threats to empty an airport, to empty a train station, a school, a business. Their days are numbered. Again, I want to thank personally Deputy Commissioner Brennan for pulling all of these people together on two occasions to address this issue. More important, many times in this business we talk about things but they never can implemented. It has been implemented, and I thank the Commissioner for that.
Thank you, Councilman. Commissioner, I certainly want you to know that we are extremely grateful to you and your entire department for all the wonderful work you do. You may not have thought that today with our line of questioning; however, as I said, I think that whoever prepared your budget should definitely go back, review it and certainly submit better figures so that your department will not be hurt by the figures that were presented to us 913 03/15/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET today. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I appreciate that, Council President. Thank you very much.
You're welcome. Have a good evening. This Committee will stand in recess until tomorrow morning, Wednesday, March the 16th at 10:00 a.m. And the first department that we will hear from will be the Fire Department. Thank you all so very much. (Council adjourned at 5:20 p.m.) 914 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of March 15, 2005, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE _________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR