COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - - - Tuesday, 2/26/02 9:44 a.m. Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, PA - - - PROPOSED FY'03 OPERATION BUDGET, Continued Hearings PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA, Chair COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 630 2/26/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE INDEX WITNESS MANAGING DIRECTOR'S OFFICE TESTIMONY Estelle Richman, Managing Director.............. 631 Thomas Conway, Deputy Managing Director......... 650 Mike Nucci, Emergency Management Director....... 653 Ellen Steiker, Deputy Managing Director......... 701 D. Wolf, Director, Targeted Assistance Program 704 Susan Kretsge, Director of Quality Management... 726 T. Alexander, Assistant Managing Director....... 737 James Coleman, Deputy Managing Director......... 768 Diane Granlund, Deputy Managing Director........ 789 POLICE DEPARTMENT TESTIMONY Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson........... 809 Tom Nestel, Deputy Police Commissioner.......... 827 PHILADELPHIA FIRE DEPARTMENT TESTIMONY Commissione Harold Hairston..................... 953 PHILADELPHIA PRISONS TESTIMONY Commissioner Thomas Costello.................... 969 Leon King, Chief Legal Counsel.................. 984 Press Grooms, Deputy Commissioner............... 999 Alan Appel, Directork, Inmate Services..........1002 RECORDS DEPARTMENT Commissioner Joan Decker........................1012 - - - 631 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Good morning, everyone. This is the continued public hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill No. 5 020001. Our first witness today is Estelle Richman, the Managing Director. (Witnesses comes forward.)
Good morning. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Good morning, President Verna and members of Council. I am Estelle Richman, Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia. Today I am here to present testimony on the proposed Managing Director's Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2003 and to answer any questions you may have. With me, I have several members of the Managing Director's Office who will be available to answer any questions you may have. The total proposed operating budget for the Managing Director's Office for Fiscal Year 2003 is $20,829,000: 15 million in the General Fund and approximately 5 million in the Grants Fund, a decrease of $348,000 from Fiscal Year '02 estimated obligations. 632 2/26/02 COMM. 8 million is in Class 100, primarily in the Vacant Lot Cleaning Program. The decrease was realized as the most costly initial cleanup activities have been completed contains. 5 million from Fiscal Year '02 estimated obligations as a result of increases in various ongoing grants: the Metropolitan Medical Strike Team, Municipal Agency Domestic Preparedness, Refugee Targeted Assistance Program, and the Weed and Seed Program. Traditionally, the Managing Director's Office provided oversight, support, and assistance to the 13 operating departments that it directly supervises. Too often, this assistance was delivered on a departmental basis with little coordination on interdepartmental issues. Complex urban problems, including blight, graffiti, crime, homelessness, and the loss of both jobs and residents to the suburbs have demanded that had comprehensive, coordinated initiatives be developed to target a variety of special needs. In the last few years, the Managing 633 2/26/02 COMM. ) Director's Office has broadened its mission in order to assume responsibility for organizing, coordinating, and supervising major departmental programs. An example that we discussed in last year's testimony was the removal the abandoned cars. The following are current examples of coordinated initiatives: First, Snow Fighting. We have revised the City's snow-fighting plan to plow tertiary neighborhood streets for the first time in the City's history. The goal of this plan is to allow Philadelphians to return to their normal daily activities as quickly as possible and reduce the occasions when the City government would have to be closed due to winter weather. To that end, the Managing Director's Office, the Streets Department, the Office of Fleet Management, in partnership with the Water Department, the Department of Public Property, and the Fairmount Park Commission have developed a snow-fighting plan and delineated new procedures for learning, assembling, and deploying personnel for every type of snowstorm. Both Fairmount Park and the Water 634 2/26/02 COMM. ) Department will make expanded use of the vehicles they have, and will dedicate additional employees for snow removal. For example, the Fairmount Park Commission, traditionally charged with maintaining roadways in and around the park system, has expanded its snow-fighting capacity or scope to include select residential streets in the maintenance of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Likewise, the Water Department now fully staffs two highway districts, the 5th and 6th during, during significant snowstorms. In addition, the City is leasing two snow-melting machines during Fiscal '02 winter snow season. These melters are set to be deployed in Center City, other neighborhood business corridors, and in areas with extremely narrow streets, and will replace the traditionally more costly lifting operations that would otherwise be employed. During Fiscal Year '02, the City is also pilot of-testing the use of six trucks that will use brine instead of salt as a pre-storm application. As opposed to the conventional rock salt, the less expensive brine can be applied up to 24 hours in advance and still function as a bond 635 2/26/02 COMM. ) breaker for snow.
If this pilot test proves successful, the replacing with salting operations with brine vehicles could reduce cost and increase the City's effectiveness in fighting snow. Second, Emergency Management. The Office of Emergency Management, within the Managing Director's Office, is responsible for maintaining and revising the City's Emergency Operations Plan and in coordinating the response of the City operating departments as well as federal, State, and private efforts during emergency situations. To this end, the Office of Emergency Management has and continues to make improvements to the Emergency Operations Center, the EEOC, and the Mobile Command Center, CP1, such as new computer hardware, software, and mapping. This office administers the Hazardous Materials Response fund and the Hazardous Materials Matching Grant Program, as well as various federal and State grant programs under the Weapons of Mass destruction Act and Depending Homeland Security legislation. All of these programs are used to fund the purchase of equipment, supplies, and training for specialized units of the Fire, Police and Health 636 2/26/02 COMM. ) Departments. Today, the City of Philadelphia is as prepared to respond to an attack as any major city in America. The Philadelphia Emergency Operations Plan has been updated every year since its creation in 1987 to address the changing nature of environmental and man-made threats and emergencies to our city. The plan, which is approved by both the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), contains established procedures for responding to a variety of emergency situations, including chemical biological, and nuclear events. On September 11th, the Emergency Operations Plan was executed successfully. Within minutes of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, the EEOC was in partial activation coordinated by the Managing Director's Office and staffed by members of the Police and Fire Departments. When the second plane crashed, the City immediately went into a full activation of the EOC. Within 30 minutes after the full activiation, representatives from virtually every City operating department -- PGW, PECO, and SEPTA -- were at their 637 2/26/02 COMM. ) stations in the EOC. The Mayor and the Managing Director were in direct contact with the Chamber of Commerce and other leaders in the business community, the Port Authority, the School District of Philadelphia, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia International Airport. Shortly after the activation of the EEOC, the Police Department deployed additional officers to strategic locations throughout the City, and the Fire Department moved additional emergency medical and firefighting personnel into the Center City area. The Anti-Graffiti Network develops new aggressive anti-graffiti initiatives and provides a framework for coordinating graffiti-fighting measures across a number of departments, City-related agencies and volunteer organizations, in an effort to promote the beautification of Philadelphia. In Fiscal Year '01, graffiti was removed from 54,000 properties, including street fixtures. Anti-graffiti crews in Fiscal Year '02 and Fiscal Year '03 will clean a total of 70,000 properties each year. The Managing Directer's Office of Anti-Graffiti of Voucher Program also distributes 638 2/26/02 COMM. ) vouchers to help neighborhood organizations fight graffiti. In each of Fiscal Year '02 and Fiscal Year '03, the program expects to provide $68,000 to approximately 375 organizations receiving 6500 gallons of paint and 22,000 for related supplies. The Market-Frankford Elevated Train Project, which began in October 2001, has already resulted in graffiti removal at over 850 properties.
The second-floor el project is a massive cleanup project that addresses the increasing amount of graffiti vandalism on the second floors of homes and businesses along SEPTA's Market Frankford el train route at a projected annual cost of $285,000. The Office of Fleet Management has been a crucial partner in this project by providing vehicles and mechanical lifts so that the anti-graffiti crews can remove graffiti from the upper stories of buildings along the Market-Frankford el train route. The Mural Arts Program works closely with the Anti-Graffiti Network to create murals on selected sites that have been cleared of graffiti. 2 million, down $34,000 639 2/26/02 COMM. ) from Fiscal Year '03 estimated obligations. In addition, in July 2001, the City began a Vacant Lot Program to clean all of the City's vacant lots in one year. Through a vacant land survey completed in Fiscal Year '01, the Department of Licenses and Inspections identified 31,000 vacant lots that had become neighborhood eyesores and safety hazards. The goal of the program is to clean all of the vacant lots by July 2002 and establish a follow-up cleaning program that will keep those lots reasonably free of debris. The City will also reclean lots biannually and will work with communities to promote continual lot maintenance. Community caretakers will be elected, and residents and community organizations will be encouraged to adopt a lot as their own to assist with the upkeep. Mural Arts will target suitable sites adjoining newly-cleaned lots for murals. 7 thousand lots and removed close to 13,000 tons of debris. 8 million. 640 2/26/02 COMM. ) The Criminal Justice Population Management. With the suspension of the prison population camp in November 1995, the City, in a cooperative effort with the First Judicial District, instituted several alternative procedures to manage population levels. These efforts include implementing new pre-trial release guidelines that tie release to certain objective criteria, constant monitoring of the City's prison population, and encouraging the appropriate use of alternatives to incarceration programs for non-violent offenders such as house arrest, rehabilitation programs, and community service. These programs preserve prison space for those offenders who pose the greatest threat to society, reduce recidivism, and cost significantly less than traditional incarceration. Special Events. Since the City instituted a special- events policy in May of 1993, the Managing Director's Office has coordinated the City services that make possible events such as parades and festivals. This coordination has rationalized the special-event process, created a mechanism for identifying special-events costs, and 641 2/26/02 COMM. ) allowed the City to charge a fee for City resources used to host events. This policy has been successful in recouping a portion of the money the City spends on these events. Although special-events revenues do not reimburse the City for the full cost of supporting these events, they do help to defray the City's expenditures and allow groups to recognize that the City incurs significant expense to support such events. Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP). One of our newest integrated programs will be the Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) as a new prototype initiative of the Managing Director's Office that will combat quality-of-life issues in a timely, effective, and efficient manner through the public education, enforcement, and abatement tailored to the needs of individual Council Districts. CLIP will achieve its goals by combining violation enforcement, abatement efforts, and beautification into one program under the auspices of the MDO. Historically, responsibility for 642 2/26/02 COMM. ) enforcement and abatement and of quality-of-life issues has been scattered throughout numerous departments, with very little coordination and oversight.
As the oversight and coordinating agency for the City, the MDO will take a very active role in CLIP. The Managing Director's Operation Coordinator will directly oversee and coordinate a variety of City agencies and department employees that have been assigned to CLIP, including Licenses and Inspections and the Streets Department. The Operation Coordinator will also be responsible for coordinating efforts with business associations, community organizations, and Councilmembers to ensure support of this aggressive plan. Comprehensive and Coordinated Social Services. The Division of Social Services within the Managing Director's Office was created in Fiscal Year '01 by Mayor John Street to imporve the quality of social services provided to the residents of Philadelphia. The mission of the Division of Social Services is to more effectively anticipate, plan for, and respond to the health and social needs of Philadelphia's children, adults, and families 643 2/26/02 COMM. ) through a more integrated and a coordinated system of services. Included in Social Services are the Department of Public health, the Department of Human Resources, Behavioral Health, and Mental Retardation Services, the Philadelphia Prison System, the Department of Recreation, the Office of Emergency Shelter and Services. In addition, the following commissions and offices work closely will work closely with Social Services: the Mayor's Office of Community Services, the Mayor's Commission on Aging, the Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities, the Mayor's Office of Health and Fitness, the Mayor's Office of Faith-Based initiatives, and Philadelphia Safe and Sound. One method by which we hope to better integrate services is through development of an integrated case-management system. The goal of this system is to ensure that services are provided without duplication and with a high degree of coordination among departments. The case-management system, as it exists now, is such that if one or more members of a family 644 2/26/02 COMM. ) receive services from more than one social-service agency, there will be often more than one case manager involved. In some of those incidences, one case manager may not be aware of another case manager's involvement and would develop a treatment service plan that does not incorporate or, in the worst case scenario, contradicts the issues being addressed by another social-service entity. In an integrated case-management model, a lead case manager will be identified to work with the other case managers involved to coordinate all of the services that an individual or family might need, be it housing, mental health, or substance-abuse services, prenatal, child care, or job training. A central component of integrated case management is an integrated database system that will allow case managers to access relevant client data from all involved City systems. Currently, each social-service department has its own data system that operates independently of each other, making it difficult to obtain all of the information needed to effectively service an individual or family. 645 2/26/02 COMM. ) We are currently working on the first phase of an integrated database. Integrated case management and integrated data management are long-term investments and systems change, and will be rolled out in phases as the model is developed, reviewed, and refined over the course of several years. In addition, Social Services will focus on several other collaborative efforts in the next year that aim to improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of our services.
These include: a DHS and BHS initiative to reduce the number of children sent to out-of-state residential treatment facilities; the David Olds Project, a collaborative initiative between DHS and the Department of Public Health, which provides home-based nursing to low-income women who are pregnant with their first child; and the Medical Home Project, which is another shared initiative between the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public health that utilizes health care centers to provide primary-care services to children in protective custody who do not have health insurance or a regular health provider. 646 2/26/02 COMM. m. are the peak times for youths to commit crimes or become victims of crime, use drugs, drink, and engage in other negative behaviors. Philadelphia is home to approximately 260,000 children in grades 1 through 12, about 100,000 of whom do not have access to after-school or youth-development activities. The Mayor's Children Investment Strategy Initiative aims to dramatically increase funding to support a citywide expansion of services to those children and youth who currently do not have access to after-school or youth-development activities. A total of 100 programs were funded in 2001, adding 3500 additional participant slots in youth-development programs. At an average cost of $450,000 each, we will also be opening 11 Beacon schools throughout the City this year. Based on similar research- based programs in New York and San Francisco, the Beacon model calls for the development of school-based community centers which will be open evenings and weekends to provide a broad range of activities to children and youth and their 647 2/26/02 COMM. ) families. Higher expectations for accountability from the Mayor, citizens, private funders, the State and federal government reinforce the importance of understanding what programs are intended to accomplish and measuring what they achieve. As part of Social Services' ongoing commitment to promote positive consumer outcomes, all social-services departments have defined and begun to measure the quality and effectiveness of services. Staff have begun, and will continue, to use this data to develop more effective policies and programs and to better target services. Performance measurement is an integral part of the integrated case management system. Staff from all social-services departments have met over the past few months to define the outcome for consumers being served by the system. These outcomes in turn are driving the development of new service-delivery models and tools. Data on consumer outcomes will be collected to measure progress and assist in refining the service-delivery model. Information from a performance-measurement system can help departments to make course 648 2/26/02 COMM. ) corrections and better allocate resources. Development of departmental capacity to utilize data on a routine basis is critical, and we will continue to support department staff in enhancing their capacity to measure and use data throughout the next year. As part of our ongoing commitment to deliver effective services, Social Services will implement a system of performance-based contracting over the next five years in order to ensure that contractors providing services that meet the City's standards and promote desired consumer outcomes. A partnership between the City and its many service-providers is critical in order to achieve success for consumers who receive services. During Fiscal Year '02, social-service departments are meeting with contracted providers to develop outcome language for inclusion in Fiscal Year '03 contracts. Provider and staff responsibilities are being redefined to focus on consumer success, not just service-delivery process. Most departments have held orientation sessions for providers, and staff are working together to define what outcomes the City will purchase. Information 649 2/26/02 COMM.
) of these outcomes will be part of providers' routine reporting, and will be used to target technical- assistance efforts, match providers with consumers, and assist the City where best to invest its funds. This concludes my testimony, and I'm now available for any questions you might have.
Thank you very much. You state in your testimony that your Class 100 is decreasing by approximately $1.8 million primarily in the Vacant Lot Cleaning Program. You also state that it was primarily -- that the decrease was realized as a part of the costly initial cleanup activities which have been completed. Once the demolition activities of NTI program start, there will be hundreds m,if not thousands, of additional lots that have to be maintained. How do you ensure that the vacant lots stay clean, and how do we have sufficient resources to keep them clean? And I think in your testimony, you also said that they would be cleaned on a biannual basis? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right. At this 650 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) point, we have put a lot of effort into cleaning 31,000 lots in one year. It is our assumption that we will not again have to do that many lots in one year, that most of these lots, we're working with communities, we're working to make them gardens, we're putting murals, we're putting a variety of things on many of these lots so that we will not ever have to do 31,000. So the manpower to do that many in one year --
But if we're going to be doing demolition, aren't we going to have that many more vacant lots?
My name's Thomas Conway, Deputy Managing Director for the City. I believe that once we do the initial cleaning and removing the 13,000 tons of debris, the amount of debris or whatever we're going to remove is going to be a lot less. Um... COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We will be working with the NTI group to stay on top of the lots we've already done and work with them around -- within their initiative around what happens as lots and demolition continue to occur. 651 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) This one was in addition to NTI, as you know, as opposed to initially part of it. So we will continue -- right now, in fact, as we clean lots, if a lot becomes -- I don't want to say "trashed." If a lot has debris that reoccurs in it, we try to follow up pretty quickly just to maintain the presence of those lots, and we will continue to do that so that, again, we will never be going into the depth or to the scope that we've had to do this one year.
Right. And in the budget for FY '02, you had over $3 million for temporary and seasonal employees. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's right.
And that has been cut -- COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
-- by $1.8 million. Also, on Schedule 200, -79, I notice that you have repair and maintenance charges, and you have an additional $60,000 there. Can you give us some explanation on that, please. 652 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I'm sorry, what page number is that again?
33-79, and I believe it's line 260. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Those dollars are for tree-trimming and stump removal.
Okay. In your testimony, you mention about 8500 dead trees? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
Street trees that you plan to apparently remove. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: These are --
And you indicate that 4300 dangerous trees will be removed annually. Once the backlog is reduced, funding will be reduced and shifted into an ongrowing program for planting and pruning. Now, will that be put under contract, or will the Fairmount Park employees be removing the trees?
Okay. And when remove the trees, they're not just going to 653 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) remove them to a, stump I hope.
No. What they do is, they have a stump grinder machine that takes the stump out of the ground, but it is an additional crew that does that. The initial pruning and removal of a tree is one crew, and then a stump-grinder crew basically comes out and removes the stump.
Okay, Miss Richmond, you mentioned the Office of Emergency Management in your testimony. Can you tell us how much additional funds are included in the FY '03 for security and security-related expenses? And please tell us how you will be proposing to secure City Hall, and when do you intend starting the implementation of the plan? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Go ahead.
Madam President, I'm Mike Nucci. I'm the Emergency Management Director for the City. Right now, we have a stream of funds that come through the Justice Department through the State to a Southeastern Pennsylvania task 654 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) force.
Right now, it's about $127,000 a year. That does not include any anticipated monies that are going to come through the Homeland Security Act, which haven't been passed by Congress yet. Additionally, we have gotten in the past few years 300,000 from the Defense Department for personal-protection equipment and detection equipment for police and fire, and 500,000 from the U.S. Public Health Service to establish a metropolitan medical response system, which basically is the pharmaceuticals and the decontamination equipment to do a large body of people that were exposed to a chemical attack. Additionally -- and I'm sure you'll hear this from the Health Commissioner -- another $200,000 for the planning -- and this is again from the U.S. Public Health Service for planning a surveillance system for disease control for bioterrorrism. Right now, I wish I could tell you 655 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) more, but we don't know what's going to be passed by Congress and how that money's going to come, whether it's going to come through the states ir a portion of it through the states and some of it director to the cities.
Well, how much do we have in the budget for FY '03 for security and security-related expensess? And I'd like to know what is being proposed to secure City Hall. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The City Hall activity, some of of it has begun, and I believe in the transfer-ordinance testimony by Rick Tustin, who's with the Capital Budget Office, stated that as soon as we have the transfer ordinance, we can pick up on the rest of the activities that have been planned. I can get you those exact numbers if you --
I would like to know what the plan is, please, and when you anticipate the implementation of the plan. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay, I will be able to get to you the plan, the cost of the plan, 656 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) and the implementation schedule.
Thank you. Who will be appointed as the operations coordinator of the Community Life Improvement Program? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Tommy Conway, who was just at the table, is the operations manager for the CLIP Program.
Will you be targeting certain Council districts, or will this be a citywide program? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We are prototyping this as a start, and we're looking at Councilmatic District 6 to start and see how it works before we can determine whether or not it's an effective way to work, and then branch out in appropriate areas from there.
How many people will be assigned to this program?
Initially, approximately 30 people, and they'll be recruited from existing agencies such as the the Anti-Graffiti Network and the Vacant Lot Program.
What 657 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) additional resources will be needed?
One of the major additional resources will be the acquisition of vehicles. Due to the City's aging fleet, we are acquiring, I believe, approximately new vehicles 7 for that. 8 And, again, the people in the Vacant 9 Lot Program right now, we're going to transfer some 10 of them over for employees of the new CLIP Program, 11 so this way, we're going to try and eliminate a 12 massive hiring program for this. 13 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The intention 14 was not to hire new staff, to use staff in th 15 departments to sort of do some reorganization, and it's only redirecting some dollars within Fleet.
Did I understand you to say that we're going to have to purchase vehicles? Did you say that?
Okay. Have those figures been included in the budget?
The figures for the new vehicles are going to come out of this year's budget. 658 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Okay. Miss Richman, you mentioned that in FY '03, an additional $10 million has been committed for after-school, youth development, and Beacon Programs. Where is the $10 million budgeted and what is its funding sources? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The dollars for the after-school program are TANF dollars coming from the State that were applied for last year and this year through the needs-based budgeting process with DPW with the Department of Human Services
What departments and their locations will be funded with these funds? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The 11 Beacon Programs have been identified. I believe we have a list with us; if not, we will make sure you get it. We went through a request-for-proposal process to identify the 11 sites that were selected. These are major agencies. One of the qualifications is that the agency had to have a sufficient budget to be able to manage this kind of program. They're all school-based, and they needed to be broad enough to be more than just an 659 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) after-school program, but to really function as a school community program within those -- within those areas.
Thank you. I have other questions, but at this time, I would recognize Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you. Good morning. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Good morning.
I'd like to go back to the Community Life Improvement Program. Could you tell me how long you plan to run this program as a pilot and when do you see it expanding to other districts? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Since we haven't begun it yet, I can't exactly tell you how long. I think we want to get a sense of the kinds of things we're going to see, the kinds of problems, and how long it begins to work with that neighborhood. But our goal is to be there long enough to be able to address most of the quality-of-life issues such as grass not being mowed or people putting trash out too early and it being turned over, or the issues that happen in neighborhoods 660 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that would be termed almost "pre-blight"; in other words, the neighborhood is still not suffering from the kind of blight you would see coming under the NTI Program, but at the same time, many neighbors -- the neighborhoods and the neighbors of properties feel that it's not being kept up, and we will use code enforcement to be able to cite this and to be able to go in and then bill the resident and put a lien on the property.
How did you determine which area to begin the pilot? What information did you use? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The councilwoman, Councilwoman Krajewski, basically came to the Administration and asked if we would look at the program.
Okay, thank you. Are you trying to compile data on requests made from all Council districts regarding these same issues to determine where you would go next? I would imagine that since we all have these similar complaints about lack of enforcement, there should be some coordination of the -- 661 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) compilation in a database of the number of complaints you get relative to the issues you are trying to address so that you would know where the real problems are. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We are trying to collect that. We don't have what I would call a comprehensive or an integrated database right now that gives us that kind of information very easily. One of the roles of the Managing Director's Office, I believe, is beginning to create both those kind of databases and that information, so that I could come back and talk with you about these kinds of offenses within a neighborhood that would not really be at the level of blight to trigger a high level within NTI, but at the same time, are enough of an eyesore and a problem to pay attention to. I think we're trying to work out where those lines are. As I have been talking to Council people, one of the questions I've ask is, how many -- are there trees in your neighborhood that you want us to pay attention to? Are there properties? Are there pre-blight conditions that the Managing Director's Office needs to be aware 662 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) of? I'm trying to work my way through Council asking these questions and have probably done half of you at this point. But part of that is creating that database and using that information and ultimately tying it all together with the database that NTI is forming at the same time.
Well, one of the -- you know, having been here for a long time and being a District Councilperson, we have filed complaints with L&I and certainly Fairmount Park regarding trees and the Streets Department about trash and lack of enforcement. It seems that they should have that information already compiled; we shouldn't have to give you that information again. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: No, I've been asking Council first not to give me that information again, but to help me prioritize where it is. And obviously, we can't do it all, so I'm trying to just get a feel for it right now as we proceed into the spring and fall in the next fiscal year. This is more my education than trying 663 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) to start you all over again because what I do is take your priority list, send it to the departments and say, Where is it falling? when will it be done? and how can I work with people to make sure that these things are being attended to?
Now, will we get the answer -- when we call the Department regarding enforcement of quality-of-life issues in the 9th Councilmatic District, will we get a response like, "Well, you're not a part of the CLIP Program and you have to wait until we do a pilot in your area before you can get some service"? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: No, no, you will get service hopefully quicker than you've had it before.
Mm-hmm. On the Emergency Operations Plan, what is the mechanism the City will use to educate or inform the public what happens -- if there's an emergency, I mean, how will the public know what to do? Who's going to communicate with them about the City's plan for their safety or what they should do -- should they go to the basement, should they go home? What is the role? 664 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Are you specifically talk about the terrorism thing or in general?
I'm just talking about if we're sitting here and something happens, who tells me what to do?
How do we communicate to the public what they should do for their safety?
Okay. Specifically for hazardous-chemical incidents, we've sent pamphlets out through the mail and have made them available to community groups about the different options of shelter in places versus evacuation. How we get information to the public during an emergency, we have several ways of doing that: the emergency broadcast system, of which KYW is the common program control station we have access to. So from the Fire Communications Center, they could formulate a message of what they want people in the specific area to do, and that would go out this through KYW, and they download it automatically to the other radio stations that are are a part of the program. 665 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) We can also do it through cable TV. We have a system where we can, according to the area, dial a number to a cable TV station, punch in a code; it will knock all of the programming off the air, and we'll be on there live with a voice message. So there's different ways we have to address that. And then, I guess, as a last resort thing, police cars and fire equipment on their P.A. systems would be giving specific instructions to a relatively small area of evacuation or going in your homes and shelter in place.
Okay. What happens when plan is activated? Suppose you had to activate your plan; what --
All right, it's activated pretty much -- at lease once a week for different things, like a fire, a three-alarm fire, different elements of the plan.
The plan itself consists of a basic plan, plus annexes for different situations. There's a hazardous-materials response 666 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) annex; there's a mass casualty annex; there's an evacuation annex; there's one for crashes at the airport, an airport emergency annex; and general ones for police, fire that basically spell out what their duties are in certain situations. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: In general, the Emergency Operations Plan is probably at least as thick, if not a little bit more, that takes into consideration every aspect of what could happen in a city and who responds and what order people are notified, what's involved in it, and the decision tree that comes out of it. All of that response is managed out of the EOC, in collaboration with Fire, Police, and any other department that could be involved. And we do end up activating it probably about once a week, probably a little bit more frequently since 9/11 because of information that might be received from the FBI or FEMA or from PEMA.
Okay, thank you. Let me just ask you a question about the prison. We have a very large number of prisoners who are Philadelphians but who are sent 667 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) far away and into other states. Is there any effort by the City to assist families to make visits to maintain their bond of the absent family member? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: You mean the prisoners who have been sentenced to a federal prison out of state or to a state prison?
Either. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Either one of those. I don't believe the City has any activity that directly relates to that. I know there are private, nonprofit organization that is take that into consideration. If children are involved, then we often will work with families to make sure there may be some type of visitation, but there is nothing that the City does that assumes that responsibility.
Okay. In the integrated case-management program, when the database is in place, what will be the safeguards for the privacy of the families and their information? I recently spoke with a lady who runs a 668 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) program, who is seeking funding for her program, and there's certain information required, and she has met with resistance from some of the families because they don't want to give up the information. And they might not necessarily receive funding from the program but are a part of the program, and the program requires that you give a census and information on it of everybody, and the program is in jeopardy because the family members are leery of providing certain information. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Probably one of the reasons that that hasn't been developed across the country is the confidentiality laws. And the confidentiality laws, depending on the type of disability or medical issue, are very specific; in other words, the confidentiality rules are different for HIV and AIDS, different for drug and alcohol and for mental health; they're different for children than they are for adults. So coming up with a system that only gives certain kind of people access at any given point in time is the challenge of putting this kind of system together. Overall, who gets to view information has to be very tightly controlled so 669 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the wrong people don't. One of the common pieces, though, is that normally, the person who does the funding of a public program has the right to be able to do audits at the appropriate level on that information. Anybody else who's not in that chain has to have some level of release of information. So all of this has to be built into your database to be used so somebody just can't go in and see all of your personal medical or social- services history. So part of the costs, the expense of such a system, is building in the safeguards so that if you're in a computer and you want to go into Councilwoman Tasco' medical history, you have to have some level of specific clearance that will tell the computer you're authorized to have that information and there's a need to know. All of those safeguards have to be built into an integrated data system so people feel comfortable sharing information and know that it's not going to be released into a situation that they know they're not going to be compromised.
Well, how is this 670 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) going to all impact on your ability to develop your database, integrated database? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: To a large part, since we are the funder of most of these agencies somewhere within the social-services systems, it gives us, again, at an appropriate staff level, the ability to go in and look at information and to use it. These are extremely complicated issues to be able to get to where're we're going. No one else in its country has done this, so we are trying to be on the cutting edge of how not only to develop such a system but how to use it with some level of assurance.
I left my notes upstairs but I wanted to specifically ask you this question because the program that this organization receives funds from, the management of information is by, I think, Health Partners? Is there a program you have where they manage the information? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right. Health Partners, which is an HMO within the City, probably wouldn't be included in an integrated database. There may some of their members that could be included because some of their members may be 671 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) receiving services from the City. Health Partners is not a City agency, so we would not be including their clients' medical information necessarily unless they happen to be involved in a City department. In other words, HealthChoices contracts with the district health centers.
Right. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Somebody who's in a district health center and is also receiving a service from the Health Department in maternal and child health, or they're receiving services in drug and alcohol, the services for that individual may be in our database, but only people in the City that are authorized to provide or audit that care could then receive that record. An integrated database is not a free-for-all for people to push in a name and to get information out. The HealthChoices -- the 250,000 members of HealthChoices wouldn't be in as a group.
Okay, I'll come back to that question when I get my notes so I can be very specific. 672 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
Because I understand that the Health Partners is managing the program. But let me go on to the next one, but I'll come back. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
Will the Beacon schools take the place of the family centers or are they simply an expansion of that concept? And do the family centers -- are still in existence? and just give me a little bit of background on it. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The family centers are still in existence; the Beacon Programs will not be taking over the family centers. While they may be doing similar things, the Beacon Program is a much broader, comprehensive program than the family centers were originally conceptualized to be. We are replicating a model out of New York City and San Francisco to do this particular program, and Beacon in this case stands for a school that is a beacon of hope in the community, that brings them in, and it usually includes after-school programs, and it's a collaboration, 673 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) again, with the community around the type of services and programs they would like to see. It really has a broader scope than the family center. Beacons will be open on the weekends and into the evenings, and many of our family centers are not. So they're broader, more comprehensive, and will have more funding in them.
Okay. Now, where will they be operating? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: There are eleven Beacon Programs that have been funded at this point, and I can get you a list. Or there may be someone here who has a list, and I can read it off to you, but there are eleven programs that we have funded effective basically March 1st.
Councilwoman, do you mind if we have a second go-around because we have a number of colleagues that want to be recognized.
Okay. COUNCILPRESIDENT VERNA: The Chair 674 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning. Managing Director Richman. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Good morning.
Let me go back to where Councilwoman Tasco was a little while ago, on of the testimony, the Community Life Improvement Program. Now, do I understand that we may have received, in addition to your testimony, some additional information about this particular program recently? Was some information sent out about this? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Not that I know of.
Okay. And you said that this is a new program? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Brand-new, it hasn't started yet.
Okay. And this was developed by the Managing Director's Office? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: It was brought 675 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) to us as a concept by Councilwoman Krajewski.
Okay. And I thought I heard testimony earlier that the proposal was to take public employees who are presently working in a variety of departments and form them into this particular program; is that correct? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's basically correct. We're trying to form a team using employees in the departments that report to the Managing Director's Office in a cohesive team to work together.
Okay. And how many people is that? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I believe there are 30? 30.
30, okay. Now, did I hear you say earlier that Mr. Conway was going to be -- what is this, the operations coordinator? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
Okay. Mr. Conway, your present position is what? 676 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Okay. And I think our most recent experience with you was more with graffiti activities?
And have you transferred over into vacant lots and that type of stuff? It's hard to keep track of your time.
The anti-graffiti, I still see that, as well as the Vacant Lot Program.
Okay. Now, how are we going to take the 30 people away from the departments where they're presently working and have them working on CLIP -- which I'd like to get -- if there's any written material about it, I'd certainly like to read about it -- and not have an impact in other areas of government?
Well, I think that the major thinking behind CLIP is the coordination effort. A lot of employees are doing a lot of work in specific areas, but they're not working together per se.
They're not working 677 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) together on a daily basis.
Okay. So of the 30 people, give me a breakdown of the different areas that the employees will come from, and tell us a little bit about how their efforts are going to be coordinated.
For instance, with the CLIP Program, we're looking to attack the quality-of-life issues such as vacant lots, anti-graffiti, the blight issues. For instance, somebody has a -- high weeds on their lawn; the current system is basically, we write a violation for 30 days, and after them 30 days are up, we go back to check to see if the violation was fixed basically. If it's not fixed, we want to send out a crew to fix the problem and then lien the property owner and abate the issue. Now, a lot of these people --
Now, hold on for a second. So you're saying that under the present system, you send a violation and if they don't do it within 30 days, I'm assuming normally, we would then proceed to court?
Correct. 678 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Okay. And under this proposal, you're saying we're going to go out and actually do the work ourselves.
After the allotted time is up; that's correct. It's the same type of concept we're using with the Vacant Lot Program. Give them so many days to clean a vacant lot; if they don't do it, we go in and clean the vacant lot, bill the property, and if not, then we'll lien the property.
So if a property owner's grass is too high and complaints have been made, you put the violation out, they don't do it, then we're going to come back and mow their lawn?
Hopefully, they will comply. But it's not so much a lawn-care service; it's more about property owners that basically aren't taking care of their property and --
I understand that. And the follow-up concept is, rather than leave it in the court system, we're going to send people out to abate the particular problem, whether it's front lawn, rear yard, something in the alley, whatever the issue may be. 679 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Okay. Now, so, the difference here is, essentially, rather than leaving it in the court system where they may or may not respond or you'll end up either in Municipal Court or in Equity Court or one of the courts, we're going to have people just go and abate the problem ourselves and then place a lien on the property and then, what, leave it to either Revenue or the Law Department to follow up on the lien?
Okay. And I understand the genesis of the concept, but why wouldn't you do this citywide? I mean, there must be this similar kind of problem all over the place. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I think one of the things I have found is, every good idea doesn't mean that operational-wise, it's as as well as it sounds. So we want to try it, see how it works, how much staff is really does take, how much 680 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) equipment it takes, and then make a decision on that. That's the reason for using a prototype. It does -- but I have done lots of things that conceptually look good very on paper, and after operational-wise, you run into a lot of problems that you you maybe should have considered before you started or at the point of start. So this is a way to see if it falls into place as well as it sounds.
How long will the pilot phase last? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I can't tell you that right now; I don't know. I have not preset a date on that. My usual format is to check back on a continual basis every 30, 60, 90 days to see what's happening, how it's going, and if there are any problems that may not have been anticipated.
Okay. Well, let me go back to the question Councilwoman Tasco asked. If you take 30 people from these departments -- the departments are L&I and Streets; are those the two agencies or is anybody else moving from somewhere else? 681 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Basically, it would be L&I Streets, Anti-Graffiti, and the Mayor's Office of Community Services. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The part of MOCS is the folks that are being diverted and doing community sentences in the court system.
I'm sorry, say that again? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The members of MOCS that are involved in this are people who are being diverted from jail, the diversions, the people who are sentenced to a community service is a large part of this group.
A large part of what group? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Of the folks that will be going into the communities and working doing and doing some of the work. You wanted to know the departments and the groups of people who are going to be involved in this.
Right. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: One of the groups is the court diversion group.
You mean to 682 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) actually do the work? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: To actually do the work.
All right. Well, let me go back, then. The 30 people involved, those are presently public employees?
The majority of them, yes. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Not all of them, in other words; some of them are court diversion people.
Okay, all right. Of the 30 people, how many are public employees, how many are diversion people? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Probably about two-thirds of them. I don't have the direct breakdown of that.
Two-thirds which way? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Two-thirds of the 30.
Are...? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Are City employees, I'm sorry.
Okay, so two-thirds 683 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) City, so it's -- COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
Okay. 7 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: And 8 incidentally, there are more than that who 9 currently work on thse problems within those 10 departments. So we're not pulling the entire 11 contingent of people. So that if any other 12 Councilperson would call and say, "I have an issue 13 in my community," that we couldn't get to that. 14 This is an attempt to see if we're 15 coordinating this under one single point of 16 authority, can we get a better bang for what we do, 17 have more accountability, and make things happen 18 faster. 19
No, I understand 20 that, but I think what I'm trying to better understand is -- I mean, if you take 20 public employees from a couple different places -- COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
-- who do these things, in your view, in not the most coordinated 684 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) fashion possible, but they are now out of the larger system. When the complaints come in and you have fewer people that are available -- and I 5 thought the testimony earlier was, no, you will -- 6 not only will you not see a diminishment in 7 service, you'll see quicker service, and I guess 8 I'm not understanding how you get quicker service 9 with 20 fewer people. 10 I mean, on that theory, I mean, maybe 11 we only need 10,000 employees. 12 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That would be a 13 nice thought. 14
I don't think so. 15 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I don't think 16 so. 17 I think my response on it would be 18 quicker just because when things tend to hit my 19 desk, I tend to say, "Get it down now" and push 20 pretty hard. So the system is designed to look to see if a coordinated effort, using a CLIP model, is going to be more effective than our regular model of having it done just by calling the department. That's the goal. Those are the two different 685 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) models that we'll be looking at.
Right. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I probably should have just said, "No, you probably won't have to wait longer. We'll try to meet your same schedule that we have met in the past."
Now, where is this program in the budget? 'cause I could not find it. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Because the equipment that we are purchasing is being purchased in the current fiscal year, there's no budget impact, so it wouldn't be pulled out as a separate budget document because we're not pulling new dollars.
I understand. How much equipment are we talking about? And you already had budget authorization to purchase this equipment? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right. It's within our Fleet Management, and we just went into Fleet and directed dollars by Fleet that they had there into, I don't know, more jeeps -- well, I'm not really good on my trucks an cars yet.
That's okay. 686 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Some of the new vehicles that are acquiring are also going to be using our residential snow fleet, so we work closely with Fleet Management. For instance, if we're requiring eight new F-350 trucks, they're also, during the winter months, going be used for plowing and salting. So it's going to be a dual purpose with the new vehicles.
Okay, go ahead. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We're getting things like -- I'm still -- 350 Ford pickup trucks, which were just explained, one trash truck, one wood chipper. So it's things like that where there were dollars available within the Fleet budget to do this. That's what we're doing.
Okay. I would just mention to you off to the side, Madam Managing Director, that I know that your former Chief of Staff and now Health Commissioner, John, Domzalski he's a big-truck guy and he can give you some assistance on the differences between the different vehicles. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: People have been 687 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) giving me several toy trucks but they failed to totally identify them for me, but they're yellow and they're really cute.
I understand. We'll work on that. Okay, so the last question on this particular issue is, the pilot program, length determined, assessment by yourself, and your expectation is that at some point in time, this will be looked at for expansion throughout the City? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That is correct.
Okay. And let me ask this question: For the rest of the City, while this is going on, what's being done to improve systems and processes to address the the exact same issues? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I think when the -- as I'm working with each commissioner around how they address complaints that come into their department, I'm asking to see, how do they create priority? what do they address? how do they determine what is dangerous? and beginning to try to get a feel for how some of these decisions are 688 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) made and the timeline that accompanies them. Some of this we're trying to monitor directly from the Managing Director's Office, and some of it, I'm just trying to get a feel for it right now on how the departments have historically operated.
We do have a number of other Councilmembers waiting.
Do you want to ask your last question at this point, or would you rather wait?
If you give me the opportunity, Madam Chair, absolutely. There was a question asked last week, and maybe, Managing Director, you can give us an update on it. There was a news report regarding an internal and national search with regard to, I 689 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) guess it would be called the permanent filling of the position of Police Commissioner. Can you give us an update on that search, and who is actually conducting the search? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I actually cannot. I'm assuming the search is being conducted by Personnel, but I have not been involved.
Okay. When I asked the question last week, actually to the Chief of Staff, the Chief of Staff indicated that she was not involved in that process and that, technically, the hire is made by the Managing Director's Office. And it was her position that the Managing Director was handling this particular matter. So you're indicating today that you are not involved in that now? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Not at this point, but I might be. The Police Commissioner is a cabinet member and reports directly to the Mayor, and under normal Personnel rules, when there's a search that happens, the search is normally done by the Personnel Department or a contractor, and then they may choose a group of us at the cabinet level to do 690 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the interviews or to otherwise be consulted. And I don't believe it has gotten to that point yet.
Do you know whether there is a contractor involved? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: No, I don't.
Okay, all right, thank you. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Madam President. No disrespect, Managing Director, but that has me seriously concerned that the Managing Director of the City is not involved or aware and, through no fault of your own, 'cause I do respect you and know how hard you work, not involved in the selection process of the most -- of one of the most important commissioners in the City. I mean, the Personnel Office and the private contractor may know more than the Managing Director's Office as it relates to the selection of a person to lead our police department? I mean, to me, that is -- and if you don't feel comfortable 691 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) commenting, I'll understand. But the fact that you're not aware of that information, again, through no fault of your own, I find it absolutely bizarre and extremely discouraging and upsetting that -- I mean, if anyone else in the City should be involved in that selection process, or at least the knowledge of what's going on, it should be you. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Councilman, I would assume that by the time they get down to a limited number of candidates that I would be involved.
Well -- and, again, I mean, you don't have to comment, but I feel that that particular situation is extremely disconcerting, and people in this city and this government should be concerned that a person in your position with the responsibility that you have is not involved in this process at this point, and I think that that's just downright bizarre. Let me just go to the Clip Program for one second. Again, the people sitting at these tables often are the ones who take the brunt of our questioning and our concerns. And, again, both of 692 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) you and the people who have been up before you, especially the two of you that I've worked with over the past ten years, are dedicated public servants that have responded immediately, if not sooner, to some of the requests that we've made, and I know that other Councilmembers have the same view. But I would argue, Madam President, through the Chair, that if Councilmembers Nutter and Tasco and yourself, for example, had been better behaved or had acted more appropriately according to what the second floor viewed as appopriate activity during NTI, redistricting, and some other things, perhaps you would be experiencing this expanded pilot program in your districts so that your citizens and constituents would be experiencing this new way in dealing with quality-of-life issues. I think at this point in time, if I could say so, I think your constituents are being clipped because of your lack of cooperation on those issues, which is exactly the reason why we needed the controls that we've sought after in NTI in the first place, because I believe that as we go 693 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) down the road, NTI will be used as a lever to coordinate and control people's votes on other issues, which I don't think should be its function, but apparently, it's already started to be a function of that program. And, hopefully, our constituents, your District Council constituents, will at some point in time get the message that if you either don't get in line and march right, you're not going to get the services that other districts get. And I think that it really does give a clear example of what NTI may be used for as we move forward. I'd like to move a second to the issue of out-of-state residential treatment facilities and some of our youth that are sent to those facilities. How much do you spend annually, or are we anticipating spending in the next budget cycle on that type of service? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: There are approximately 200 youth -- and I believe that number is decreasing fairly rapidly -- who are placed out of county, out of state, for -- who are usually under the custody of the Department of Human Services and being funded by HealthChoices 694 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) through the Behavioral Health Initiative. The total amount of dollars -- million. 5
$8 million per year 6 and decreasing or stable or growing? 7 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Hopefully 8 decreasing. The State changed the mechanism for which how this happens, and the City is totally in control of the cost. And... (Ms. Richman hesitates.)
I'm listening, I'm sorry COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay. The City now has the responsibility for much of that cost so that it's to our advantage to place those kids within Pennsylvania as opposed to Texas, Colorado, and other places.
The youth that are sent to these facilities, are they sent by court order generally, and does the court make a decision on what facilities, what location, what state they go to to? Or is the Department simply ordered to do something, and you guys make a decision on where to send people? 695 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Many of the placements are on the dependency side, and it is a pure decision within a collaboration between the Behavioral Health System and DHS. There are also probably about a third of them now that are delinquent. About a third of them are delinquent, and at that is a collaboration between the court, DHS, and the Behavioral Health System. We've worked very hard over the past year to educate and work with the judges, that the reason that most children are sent out of state is for clinical treatment reasons and to have them understand that it's the clinical expertise that the system can offer that should be picking the placement, how long, and the conditions under which children are placed out of state. They have agreed with that, and the working relationship up to this point with Judge Sylvester has been a very good one, and we look forward to the new administration in having that same collaborative relationship.
So two-thirds -- and Correct me if I'm wrong. Two-thirds or so of 696 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the young people that are sent out of state, it's an internal decision through DHS and not really a court-ordered type of operation. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
And how do we determine where they go? And how far away -- what's the furthest place we send people, Texas? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I know we have kids in Texas, Colorado, Arizona I believe. I don't believe we have any children in California.
What types of services do these institutions or agencies or facilities render that can't be rendered or found in the region? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The primary reason that children are put out of state is that Pennsylvania has a regulation that treatment facilities cannot be locked, and the out-of-state places we choose --
Locked like a door lock? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Locked like a door lock. They cannot be locked or secured facilities; they have to be open. 697 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) And in other states, you can -- and the only way you can have a locked facility in Pennsylvania is that it is a hospital. So residential treatment facilities in Philadelphia -- I mean, in Pennsylvania cannot be locked. Residential treatment facilities in just about every other state can. And for some of children who are placed out of state, the treatment clinician believes that the child, at least for their beginning stay, needs a locked facility.
Have we made any efforts to attempt to change Pennsylvania law? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Numerous.
What is the major obstacle to doing that? I mean, this legislature -- at least the current makeup of the legislature would not indicate to me an interest in keeping facilities unlocked; if anything, it would be the opposite. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: This actually falls within the auspices of the Department of Public Welfare, and most frequently, either the children in youth grouping or the Office of Mental 698 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Health and Substance-Abuse Services who have actively opposed having a locked facilities.
It's an awful expensive decision for our part, I guess, as it relates to -- as a result of what we have to spend based on that decision seems to fly in the face of what many other states are doing 'casue we have to send kids to other states. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Absolutely. We have been working numerous years on trying to have them understand that we believe it's more damaging to go a child to be so far away from their family that it would be what they seem to see as abuses if it is a locked facility. Our hope is that as we enter a new administration next year within DPW, we may be able to solve it.
DPW or -- DPW's resistent; does that mean that the legislature can't force them to change their position? I mean, have we attempted an legislative remedy as opposed to an administrative remedy? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I'm not sure how to answer that; I don't know that. I can find that 699 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) out, but I don't want to speak out of turn on this one
Does it make some sense, despite the locked and unlocked issue, does it make some sense at some point to perhaps coordinate with other counties surrounding Philadelphia -- Delaware, Montgomery, Chester, Bucks -- and kind of contribute to building our own facility? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We actually have several collaborative initiatives going on with the other four counties at this point in time. In fact, of the five, they have sent out a request for proposal, some of those have come back. And I think of the five things they are looking at, three are proposed outside of the City limits and two are in. So there is some collaboration going on and we continue to do that. We've also attracted --
Excuse me, is that for the construction of a residential facility? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Those are residential facilities, small. In other words -- 700 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) and also other our other premise is that we still prefer very small facilities. We believe that the track record of them is much more -- that we get better results and we can be accountable for those. The other part of this is that we have recruited the best of the providers from out of state to come into Philadelphia. The Brown School is one of those; they're based in Texas. The Pine School is based in Virginia. Both of them have come into Philadelphia to operate programs, but they too recommend that where they have a child whose behavior they believe needs a locked facility, they send back to their, quote, home organizations 'cause they don't feel they can offer the security need that the child needs to be here with its current state regulations.
In your off-the-top-of-your-head estimation, if we had the lock issue resolved, how many of these children would we not have to send out of state? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The vast majority of them. I think we could even reduce that 200 number to probably 50 or lower.
Okay. Let me just 701 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) move for a second to some of the youth coordination issues, children investment strategies, and those type of issues. I'm sure you're aware of an organization in Philadelphia called "Safe and Sound." COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes, I am.
Does that organization receive City money, either from the Recreation Department or from DHS? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That organization -- the primary dollars that support Safe and Sound come from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and they come directly to the City. So they come to Robert Wood Johnson, are put int the City Recreation budget and, therefore, they're transferred from that, but let me have Ellen Steiker answer that. (Ms. Steiker comes forward.)
Hi, this is Ellen Steiker, Deputy Managing Director. Safe and Sound is funded in two primary ways. The employees of Safe and Sound are primarily Recreation Department employees, and they 702 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) can be found in the Recreation Department's budget. The program dollars, the non-employee dollars, are funded through the Department of Human Services and can be found in the Grants Fund for the Department of Human Services.
So with the exception of the origin of the non-operating -- I'm sorry. With the exception of the origin of the non-personnel funds, and even the non-personnel funds are siphoned through a City agency, for all intent and purposes, this is -- if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it seems to be a part of the City agency. We have City employees, we have money that's provided from another source but it is routed through DHS. So all in all, it would seem to be pretty much a City agency. Is that -- I mean -- or at least a hybrid City agency; is that fair? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yeah, that's fair. But it does also have -- it is a private nonprofit and it does have a board, but it works very closely with Social Services and the Managing Director's Office.
Is there any reason 703 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) why a hybrid social-service City agency like this would not be appearing in the budget process? Any reason it should not? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Well, I'm not sure I can specifically answer that question. One of things that they do actively do is fund-raising, which is one of the --
Well, so does the Recreation Department and, you know, the Police Department. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's right.
They fund a lot of things through, you know, bicycles and bottled water and other things. I mean, many departments fund-raise actively. It's just -- And how much money are we spending in that particular quasi-hybrid agency with personnel, and how much money is passed through to the organization through DHS?
For any of these questions, if you need to respond later, take it as a -- 704 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Why don't we respond later to that one and get you the full information rather than trying to dig through the book and find it right now.
Okay. Also, just finally -- Madam President, thank you for your time -- on the rear of your testimony, there is a mention of a Targeted Assistance Program $713,000 in Grants Funds. This is supposed to deal with employment-related social services for refugees, immigrants who have arrived from Eastern Europe, Africa Southeast Asia, etc., and translation services for members of our refugee communities. Who gets that money, what do they do with it, and what is the evaluation process that relates to its effectiveness? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Coming up is someone who understands this program.
Good morning. Please identify yourself for the record.
Yes, good morning. My name 705 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) is Donna Wolf, Director of the Targeted Assistance Program. The Targeted Assistance Funds from 1983 on have been 100 percent federally funded. And the primary concern of the Targeted Assistance federal legislation is to get folks jobs as quickly as is possible, and the eligibility is limited to those who have legally entered the country as refugee and now more recently, folks who are asylees [sic]who are -- have been granted political asylum status in the United States. And the employment service -- it's primarily employment service, and a third of the budget is for personnel, which are job counselors working in the office. And for the moment in the Northeast, we have -- we share is a space with the New World Organization of immigrants from Russia.
Is this a City office; do we give grants to organizations who provide services?
We are a part of the Managing Director's Office and, in fact, we do subcontract for other services as they're needed.
How many City 706 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) employees are involved?
Six. And how many agencies do we contract with or give grants to?
And how do we evaluate the effectiveness of their service?
Actually, this is kind of off the topic, but the way the program was always set up was that we automate our intake forms and we track our services, and we have almost constant feedback as to the service provision that we receive from our subcontractors. Mind you, these are not major contracts. The contract for the New World Association, for instance, is for $35,000, one of them, and that's for -- really allows us to use part of their space. And they do some outreach and referral for us as well. But we do sit on Bergen Street off of Bustleton Avenue three times a week, and it allows us to have evening coverage as well; that's for the predominantly Russian population. And they also have Town Watch. 707 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) We try to improve community relationings by offering small incentives, very small -- $12,000 at this point -- to get people engaged and have the radios and the training by the police, which is our way of making community support and safety and integration.
Part of -- I mean, this is anecdotal, and I'll raise it through you. Through my workings in the last couple of years with many of these organizations, there seems to be some disappointment, I guess, with the way in which the money is spent, that it seems to be that a lot of it is targeted to Town Watch-type activities, and perhaps a way of looking at it differently by taking the money and instead of spreading it out the way we do, to maybe concentrate it into an overall office, and I don't know whether you received a copy of my report on --
We're very interesting in it and were sort of hoping that something would happen out of that, actually, as an aside, because there are --
No, 9/11 hasn't helped in 708 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) general now because the -- actually, the entrance was halted entirely for refugees for about three months and is only recently been opened again. Most of the targeted assistance funds, the 5, $600,000, is really primarily employment- driven and mimics very much the welfare to work, which is get a job now as quickly as possible, so most of it is employment counseling.
Part of the problem, though, as you know, which we have with many of our refugee communities is that they're not always legal in status and they're not always knowledgeable of how to get legal. For example, in South Philadelphia, there's a large and growing Indo-Chinese community that are eligible for asylum. The information available to them on how to get asylum, what papers to file, and the fact that if they do file, they become legal until their asylum issue is resolved one way or the other can bring a lot of these people out from underground. And I don't want to belabor this discussion now, but I'd like to have it at a future date, but I'd like to know the agencies that we 709 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) give grants to, the organizations, if I could get a list of them
And that would indicate to me -- a couple sentences on what they provide to which communities.
And maybe we can put together some type of a meeting that would better funnel and deal with these resources in a way and dealing with some of the more acute problems that we have.
Actually, the State Department of Public Welfare, which is the recipient of other federal refugee resettlement funds, has just granted also a three-month program to the Hebrew immigration folks to support asylee applications, and they have a hotline now, as a matter of fact and a conference coming up. And actually (indiscernible) we have received walk-ins from the population primarily 17th and Morris 'cause the church down there is very active with the folks, and there much more asylees than I would have imagined actually and 710 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) easy to place, actually.
Well, they're an interesting group of people who left under terrible circumstances. Many of them were middle-class merchants and business owners who -- basically, everything was taken from them and they ran for their lives.
And they're beginning to show some gems of coming back in that particular neighborhood, which is very hopeful for South Philadelphia in that west side of Broad Street.
Just as an aside, we had a fellow come in last week, referred to us for employment, and we sent him over for part-time employment to a company locally and in Center City here, and they hired him as a graphic artist, full-time as a graphic artist, and the counselor was stunned when he came back.
If you could get me a list of that information, I'd appreciate it.
Thank you. 711 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Councilman, your time's up. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madam President. Managing Director Richman, I received a letter from -- on behalf of Child Care Matters, and there was money in the budget last year for that group; I believe it was a late additionon to the budget. And we looked and maybe missed it, but it doesn't appear that that organization's covered this year. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We have guaranteed them last year, as we did this year, $150,000 and said that we would again try to up that this year to 300, and I think we're going to make the 300 this year, and our hope next year is to maintain the $150,000 and, again, as we look at grants coming in from the State, is to up it to $300,000.
That's the only question I had for you, other than your office provides a lot of service to my office, and I'm not 712 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) speaking for other members, but I'm sure I could on that point, and very responsive, and I want to thank you for always the good work. Thank you. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Thank you.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown. Is she in the room? Apparently not. The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke.
Thank you, Madam President. Good morning. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Good morning.
Managing Director, about a year ago, I had a meeting in my office with a couple of very high-ranking police officials about some problems in specific areas of my district -- there were shootings and a lot of drug activity that, in my mind, got to epidemic proportions. And during the discussion, one of the concerns raised by those officials was the lack of coordination between the law enforcement arm of 713 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) government and the social service arm of government and. And as I read on , where you talk about the comprehensive and coordinated social services, it doesn't reference the law enforcement aspect of what it is we need to do. You talk about the MOCS, you talk about the Commission of Aging and other agencies, but nowhere does it reference the law enforcement end. And I'm wondering, are we in fact going to have some coordination services with law enforcement? 'cause it's clear that without a follow-up in those communities after law enforcement action, that we're not going to have a long-term solution to those problems. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I've actually had several conversations with Commissioner Johnson at this point, and I believe we're going to be able to develop a very strong relationship in how we integrate the police and law-enforcement activities with Social Services, particularly in and around drug treatment and service. I believe that the Commissioner did a presentation to Council around some of the new 714 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) activities that the police have been involved that directly influence how and what we do in Social Services. We're also working closely with them around issues with the School District and how we come together and have a more unified agenda. While they aren't listed as part of Social Services, these are agencies who have as their primary mission social services. The Police Department obviously has as its primary mission safety and security, but their rollover into Social Services is critical if the City is going to be a safe as well as a healthy place to live. So we're both looking for, as new members, to be able to develop a different level of both leadership and collaboration and cooperation than I think has been our history in the past.
Yeah, 'cause I think it's important that the police are out there on a consistent basis. Sometimes the officers have more knowledge about some of these issues than a Social Services individual or the elected official, frankly speaking. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: In fact, I've 715 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) already asked Commissioner Johnson to come to one of our Behavioral Health sessions and talk about the initiative he's putting in place working around working in the drug and alcohol field with youthful offenders.
Okay. Thanks. Madam Chair, I have another but I'd like to yield 'cause I know Councilwoman Brown had wanted to ask questions for a long time, so I'll yield.
But you could finish and I will recognize her next.
Okay, thank you. I want another question, this is kind of a pet peeve of mine. Throughout my tenure in government, I've had an opportunity to travel to a lot of municipalities, and one of the things that I've noticed, with the exception of New York -- and I hope nobody is in here from New York -- is the cleanliness of various cities throughout our country. And when I come back to the City of Philadelphia I guess pretty much my opinion of our fine city and some of the people in our fine city, 716 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) for lack of a better term, is that we have a whole lot of pigs in this city, right? And as we talk about these issues, the quality-of-life issues and government, it seems that our response is that we ramp up our staffing levels to abate the problem. And I've had discussions with members of the Administration over the last year about a proactive approach, 'cause I, frankly speaking, don't think it's appropriate for us to continue to hire people to clean up vacant lots, to hire people to clean up the streets and essentially clean up behind people that should police themselves. And I guess my question is, what are we going to do from an educational standpoint? I recall as I was growing up as a kid -- and I know it was a lot of years ago -- we actually talked about cleanliness in schools, you know, telling children not to litter, but I don't see that out here in government, I don't see that out here in the schools. Are we going to, like, aggressively have some public service announcements or getting Allen Iverson to shoot a piece of trash in the trash can? I mean, something, you know. 717 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's a good idea, but I do think it's a mentality that we need to model, that the cleanliness of a city belongs to all of us. It's not a program, it's not done by City staff; it's everyone in a community taking some responsibility of making sure that their community is clean. It's that non-profit agency that's sitting on a block that begins to take some of that responsibility. It's the community organizations, it's small groupings. You know, I've been impressed, as you drive around the country, that on most of your major highways now, you see a sign that says "Such-and-such agency is responsible for the past mile in picking up trash," and perhaps we need to come up with a similar program within the City that different agencies, community groups, sometimes you see family structures that are taking responsibility for making sure blocks are clean, or to remind neighbors that it's time to pick up your trash. I'm not sure we ever want to say that government can do it all and government has to 718 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) staff up to take full responsibility for people who are just sometimes very sloppy, and that we may need to do both a communications plan, an education plan, and just a responsibility plan for how we would like to educate the people in Philadelphia to take some pride, some personal pride, in their city, their neighborhood, and their block.
Are we doing anything now? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I don't believe we have an organized format to do that now, but I will try to make sure it gets onto my agenda as part of what the Managing Director's Office does as we look and look at the multitude of both agencies and departments we have and what we can do to do that education piece, because what I hear you saying is that we need to educate both ourselves and the residents of our city, take more pride in where they are.
Right. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: And to be able to motivate both our sports team or known figures or celebrities in the City to help us do this.
All right. You 719 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) know, I bring this up 'cause I recall years ago that we made a decision that we were going to get rid of graffiti, and we've done a good job on that, and I think we need to take the same approach with the cleanliness of our community. So can I be a part of that? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes.
I've really got an issue about folks just throwing trash out of the car. You know, it's ridiculous. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We will certainly take you up on the offer to be a part of this.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. Thank you very much. Good morning. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Good morning.
I wanted to first follow up on questions that were posed initially by 720 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Councilwoman Tasco around the Beacon schools. You spoke to the difference between the Beacon school model and family community centers, and you also indicated that those dollars are currently TANF dollars from the State. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Many of them are TANF dollars.
At what point will they run out, or will they? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I'm not sure that they will or that we're planning for them to do that. In fact, we -- we'll probably be requesting additional TANF dollars this year through the needs-based budgeting process.
Could you speak to the criteria or standards that were used to select the eleven schools at all? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I can certainly get you that, it's all written out. I don't have it with me and I'm not sure I have someone here who can rattle it off of the top of their head. But there were standards, there were selection standards, there were criteria that people had to meet to even submit an RFP. And we 721 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) will get you all of that information.
Do you recall whether or not geography was a factor or a variable or not? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Well, it was -- we tried to look at the areas of the City that had the highest juvenile crime as one of the criteria. We also wanted it to be a citywide initiative, so we also tried to balance the high youth violence rates across the City to be able to get a balance across the City. I believe that all eleven really do cover the City.
Okay, then. Along this notion of preventive activities around youth violence, in your testimony, specifically on where you talk about the criminal justice population management, there's really no discussion of expansion of the Youth Study Center or maybe a new site for the Youth Study Center. And a year ago, there was a lot of dialogue in different quarters about that. Could you update us, please. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The planning for 722 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the Youth Study Center continues. The reason that's not in this testimony is because it's really under the auspices of DHS, and I'm sure Commissioner Martinez will cover it.
Okay, then. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The population management really is a part of the Managing Director's Office directly, and that's where that is. But I know the activity is continuing. We are -- I believe parts of it has been -- we're now looking for a site location and are probably getting closer to making some decisions around that, but --
I'll reserve then and follow up with her. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: It's one of her passions, so I'm sure she'll be very willing to talk about it.
Okay. Additionally, there was questions around the lot program, and in response to one of Councilman Nutter's questions, 10 of the 30 come 723 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) through the -- what's called the "Court Diversion Program." COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
Is there any intent to increase the number of participants that come specifically through that chanel? knowing that, unfortunately, that there are so many young people captured in that system.
It was based out of the Urban Artscape Program, where it's mostly geared towards youth. Now we're liking to expand that to also include adult community service offenders, nonviolent. Each week the number continues to rise. We sent a letter to Municipal Court. Last week, for instance, we had 100 non-violent offenders in a program. When we initially started this, it was about ten per week, so I believe this will be a program that will expand.
And the supervision of those young people happens through your office or through the courts?
The supervision will be through the Managing Director's Office. 724 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Okay. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: There are two programs here, though: One is the Youth Program and the other is the Adult Program.
I'm referring to the Youth Program. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
All right. Councilman Rizzo posed questions around the Health and Safety Fund, the $300,000? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
Do you anticipate a line item at some point in the future? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I'm probably not anticipating a line item. Because it's a Health and Safety Fund, which is a more bricks and mortar- type stuff, there is very little money sometimes to do that.
Okay. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: So we are sort of wiggling our way into that. I have guaranteed them $150,000, with the goal each year of getting up to $300,000. 725 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Okay, then. So that's an increase COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That is correct. So the last fiscal year, we did 150,000. I think this year, we'll be able to do 300,000, and my hope next year is to be able to do 300,000.
Very well. When you look at the need, it seems to be a one-third, one-third, one-third approach. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
And next year, it could conceivably move us towards coverage of all those centers that need that kind of assistance. Finally, last week, the Mayor's Office of Community Services spoke to the breadth of services and programs that they provide. Councilman Ortiz and I had questions or concerns around the impact. Now, you speak to performance-based accountability currently underway in the Managing Director's Office. What we did not hear was what 726 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) is happening in the way of program accountability specifically in the MOCS area. (Witness comes forward.)
My name is Susan Kretsge, I'm Director of Quality Management. We have been working with all of the social-services department and also with the Mayor's Office of Community Service around how they might measure the impact or effectiveness of services. We've set out a broad framework, and each department has, in turn, developed its own plan. MOCS, through the type of funding that it gets, is involved in what's called "result-oriented management accountability." What they have done just over the last month is started training for all of their staff through a provider that the State has designated.
Right. We then will be working with them and bringing them into our reporting system and then working with them on what the information or what the data means. 727 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) What it would do is show you some level of impact. Where you need to go with that then is to figure out why you got the results you did. So working better with one population than another? is there something in the process that isn't working? are you maybe not delivering the service according to the model you thought you were going to use? So they have been involved with us in addition. As we have done general training for different social-service staff, they have been involved with that as well.
Okay, he did mention that there are federal government and where you're receiving State dollars, State regulations, and monitoring guidelines as well. So will that mean overlap, or will that mean coordination with regards to what the City will then do in the area of program accountability?
What we had done across the board is -- we didn't want to go in and say to departments that what you think is important or what your funders have said is important doesn't work for us or doesn't make sence. And probably the lAst thing most departments need is another 728 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) report. So for the most part we have said, If you already have defined outcomes for your services, outcomes that focus on the consumers you're serving, then that is fine for us, and we do this in concert with the Office of Program and Budget Evaluation for their reporting. In addition, some departments have said, We want to go a little bit further on this. And then we would work with them there. They may at times have a certain number of measures or information they report to us, but down at a lower level, a lower program unit level, they may need more information and different kinds of measures. But we have tried vey much to let departments continue to keep information that matters to them, and not say, You have to do something new because we're here now.
Okay, I appreciate that. Let me just check, Madam President. I think that is it. Thank you very, very much, ladies.
Thank you. 729 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam President. Good morning, Estelle. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Good morning.
Good morning, ma'am. I want to begin with where Jimmy was before in terms of the Targeted Assistance Program because it's something that both he and I are both interested in, but I didn't hear about the refugee situation, and the immigrant situation from Central or Latin America. And we have quite a growing population of that -- of those communities and citizens, and it seems to be Eastern Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
We have to follow exactly the federal regulations as to who is legally entered as a refugee and/or now their status of being just a -- as asylum. So the particular populations that you 730 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) mentioned fall outside of our federally allowed --
And asylees. You know, there are some folks that are coming from, for instance, from Colombia that face quite a deal of retribution if they go back to Colombia. I know people recently that have called the office, and I have referred them to different places, whose families in Colombia and other places are facing quite dangerous situations.
We're on the tail-end of the State Department activities; that's the organization that identifies, through their office, you know, the population who is considered an at-risk population.
And is facing quite 731 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) a great deal of problems across the City, and they have established businesses --
-- across the City, and they have faced quite a bit of attacks and other sorts of discriminatory tactics they have suffered.
And they don't have, as Jimmy spoke, they don't have the knowledge of the system, of the police activity that takes place. They have become almost targets in different areas of police in terms of drug deals and so on.
They have become stigmatized in a way, and I just wonder, how can we expand this? because the communities that are growing, the immigrant community that is growing in numbers in this city is Mexican, Dominican, Central American.
And how can we -- 'cause Jimmy has been speaking about the City 732 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) establishing an Office of Immigrant Services. How can we begin expanding this so that we not only take the asylees and we begin structuring an office that really becomes a beacon, to use that word, Estelle. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes.
A beacon to immigrants from all over the place, specifically Latin-Americans so that -- it's an idea that has been floated by Jimmy and this Council, and we held hearings here. And I figure, since we have this, why not expand this?
Well, we were sort of counting on Councilman Kenney, as a matter of fact, because it has all sorts of implications for economic development, and all sorts of things came to mind. And the Federal Office Of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for our funds did, in fact, try four years ago to expand the population to include immigrants, but unfortunately, we have to go back to the federal legislation to --
But I'm talking 733 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) about us, I'm talking about us as a city, not the federal government 'cause if we depend on the federal government to do certain things specifically to this community that we're talking about -- the Latino, Mexican, Central-American, Latin-American community -- we'll wait until the Arctic Circle is totally drilled and covered with oil, which may not be too long, okay?
But how do we as a city -- and Estelle maybe can speak to that. How can we begin attracting and expanding the objectives of this office as to what we have been talking about here at the hearings that we held? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Councilman, perhaps what we should do is use what we have learned from the Targeted Assistance Program to develop some level of plan and beginning some effort of what we might do to the future to address some of these issues brought up by you and Councilman Kenney. From the City perspective, what would it take, what would be the purpose, how would with develop it, and what it would look like? 734 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Like, for instance, you know, one of the things that -- and I was reading an article last night in the Daily News in New York City about the aspect of rebirth of renaissance and the energy that immigrants bring and the renovation to a city. I don't -- do we have a list, for instance, of all of the commercial bodega bodegas that the Dominican community has established across the City? Do we know all of these businesses? And they face certain problems that other small businesses don't face. And in order for us to help them grow, how can we begin -- because they bring the energy of community and business development, okay, into different neighborhoods, and they have settled not just in the traditional Puerto Rican Barrio and neighborhood, but they have settled across the City in terms of establishing their businesses. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right. I'm not aware of whether or not there's such a listing, but I will inquire.
Can the Commerce Department begin, you know, matching a monetary 735 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) investment in terms of economic development for these immigrants that come in and establish businesses? We're talking about growth, we're talking about bringing in people who contribute to the economic and establishment of a new middle class, as we say in the City.
There are organizations within the City and the Dominican Grocers Association and other type of ethnically- based business and civic associations that have those lists, and we'd be happy to provide at least the people that I've come in contact with over the course of the last couple of years who are very interested in not only interfacing with the City, but providing volunteer opportunities from their own organizations to offset any costs that the City's associated with. In addition, a number of foundations in the City that we've met through the grant makers and others indicated a willingness to perhaps match some of the City's investment in this regard if it were to move forward and we were to be serious about it. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Perhaps this is 736 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) a good collaboration between the Managing Director's Office and the Commerce Department to look at these areas to expand on the assistance program and determine how the City --
How do we get this office to become a much more encompassing office and actually expand the vision that it has and really become what I said, a beacon that other individuals will know about and start trying to resettle here in Philadelphia? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I think in part, it's moving it up on the agenda and on the plate become more familiar with both its goals and objectives and to be able to integrate that more fully into the Managing Director's Office
Well, I'd like to begin. I think Jimmy and I would both like to be, you know, very closely involved in whatever develops out of here. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
Because I'd like to begin bringing this together and moving it forward, because it's a community of energy and investment and growth that we need to nurture. 737 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
In terms of the vacant lots, yesterday, we had some testimony and it was sort of confusing. You say that 19,731 lots have been cleaned, and yesterday, there was sort of an ambiguous proposal or not very clear as to what is going to happen once you clean them. (Witness comes forward.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Go on, introduce yourself.
My name is Tumar (ph) Alexander, Assistant Managing Director.
Who maintains them? Are we going to be in the business of going ahead and, like Michael spoke about, mowing lawns and cutting grass? Do we have the personnel to be able to do this?
Well, presently, no, to answer your question, Councilman, we don't have the personnel to presently maintain that number of lots. What we're going to try to do is, with our maintenance plan, and try to incorporate that into the issues. And I guess some of the 738 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) guidelines of NTI is that we're going to try to maintain then in several ways. One is to --
That's not a clear answer. What happens; do you clean them?
We clean 'em, right. Presently, we clean 'em. We have the Mayor's Office of Community Services to come behind us and try to solicit community residents to be community caretakers for certain lots, so that number gets taken off the list of the ones that do sign up and say they want to maintain a lot.
We should have the minutes of yesterday's hearing, because that was not very clear in what was said here yesterday from the Finance Office and the Budget Office. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: For many of these lots that lie in the midst of communities, and all of them don't, I've already had many community groups come into me and say they want to take responsibility, are there small amounts of money they can have to buy grass seed, are there things they can do? So part of it is, as I think Mr. Alexander has said, is that the MOCS workers 739 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that follow behind the crews that do the cleaning out of the debris is to activate that community in taking some personal responsibility for that lot. We're also working with Mural Arts about adjacent properties where they can help. So we are trying to engage as many people as we can to take responsibility for keeping the lot clean. Remember, we have cleaned out all the debris, we have made it basically appropriate now for someone to come in and want to plant grass or want to do something more innovative with that space, and many of the community groups really have stepped to the plate to want to do that. For these large, massive lots that may be suitable for a land bank or as the lots that we're trying to keep clean for NTI, we will share some of that responsibility with them.
So there is not going to be a an RFP given out for a private consultant to come in and do this type of work? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: To do --
The maintenance and the after-cleanup aspects and coordinate that. 740 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) That's the impression I got yesterday. I'm just asking for clarification.
Right now, Councilman, it is one of the options of how we're going to maintain it is through an RFP or a bid process, and we asked contractors to come in and give us a price for the service.
And you have that budgeted? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: It's part of the NTI budget.
So that comes from the bond issues? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
That comes from the bond proceeds? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes.
Okay. In the Community Life Improvement Program, in the broken windows theory, the police played a big role in the quality-of-life issues in different neighborhoods. How does the police work into this? Because I didn't hear it mentioned when the description was coming up, was given. 741 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Basically, the police will play a very active role in this with the Neighborhood Services Unit, which deals with abandoned vehicles, graffiti squads, the Short-Dump Unit for surveillance. We're going to work very closely with them.
And of the 9 persons that are going to be in that CLIP, do you 10 have maybe a description of their functions, of 11 what they're going to be doing, those 20 12 individuals? And how they will be operating? Do 13 you have that in writing? 14
Could you just tell 16 me that you have it and then forward it to the 17 President, and I think that will be appreciated. 18 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: One of the 19 things we'll get to the President is a write-up of 20 the CLIP Program. We're still working on that, but when we finish it, we'll make sure that you have a copy of it.
But we'd like to be very clear if we're going to have 20 individuals 742 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) being transferred from departments to this, to form sort of a task force. What are those employees 4 going to be doing? what are their functions? If it 5 is coordination, do we need 20 people to do 6 coordination? 7 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: No, they won't 8 be doing the coordination. They'll be doing the 9 work, but they won't be transferred; they'll still 10 be the in the Streets Department, still be in L&I, 11 but they may be taking orders from the Managing 12 Director's Office as a piece of this. That's why I 13 said there -- 14
So there will be one 15 coordinator. 16 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's right, 17 one. 18
Okay, coordinating 19 20 people. 20 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
From different departments. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: From different departments.
And assigning work 743 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) schedules to them. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
Plus the work-release people from the judicial process that we have. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct. This is a different model; that's why, again, I want to do it on prototype to see if it works. When you're coordinating people coming out of various different points, that could be a good design or that could be a nightmare; we'll see.
Well, I'll keep my next statement to myself, but I'll go on to the next. In terms of the prisons here, you have the aspects that you will be enlarging and building a new women's facility. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That is correct.
Could you explain that to me, please. And when was the timeline for that? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I believe that at this point, we're still on line for the Women's Detention Center coming up, I believe, in the fall 744 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) of 2003. I would --
How many beds are in there? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: 800. I would recommend you also ask that question of the Prison Commissioner, who's going to come and --
Oh, we will. Commissioner Costello is here, and we will have more questions for him on that. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
And you said expansion of Curran Fromhold? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: An expansion?
Well, let me see what the correct phrasing is here. In terms of Curran Fromhold, renovations, what are the renovations to the House of Corrections at Curran Fromhold that are supposed to be made? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Those are additional adjustments we're making to some of the cells there in terms of trying to get more space and taking rooms that are on some of the blocks now and turning them into cells that have bathrooms to 745 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) make them fully-equipped bedrooms.
So you're taking square footage and building cells. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: It's not building a cell; it's taking a room that was already within that module and putting in a bathroom or other things that would make it a cell.
And that will increase the capacity? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That will increase the capacity.
Councilman, do you mind waiting for the second go-around. We still have other Councilmembers that have not been recognized.
Thank you, Madam President. 746 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Good morning. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Good morning.
I have a couple questions. Some of them are follow-up questions to other questions that have already been asked by Councilmembers. I want to start with -- if -- you said that the TANF dollars are going to fund after- school programs? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes.
Will that then make it -- will there be eligibility requirements based on those programs as to where they are? I mean, who they're going to serve? Will people have been to be low-income, or will these programs be open to everybody? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The programs are open to everyone. TANF is the bulk of the money, but it's not the only funding source in it, so that we haven't been bound just by eligibility requirements; we've been able to blend some of dollars, but they are the bulk.
The largest proportion of the dollars are the TANF dollars through DHS. And 747 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the requirement there is that a family be at 400 percent of the poverty level. So it's not a very restrictive program, so we think that most people who would be applying would be accommodated.
Okay, so that anybody can actually apply for the program irregardless to location because certainly -- will those TANF dollars also fund the Recreation program's after-school activities?
At this point, we're not using the TANF dollars for Recreation programs. There is that possibility, but that isn't in this plan.
Okay. Well, I just wondered because certainly some of the Recreation centers in my district are not in an area that would be low-income, so I wanted to know if they would be impacted by their inability not to receive this funding for after school. So then the funding isn't all TANF, so it should not impact some of the after-school programs that are in different sections of the City. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right. We've 748 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) been able to do a mixture of dollars from different sources so that we haven't run into a problem of anyone who comes in and wants to use a Recreation program or an after-school program would ever have to be turned away because of not low income.
Okay. What is the average dollar-amount of funding per site? 'cause I have a very high interest level. I have a lot of people that are interested in opening up and running after-school programs. Is there a minimum amount of funding per site?
The funding has been on a per-slot basis at about $1500 per slot. And what we expect is that these various providers will utilize a number of different sources of funding, not just the sources that come through this particular City program. For example, the State has a program for low-income residents who can access after- school funding through the State. So what we hope is that this money will serve as a way to expand and allow people to 749 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) develop the programs, but they will use multiple funding sources.
Okay. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We also -- for any program that receives money from the City for after-school programs, we've set some very tight standards that they have to meet so that we are trying to control bothe the quality and the standard and the outcomes that we get from after-school programs. It's not just pouring money into the community and hope it comes out okay. So the standards that we have adopted, we hope, are very clear, and we will only put money into programs who can meet these standards.
Do you have an RFP that you put out, or is there a package that you send out to people that inquire about getting the funding? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes. There was an RFP that went out last summer, late summer, on after-school programs, and there was an RFP on the Beacons that went out, I believe, in the fall. Typically, once we understand all of the pieces on funding, if we do another RFP, it 750 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) will probably be in early summer.
Okay. I want to move on now to the Beacon centers. Now, those centers will not necessarily be in a school. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: All the Beacons, I believe, are in schools or are connected to schools.
Okay. So the actual activities will take place in a school? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That is correct.
All right. So what is the difference between -- well, actually, that's not a good question 'cause I really don't know what teen access centers do, what services teen access centers provide. I'm very clear on what family centers provide so I can see that there will be a difference between a Beacon and a family center. But can you tell me what the teen access centers actually do or where they are located in the City? Or should I save that question for DHS? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: You should save 751 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that question for the Department of Recreation. The two teen access centers are run by the Department or Recreation. I believe they're here tomorrow. There are two -- one we just opened last week -- and they are for and run by teens.
Okay. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: They also have a comprehensive nature in the neighborhood they're in and offer a variety of activities for the young people who come there. But the uniqueness of this one is that it's actually run by the teens themselves, with adult advisors, but the teens take the primary responsibility of making sure that the teen center works.
Okay. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: But I'm sure -- this has been both a vision and a passion of Commissioner Richard, and he would be very glad, I think, to go into the detail and tell you about them.
Okay, very good. And the Beacon centers will not replace anything. Whatever we have, family centers, teen 752 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) access centers, whatever we have will still be there, and the Beacon centers will be in addition. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That is correct.
Okay, good. I'd also be interested in knowing where those eleven centers are located. I just want to talk a little bit about the Anti-Graffiti Program here in the City and tie it into CLIP and also just code enforcement around quality-of-life issues particularly regarding trash and cutting of weeds and all of these things 'cause the cleanliness of our neighborhoods is really a pet peeve of mine too, and I'd also like to be included in whatever anti-trash or cleanup campaign activities that you decide to put together, because it's not just needed in neighborhoods, but it's also needed along business strips and a lot of large transportation hubs like Broad and Erie that's always full of trash. I'm interested in just seeing how code enforcement will change, particularly whether people comply because they're threatened with a lien on their property. Because right now, it just doesn't seem that too much works. 753 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) I know that you're out in neighborhoods doing sweep and you're giving people tickets now or citations for putting trash out incorrectly and all of those others. We'd like to at some point get a result; I would like to hear what has been the result of the increased citation, increased enforcement. In my district, we have a lot of problems with people putting trash cans out front rather than in side yard or the backyard and just keeping them there all the time, and we also have problems with people barbecuing on their porches, which we've worked with the Fire Department on that issue, but we get a lot of calls from a lot of neighbors that are frightened that this barbecue grilling on porches can start fires. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: One of the things that we're doing and one of the reasons that we're trying to coordinate this is that certain departments can write tickets. The Police Department --
The Streets Department. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The Streets Department can write a ticket the Streets 754 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Department can write a ticket, but only L&I can place a lien on a property. So we're trying to get all of this coordinated that once we write a ticket, if people don't comply, then we can put a lien on the property. We're continuing to work with law -- I should have said from the beginning, all of this is working with law around where the scope of how do we begin to get this all working together in a coordinated way. Understanding your comments about people doing barbecuing on their porches and not fully understanding the fire dangers, we will certainly work with the Fire Department around helping educate people around the potential danger of wood structures and fires.
Right, you're not supposed to barbecue on your porch; you're supposed to do it in your backyard or your side yard or whatever, and it's really frightening people. I was hoping that we were more or less winning the war on graffiti, because certainly when you ride around the neighborhoods, the physical 755 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) appearance of the neighborhoods have changed and you don't see it -- at least I don't see a lot of graffiti. So I thought we were doing a lot around prevention, but it sounds like we're winning the war because we're just cleaning more buildings. Is that true, or is there a prevention strategy at all?
Well, basically, we have several programs in the Anti-Graffiti Network. One is the Paint Voucher Program where we provide free paint and supplies to community groups, active organizations in the neighborhoods, Town Watch Groups and so on and so forth. The graffiti abatement teams are the ones that roughly will do 70,000 properties this year on graffiti removal. The Police Department's Neighborhood Services Unit will be working closely with the graffiti abatement teams to apprehend very active graffiti vandals in the communities. So it's a coordinated approach with all of the different agencies in the City, which has really made a difference and why we've come so far on the graffiti battle.
I just want to 756 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) piggyback on Councilman Clarke's comments earlier, that I think we just have to do more public education in school or whatever it is, you know, so that we can work with young children that grow up to take more pride in their neighborhood and we can deal more effectively with issues such as trash and graffiti. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Councilwoman, we will certainly include you the planning we're going to be doing with Councilman Clarke to look at this. And one of the entities that I think we probably will try to use as much as we can is the Urban Artscape Program, which is youth and begin to maybe help them become more ambassadors to their communities around the importance of taking pride in the community and not tolerating trash, and taking a zero-tolerance attitude towards trash, as we've done with graffiti in our communities. But to be able to use a youth group that has already made this an agenda item for themselves and their adult mentors and plus be getting in dialogue with you and Councilman Clarke. I think we can begin to get this kind of communication and education program off the ground. 757 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Do we actively recruit junior block captains? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The Streets Department does.
I just wondered. I mean, when we go out on our blight tours -- you know, you've been there, so you know that many times young children follow you from block to block, and I know we've been asking them if they want to become a junior block captain, and they all seem very interested; no one has said no, they've all said yes. I think that's a good place to start, with our younger citizens. I wanted to talk a little bit -- I didn't hear all of Tumar's answers regarding the the caretakers, the lot caretakers. Are we giving them equipment, Tumar, so that they're able to become a caretaker?
Yes, yes, we are, Councilwoman. They can get equipment through our 758 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Community Partnership Program, which runs out of our anti-graffiti warehouse, where they can come in and borrow equipment and have access to paint and paint vouchers also.
Mm-hmm. I was just wondering, because I know of someone that signed up to be a caretaker, and you let them use lawn mowers and things like that?
Yeah, on a specific basis where we can have -- if there's equipment that we can provide supervision for, we do it through L&I. They have a partnership program where they'll actually bring the people out with the equipment to the people, so they will supervise 'em why they're using it.
Right. We partner with L&I on that -- with lots of projects in my district. I was thinking more of community tool, library, or lending center, because they have -- and maybe partnering with a neighborhood nonprofit or church where people could go and pick up a lawn mower if they needed one.
Yes, Councilwoman. The 759 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) first thing (indiscernible) gave you is that our anti-graffiti warehouse is where they could also get that kind of equipment.
Okay, where are they anyway, the anti-graffiti warehouse?
Yeah, we actually -- we actually have a voucher and we can provide the Council President with some to distribute to the members. We actually have an application they can fill out and send back to us, and we send them a verification telling them where they can pick the equipment up and a contact person for it.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo for a point of order.
Madam President, point of order. Since I'm on the same wave length with Councilwoman Miller, I thought it would be 760 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) appropriate maybe to include it in the debate right now. Managing Director Richman, in reference to the sweep officers, I have received letters and calls, especially from Center City residents, and it was a bit cute and funny the way the one constituent said they got a ticket for their trash not being put out properly, and a constituent said, should he bring out his chair and sit there with it after he puts it out because there are dogs, there are people that rummage through the trash that create the situation. So, you know, sarcastically, the communication was to me was, Should I sit out there and babysit the trash until they come and pick it up? And after I laughed a bit about it, I realized that the person had a point: Once you put the trash out, it's basically out of your control, and for this one particular constituent to get four or five tickets because there was a gentleman that patroled that neighborhood, that went through everything and didn't put it back. I visited a community in the summer that has a requirement, and I know we've discussed 761 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) it and I know that it's possibly a labor management issue, but we ought to have in this city a rigid container law, where trash, when it's to be put out, it's not to be thrown out in a plastic bag. Even that thing that they show on television doesn't work. In my opinion, we should make sure that the trash gets put out in a container, because in my opinion, when I drive through, especially Center City, the streets are dirtier after trash collection than before. And I know that you have to send the army out there with the sweepers and everything to work behind the collection process, but what is our resistance here? We gave people initially a recycling container. Why can't we require people -- and again, this vacation place that I visit in the summer, you wouldn't dare put your trash out, because they have another problem; they have seagulls and other animals. But we have the same situation here, and I think that we should have a rigid container law in the City of Philadelphia where at least -- I know you experimented with that big bucket up in 762 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Roxborough where the truck with the arm picked it up, and that in itself, I think, was a help. But just for people from the third-story window to throw trash bag out at the curb, it just doesn't cut it. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I certainly understand the issue, Councilman Rizzo, having lived in Center City for many years. I also received a ticket once, where you put your trash out and a variety of people can come through and sort through it. I will work with the Streets Department around investigating this issue and get back to you and look at how we might begin to resolve some of these issues you've just brought up.
And I also think that -- you know, when I grew up, the emphasis on "don't be a litter bug" was important. And when I I come to work in the morning and I'm trying to time it right, someone stops at a fast-food restaurant, and at the same point every day -- I won't name the name of the fat-food restaurant -- there's a coffee cup spinning around in the operating lane, and about another hundred yards 763 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) behind that is the trash bag. I know the Police Department is very busy, but I think this city needs a campaign. I was behind another motorist where the person was a smoker, stopped at this red light, and emptied the ashtray -- opened the door and actually just emptied the ashtray into the street. I don't know whether they're just not aware that that is something you shouldn't do, or the Police Department, I would hope -- I'm hoping to time it right some morning when I see the cup go out the window so I can get the license number and call the district and see if they can do something about it. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Certainly these are concerns, but these are really concerns where I do believe a campaign against littering and a campaign for personal responsibility have to be in effect. We certainly want to focus -- we don't want our police just focusing on litter unless it happens in front of them. But we really want people to take more pride in their own behavior and more pride in their city than to use the City for their trash. And certainly I will include you in 764 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) discussions with Councilman Clarke and Councilwoman Reed Miller.
And, you know, you see these things every day. Again, another example, a person -- a piece of tissue, blew their nose, and I watched them put down the window and just throw it right out. You want to just pull up alongside and say something but, you know, that's not appropriate to do -- I guess it's not. But it just amazes me when we're looking at our city and comparing it with others. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I think Councilman Clarke had it right: We have some very sloppy people that we need to find ways, creative ways, to get them to understand that we will not continue to tolerate the level of uncleanliness that they bring.
What about the rigid container? You may have addressed that and I missed it. What about the rigid container? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I'll work with the Streets Department in looking at the issues surrounding that and get back to you.
Great, thank you. 765 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Councilman Cohen, do you still want to be recognized.
Madam President, can I make a comment around that issue?
I wanted to remind you that Councilwoman Miller and I took a junket last summer to Spain and Paris, and one of the issues was -- ane I'm sure the Commissioner will talk about that -- was looking at the use of containers for trash citywide, because it is his passion to deal with the trash. And in both cities, those containers are used throughout the city for apartment dwellers as well as in the communities where -- and so we talked about some of the problems associated with it. I mean, it is a program that could happen, but part of it is the acceptance of the people in Philadelphia of having trash containers, particularly people who live in Center City, people who live in rowhouses who don't have backyards whose trash is not collected in the back. 766 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) So all those issues have been -- and we went round and round with that, but there are other ideas that we saw that could be incorporated in the City to handle that.
Oh, it was a junket, I ran it as a junket, and I spent all of my time shopping.
Thank you, Madam President. Madam Director, I'm going to change the subject entirely -- COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Thank you.
First, what is the responsibility, as the City administration understands it, of the City for the health of City workers? We get continuing complaints, particularly from the -- in mass numbers from the Fire Department and the Police Department and then individual complaints from other departments, but those two obviously have the greatest number of 767 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) injuried-on-duty cases. What's the responsibility of injuried- on-duty health problems? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The City on -- of its own personnel tries to -- we have an employee medical service located at 19th and Fairmount where City employees can use that center and that we do rule on whether people are ready to go back to work
Is that something with initial like CIS or SCI? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The Medical Examination Unit is MEU.
We continue to receive, as recently as yesterday, from the Police Department severe complaints that injured-on-duty police officers do not get adequate health care and that they, in fact, often don't have their injured-on-duty bills paid, adversely affecting their credit status. Is there any discussion ongoing between the labor organizations that represent police and fire employees and the City Administration? What is the situation? Why do we keep getting these 768 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) complaints? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Councilman Cohen, let me correct myself. There is a CIS Unit and Jim Coleman -- my learning curve is still learning. Jim Coleman of my office will answer your questions. (Mr. Coleman comes forward.)
Good morning, Madam President and members of Council. I'm James Coleman, Deputy Managing Director. With regard to problems with the -- with those City employees who are injured on duty, they're handled by the a contractor who's contracted to Risk Management and to handle their medical problems while their out on sick leave or on injury time. The question of not paying --
Do the employees pick the medical service that treats them?
The employees, if they choose to remain in the City system, then they follow the procedures of Risk Management and CSI.
I'm sorry, I did not understand what you said. 769 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
When someone is injured, when an employee is injured, they must treat within the City's system for some period of time, and I'm not too sure what that is right -- lately because there's been some changes recently in the State regulations. However, when someone is injured, there's a choice at some point, 30 days or 60 days, I'm not sure when, where they may opt to go and be treated by their own physician. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Councilman Cohen, this is an issue dealt that's being dealt with by the Office of Labor Relations and by the Law Department with Risk Management. And I would prefer getting you information back on that rather than continuing in an area that I'm not well-versed in.
Well, I would agree with you, and I would hope that your intervention would begin changing the situation from a Risk Management kind of problem to a health kind of problem, because it seems to me that members of the Police and Fire Department, all of them have to be City residents and about whose health just as 770 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) residents we're concerned with. We have a double responsibility to them if they're injured in the course of protecting our citizenry. And I'm concerned that instead of being interested in their health matters, what we're trying to do is treat them in the least expensive way; and, therefore, I would be very pleased to accept your suggestion that your office will go into it, that you'll become familiar with it. It's been a dragging question. The Law and Government Committee of City Council held hearings over the last year and a half, nearly two years. The problem is recurring. And as recently as yesterday, from the FOP, the Fraternal Order of Police, Councilmembers got letters depicting the situation with this CIS Group and otherwise as being very unsatisfactory, as needing correction. And we would like to see that corrected because we do owe a duty to these employees who we hire as City residents and who serve the other City residents to protect us from all kinds of problems where there's frequently a likelihood of injury to their health, and they've willingly undertaken that duty, and I think we owe them the consideration of 771 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) their health first. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Councilman Cohen, I certainly will take an interest in this and work with Labor Relations as well as the Law Department around understanding -- having more understanding of this area.
All right, thank you. Then I'll leave it at this point in your hands. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
Secondly, what is the relationship of our -- of the City of Philadelphia with the hospitals in general? Do we have any relationship, or is it the State and the federal government that deal with them? I know we have a relationship with them in that they get very low rates, maybe no rates at all, for water, because whenever I visit a hospital, or unfortunately attend it as a patient, I find dripping faucets that nobody worries about, which makes me convinced that they probably don't pay much in water bills, but they ought to be watching dripping faucets like we educate most homeowners to do. 772 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The Department of Public health does have contracts with several of the hospitals to -- that they either hire doctors through or they send district health patients to to follow up. There is a small amount of money that is used for that purpose. the primary dollars supporting hospitals either come from your commercial insurers, like Independence Blue Cross or from the State or the HMOs or the managed-care entities that have contracts with the hospitals. The City is still interested in what the hospitals do and how they do it, because it does affect the health and welfare of people who are living in the City. Also, many of the departments within Social Services have contracts with the hospitals for a variety of different special projects that they're working with, and I would suggest that you pose that question to the Department of Public Health and the Department of Human Services when they testify if you would like more in-depth information on the nature of their contacts with any hospital. 773 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Well, may I request of you -- it sounds like a good suggestion -- to request those departments be ready with a list of all the contacts they have. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes, I will.
The kind of contacts they have. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes.
And which hospitals they have those contacts with. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: (Nods head.)
And, lastly, I was unable to be here yesterday when the question of advertising came on. I hope that matter will be treated by the City as a health matter and not just as a revenue matter. I understand both the Procurement Department and the Finance Department testified. I think that kind of advertising that I understand was discussed in having our City vehicles and our City buildings plastered with, I guess, "Drink Coor's Beer" or whatever company or Miller's Lite or Budweiser, and other kinds of advertising is a real blight. And I don't think that there can be 774 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) such a thing as a significant anti-blight program when the City produces blight in the way in which it does today in which it has unfettered, unlimited thousands of billboards that are not licensed in the City, that violate blatantly the laws, don't pay the fees for them, put them in places where they violate the law, and I don't think that situation will be helped by adding further blight by compelling people all over the City to seek constant signs in which the City stands as a guarantor of certain kinds of services. And I'm not limiting it to liquor and tobacco; I think any kind of advertising by the City on City property is completely inappropriate and puts the City in the position of seemingly to guarantee the quality of the service to be rendered or the quality of the product to be purchased. And further, I think it increases blight terribly. People are assaulted already too much by advertisers. So I suggest in your role as Managing Director that you introduce a health and environmental aspect to the consideration of the advertising proposal presented by the Procurement 775 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Director and the Finance Director yesterday. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I certainly will remember that, Councilman Cohen, but I'm not sure we're doing anything proactive at this point on advertising. So, yes, I do hear your concern and will --
All right. I don't want us referred to as "Nike City Hall," which I heard on the radio this morning. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We will not have a (indiscernible) on City Hall.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. Madam Managing Director, we are really excited about the Community Life Improvement Program. Now, do we contact -- how will it work? Do we contact you about how we see it functioning in a residential or a commercial corridor? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes. When we are ready to do so more with this program. Contacting me would be appropriate. In the meantime, if you have any other comments or 776 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) concerns about this program, I would be the direct contact for it.
All right. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We are going to work this program for several months to see whether or not it's an effective way of coordinating services.
I think it has all kinds of possibilities and fits real well into NTI and really be an invaluable tool. The other thing I wanted to do is mention two groups. We love our Town Watch, and I always like to say that for all the people out there who work so hard at it, they do a great job. And also the Mural Arts. I hope that we'll be able to do a little more to enhance and increase them. There are so many possibilities for them as well. There is almost nothing that the Mural Program can't do through being involved with putting chips down to all the work that they do to the pilot programs they do and linking seniors and youth programs and the areas they choose to working with the students, which you know that they do in working with schools and training kids. And they 777 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) are just invaluable. And I hope that we will expand Jane Golden's salary and their budget a little this year. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Hopefully, if you have an opportunity to talk with Jane, who was here, I am sure she has the information now. Jane is just coming back after some leave, that the adjustments to her salary have been made, and that as always, we hope to continue to support this program. In the past years, we've been able to do significant increases on it, and we would hope to continue that pattern into the future.
Absolutely. Thank you Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. We're going to start our second go-around. However, I would like to remind my colleagues that we do have the Police and Fire Commissioners that have been sitting here waiting. So if you could make your questions as concise as possible, I think they would really appreciate it. The Chair at this time recognizes 778 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a couple questions. First, Mr. Conway, is it my understanding that in response to the concern raised by Councilwoman Miller that you guys are also going to pick up some of those George Foreman Grills and start issuing them to people so they can start barbecuing on their porches? (Laughter.)
Madam Managing Director and Mr. Conway, you made reference earlier with regard to the Street Tree Program, and somehow, you ended up talking specifically about the stump grinder crew. As you could imagine, I've had the occasion to have a few trees taken down, given the nature of the district that I represent. And you talked about how one crew takes a tree down, a separate crew comes back and does the stump. This seems to be somewhat almost akin to some of our demolition activities, where one group of people tear the building down and then someone else comes and does the stucco work for the remaining wall or 779 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) walls on either side of the property. We're very familiar with the first part of the process; sometimes the second part doesn't seem to get done. How do we ensure that the other crew comes to take care of the stump work, and that that in and of itself doesn't become a problem out in the neighborhood? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The coordination is done by Fairmount Park, and we will be providing some oversight to that to see, but I will need to find out how much time normally falls between removing a tree and removing a stump, how that is handled, and how we make sure that they are as close in time as possible so a stump isn't forgotten, but I will take the responsiblity of talking to Fairmount Park about this issue and getting a feel for how well timed it is and planned it is.
Well, that actually leads into the next question because on , where you talk about the Street Tree Removal Program, you know that we started that back a couple years ago, bringing that particular service back to citizens. It had been started with a 780 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) $1 million funding a number of years ago. It has not been crystal-clear, at least through the budget process, from last year when it was announced that we were putting -- I think it was $3 million out of the $10 million that was basically going to jump-start a bunch of NTI-related programs as well as the Street Tree Program. At that time, I know Managing Director Joe Martz said that street tree removal was basically going to be in the Managing Director's Office, although I know that calls continue to be made to Fairmount Park. Can you give us a little better sense of the jurisdictional issues? I mean, whose responsibility is this? Is it somewhere in the Managing Director's Office? is it over in Fairmount Park? And then I actually don't understand why we make the separation between the people who take the tree down and the people who do the stump. I mean, if you're taking the tree down, it seems to me that you do want to go down to street level. So is there any circumstance under which you would 781 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) only take the tree down to two feet and leave it? Otherwise -- I mean, just do the job. I mean, why isn't the stump machine, or whatever it is, a part of the crew that's dealing with the trees? Then you don't have to worry about coming back. Take it down to the ground, it's over with, and then move on to the next job.
Well, I believe that has to do with the machinery. For instance, the tree-trimming crew probably consists of four people, and their job is to take the limbs off the tree and take the tree down down as far as they can, usually around feet, I believe. The stump 15 grinders --
Approximately 15 feet, I'm not sure about that -- for the tree, to remove off the top of the tree.
And basically, that's a different crew that does that, a different type of machinery. They -- for instance, they use a bucket truck to get up to the top of the tree. A stump-grinding crew has a different 782 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) piece of machinery that has to be hooked on the back of the truck, which is a totally different outfit -- not an outfit, but their job is to use that type of equipment. So they're trained specifically --
I understand. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Councilman Nutter, my understanding is that there are two different contracts. The Managing Director's Office holds the contract and the money; the coordination is done through Fairmount Park. Let me find out one why there are two different contracts, how the jobs differ, and why it was put together in the way it was rather than trying to put that together within the hearing.
I understand. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: But there are two different contracts: one to handle the tree trimming and the cutting down of the tree and another one to handle the stump removal. Let me find out why that exists, how do we choose those contracts, and how we have chosen to do it in the way we do. But the contracts do lie in the 783 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Managing Director's Office, while much of that coordination and work is actually done through Fairmount Park.
I know we're talking about dangerous street trees. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That is correct.
In my area, in the alleyway, a weed can start and it actually grows into a very, very large size trees. Are we going to be removing the trees in the alleyways too under NTI? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I don't know; I will find out.
Because they do cause a nuisance to many of the property owners. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I will get you an answer, Councilwoman.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just for the record, so you know, when 784 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Madam Managing Director, when that question was asked last year, the answer was yes, specifically with regard to trees in the alleys. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: In the alleys?
Yes. Let me just -- you're going to do your reasearch, and I deeply appreciate that. Let me, though, at least put on the record, I mean, the fairly obvious circumstance that happens. You take the top part of the tree off. You're only taking the tree down because the tree is deemed to be dead and dangerous. What often happens is, the top part comes off. If Mr. Conway is correct that you're leaving upwards of 15 feet now of trunk, which, in many instances, has either become hollowed out, is diseased, or generally in a weakened state. If you don't get a relatively quick response or a return rate on your stump-grinding people, I mean, we are now consciously leaving out on the footway a dangerous entity, which just sits there. And we now know it to be a dangerous thing, and if it falls, I mean, there is no question of what happens in that particular situation when 785 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) you've got a 15-foot high tree trunk with nothing else attached to it. I mean, you know, when it was in full bloom, I mean, maybe it's an even more dangerous situation but, you know, the possibility that it could, you know, either end up on wires or on another pole or something like that to brace it, now when it's below, it's just there, subject to, you know, either people jumping on it, cars running into it, trucks hit them, it's going. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I will get back to you on this issue, Councilman.
I appreciate it. With regard to the lots, one of my staff members had occasion to -- and maybe some of this is just system change that many of us have to get used to. In the past, as you well know, when you needed a vacant lot cleaned, you call L&I and they would try to deal with it. The response the other day was from L&I, "We don't deal with vacant lots; you need to call the NTI intake number." Can you tell us, if you have a vacant lot somewhere, who should we call? Whose 786 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) responsibility is it? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: If you have a vacant lot that you believe needs to be cleaned, and we haven't gotten to it yet?
Call your office, okay. Can you tell me fairly briefly what's going on? And, again, I did not see it in the budget book under the Managing Director's Office; maybe it's somewhere else. The Mayor's Office of Faith-Based initiatives, what exactly do they do? how many people work there? And I seem to recall that they had a truancy program that they were going to be running a couple years ago. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes. The Mayor's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives reports to the Mayor's Office but actually is considered part of the Social Services Unit. The director of that office is Nick Talafarro (ph), and he's been working for the past year, probably a little over a 787 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) year, with the faith-based community on many social services issues. One of those issues is the Student Assistance Program, which continues to work within the area to help -- and they're working in collaboration with DHS around what I've basically called "attendance truancy issues." DHS is probably more on the truancy end in looking at youngsters and students who have missed more than ten days of unexcused absences, and the attendance initiative is trying to get children sort of on the other end that are missing days in school. And what Nick is doing at this point is trying to work with many of the faith-based organizations in collaboration with Former Mayor Reverend Goode to address these issues.
What's the budget for that office? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: It is a part of the Administrative Division of the Managing Director's Mayor's Office, and we've been able to support them with a variety of ways through the units within Social Services to add help, which means both DHS, the Health Department, and the 788 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Behavior Health System have been supportive to them as they begin to do more reachout. We are at this point preparing a major proposal to go to the federal government to look for dollars from their faith-based initiative to help support this.
Okay. And are there staff? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I believe there are -- in addition to Nick, I believe there are two other staff.
Okay. Madam President, I believe I'm done. I was looking for a note that I had made to myself in this massive book here, but I have lost my place. So I shall return.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Down in the criminal justice population management, you said that with the cooperation of the First Judicial District, new alternative procedures have been established. Can you go into 789 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that, explain that, and what has been the impact of those procedures on the number of population, prison population? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I will ask Diane Granlund, the population management guru.
The population management...? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Guru. (Witness comes forward.)
Good afternoon, Madam President. Diane Granlund, Deputy Managing Director for Criminal Justice Population Management We have developed a number of early parole programs in particular that are particularly successful with the drug and alcohol population that's incarcerated. The primary program is called the "Forensic Intensive Recovery Program." It's an early-parole program to a number of different levels of care for different periods of time. Depending upon the severity of the addiction and the other issues that are involved with the individual. These programs are under the management of the Coordinating Office of Drug and Alcohol 790 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Program, which a part of the Department of Public Health.
How does it work. An individual gets sentenced to the county jail by a judge of local jurisdiction. At approximately half of his minimum sentence, the Public Defender will look at the client to determine the needs of that individual. He will ask that he or she be evaluated.
Does the crime just have to be drug-related or what type?
No, it's any non-violent crime, whether it's a felony or misdemeanor, but we, of course, look at drug-related crimes, obviously. This person is evaluated clinically for a level of care. A recommendation is made to the sentencing judge. The District Attorney has an opportunity to review that recommendation and to object if she desires. And the judge at that point is free to make a decision as to whether he or she will parole that individual.
How long has the 791 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) program been in place and how many prisoners have been impacted? What is the number of individuals that are now in treatment?
The program has been in place since 1993, November of 1993. During the course of any given year, the --
Oh, no, sir. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: No, it's been a long-standing program.
During the course of any given year, the program will take roughly, I believe 1400 or 1500 inmates out of jail and put them into treatment.
I can get the number. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The Number per year?
That prisoners that have been deviated from prison to -- COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We can get you 792 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that number, but Diane's right, it's probably about 1400 a year that come through these programs.
The treatment facilities are located across the City as well as outside of the City.
I could actually have that information for you by this afternoon when I come back for the Prisons testimony.
Are these private contracts or City-managed places? Is it through the health centers or is it private contracting out? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: These are private nonprofits that are contracted somewhere within the Behavioral Health System. They either have contracts with the Office of Mental Health, the Coordinating Office of Drug and Alcohol programs, or with CBH, and they may have programs 793 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) with any one of those. The standards to get into those programs are pretty high. People have to be credentialed, and they're on a fairly tight reporting-back system so that we can track both recidivism and effectiveness of programs.
Do we have the evaluations and the effectiveness of these different contracts that we have given out; do you have that?
We have two studies. The most recent study is a study of the individuals who have been through the program and have been out of the program for four years. We followed them for four years to see what the recidivism rate was. We can provide that to Council.
I'd like to see that, do you mind, through the office of the President, please. Thank you. Managing Director, in terms of the Beacon Programs, how many children do we have in after-school programs today? I don't think we got that on the record yet. 794 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Let me get back. I can give you a guess, but I would like to be more accurate on that. It should be approaching 10,000
I'd like to see it by locality. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
I'd like to see where it is that we have the overall programs located and where -- what neighborhoods are being afforded the services. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We can break that down. The Beacons haven't started yet; we're just funding those. We can tell you what their capacity will be when they are fully operational, the other after-school programs that have been funded the last year, and those that were funded this year. We can tell you where they are, what their capacity is, how many children are in those. But we have all of that data. And, again, we have matched that data to high-crime areas.
So we have 10,000 right now within the programs as -- 795 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Maybe not quite 10,000. That may be with the Beacons coming up.
With the Beacons, it will bring us up to 10,000? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
And the Beacons are new programs? 9 COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: There are 10 new 10 programs. Congreso got funded further with this 11 grant, and they had the only Beacon prior to this one.
Is the Beacon Program different from the other programs that we have across the City? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes, they are.
What are the differencens between the two of them? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The biggest difference is probably that beacons operate on weekends and in evenings. And they're meant to be more comprehensive than your basic three-hour after-school program that runs from to or from 3 to 6.
And what is the 796 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) staffing in the after-school program that we have currently, and what will be the staffing in the Beacon Program? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I will be happy to give you a copy of our standards that cover both of those programs. That's written out in quite a bit of detail, and we can have that over to you very quickly.
And overall in different parts of City, we have different populations. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
So how are we dealing with, for example, the different languagess needs that we have in different areas? Like in the Barrio, we have Spanish. I imagine Congreso has a program, but that would be limited to a small sector of the City. The South Vietnamese and Cambodians have other needs. How are we doing in terms of the ability to be able to community and structure after-school programs in the different languagess that we have across the City? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I will make sure 797 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that's addressed in the information that we're going to give you, but we've tried to be very conscious of diversity. As we have put out these RFPs, we've tried to make them possible for children with special heath-care needs to be in after-school programs, children with behavior needs, children with mental retardation, regular children that may be diverse in terms of physical disabilities and languare diversity, so --
I'd like to see that, a description of how that works and maybe a list of individuals in these programs. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: By name or by some other type?
Well, you know, if you can give it to us by name, you know, that would be appreciated, but I'd like to see a breakdown in terms of ethnic and women, nationalities, and so on. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Let me get you the basic description, the names of the program, and the capacity, because that is information we have on hand -- the names and the identities of the individuals that work in the program. We'll 798 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) probably have to go back to the program to get that and it could take a little bit longer.
We have time. We don't need to approve this until May 30th. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I'll let you have it before then.
The Beacon 9 Programs, what is the capacity of each one of them? 10 I don't think we heard that yet. What will be the 11 capacity of each one of them, and when will they go into effect? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I'm not sure I know that off the top of my head, but I believe that we made decisions on which programs would be in late January, and most of them should be geared up to begin operation beginning near the 1st of March.
You said Congreso has one, right? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes. They had the original one.
The original one, and I'd like to know what other parts of the City they are located in. 799 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay. That's all part of the information that's already been written up.
What are the ages of the youngsters that will attend the Beacon facilities? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: The RFPs were written so that people could respond either for elementary schools, middle high schools, or senior high schools. So the programs will differ in their age groups, depending on the grouping they were referred to. We were definitely looking for a couple of the programs to be high school-aged kids and to be the older grouping, as many of the after-school programs seem to focus on that younger group of elementary and middle school, but that information will be part of it. Again, that was all a part of the original request for proposal. So it's information that is readily available.
And they'll be located within the school? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: They will. 800 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) They're all connected to school. There is an agency and a school that have been tied together.
But if I have my kid in the program, do I send them to Edison High or do I send him to Congreso? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: It depends on where you live. In other words, while they're tied to the school, that's where the program is physically located. It didn't say that your child has to be enrolled in that school.
No, I'm not saying enrollment; I'm saying where is the program? My two kids are in an after-school programs, and they get out of school and they go downstairs and have an after-school program. Where are the programs going to be located in the eleven schools across the City? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Again, when we fund them, we funded a partnership between a school and a program. So Congreso is working with a specific school when they did their proposal, and we chose that dyad. There were a couple of occasions where we questioned the dyad and then we went back and 801 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) may have negotiated something different.
Will we be paying rent to the school? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's still under discussion.
Because this program was envisioned before the takeover, correct? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: That's correct.
So has there been conversations about this program with the new board that is in place? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We have done a preliminary discussion with staff within the School Reform Commission, explaining to them what a Beacon is and how the Beacon works within the School District, and we will be continuing those discussions.
Will this be all a part of the agreement that is being drafted -- sorry. No, we haven't seen it. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Right.
Excuse me. Rather than belabor this issue, I'd appreciate it if you would send us any and all information on 802 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) this program, please. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: We will.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
I have two brief questions I want to come back to, but I want you to know I'm for barbecuing on the back porch. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I think Councilman Nutter wanted to make sure that we got you the Foreman Grills.
Right. The question I wanted to ask you about this information required for program is an after-school program. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Okay.
And I did hear Councilwoman Reynolds talk about a program that was tied to TANF. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Some of the money that supports the after-school programs are TANF dollars. 803 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
All right. So, therefore I understand that the health partner is the managing fiscal piece for this? We'll straighten that out, we won't belabor that here. We'll come back to that. The only other question I have -- oh, and we'll ask the Streets Commissioner this too, but I want you to know that I've had two complaints from people in the 50th Ward that they have received citations for not recycling. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I will investigate that.
One being my State rep. So they asked me to -- I've had two people tell me that. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I will inquire and get you some information on the recycling rules.
Okay. And the only other question I wanted to ask is, are we removing tree stumps? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes.
We just started that? Is that only for dead trees or all trees? 804 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: I think for any tree we remove, we've been contracting with a stump removal company to remove the stump.
That just started just began? COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Yes.
That hasn't always been the case, at least I've been the told.
The stump removal is street trees. We want to do it in the back of the yard or something like that most of the time.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to go back to one of questions that made me think of this because when I met with 805 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the NTI folks, one of my staff was visiting another city and observed something that he thought was a very good idea, and so did did the people of the NTI Program, but I want to reassure myself that this is something that's going to be considered. When we clean a lot, they noticed that in the other cities that they put a vapor barrier down after they clean the lot and actually put stones over it. The reason for that is that that polyethylene sheeting prevents the growth of vegetation shortly after you clean the lot. And they spoke to some of the folks -- I think it was Chicago -- and they said it was very, very effective. They clean the lot, they put the barrier down, and they actually just put stone, crushed stone, into that lot. It obviously was more of an expense. But obviously, you can't deter trash dumping. But what it did prevent, it prevented that immediate grow-back of weeds and other type of vegetation. So I'm hoping that when we develop the way, if we haven't already, that if that thought wasn't included in the proposal, that it be given some serious consideration, because it would be a 806 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) shame to go clean these lots and halfway through the summer, they're totally grown back over, which they would be.
We have experimented with that with actually woodchips from Fairmount Park 'cause they're free. We put the tarp down first, put the wood chips on top of that, and it actually does deter dumping on the ground because it seems like the community cares, and it's a more proactive approach to keeping an area clean. We actually use the Community Service Offenders also to dump the wood chips down there, so it's not very -- it's very cost-effective for the City.
Well, you know, whether it's wood chips or -- I thought that there was some EPA hesitation on using wood chips for ground covers. I'm not sure of the regulation, but I knew that there was something that discouraged the use of wood chips for -- I can't imagine why, but there is some rationale of the reason that they don't want to do that. But if we don't do something, all your effort, they'll just be grown back over within a 807 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) few months.
Another alternative is also working with PHS, which is a horticulture society, and putting trees around the barriers of these vacant lot would deter short-dumping and it's not as ugly as the jersey barriers as well.
Great. I just wanted to make sure that -- sometimes one of our problems in government is that we talk about a lot of things, and a lot of those things are -- you know, people nod their heads and there's no follow up on it. So hopefully there will be some follow-up on it. You know, if it's a good idea or a bad idea, at least I'd like somebody to tell me if it's a bad idea. And if it's a good one, hopefully, we're going do it.
No, I believe it is a good idea, and we'll work with the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative to implement some of that.
You're 808 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) welcome. Councilman Nutter, did you ever find the question you wanted to ask?
No, Madam President, and I don't know how I'll ever survive the rest of this process without finding that question, but I'll somehow try to get through the day.
Thank you. Are there any questions from members of the committee? (No further questions.)
Thank you very much. We appreciate your help. COMMISSIONER RICHMAN: Thank you.
At the request of the stenographer, we're going to take a ten-minute recess. (Break taken.) (Proceedings resume.) - - -
We are now back in session. The next department to be heard is the 809 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Police Department. (Police Department witnesses come forward.)
Commissioner, thank you for your patience and it's good to see you here. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Thank you, Council President Verna.
Please proceed with your testimony. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: All right. Good morning, Council President Verna and members of City Council. I am Sylvester Johnson, Police Commissioner. Alongside of me is Deputy Commissioner Nestel, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Training. I'm really honored to be here today as the Police Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia and as the leader of the Police Department that is now recognized as one of the best in the country. I am very grateful to Mayor Street for giving me the opportunity to head this great department, and I am determined to do everything I can to justify 810 2/26/02 COMM. ) the confidence he has shown me by naming me to succeed John Timoney. The Police Department General Fund Budger request for Fiscal Year 2003 is $437,147,733. The largest proportion of this money will be used to employ 7,061 sworn personnel, 1,002 civilians, 1,037 school crossing patrol. Including the 144 sworn officers assigned to the Airport, funded through the Aviation Department our total sworn strength in Fiscal Year 2003 will be 7,205, the largest number in over years. 13 In Fiscal Year 2004, the Department 14 will lose some 504 employees through the DROP Program, including most of our top commanders. To compensate both for this exodus and for those who will be leaving through normal attrition, I have been authorized to hire 475 recruits in Fiscal Year 2003 and an additional 500 in Fiscal Year 2004. To be able to make the best use of our police officers, the Department must be able to deploy them where and when they are most needed. For this reason, in the forthcoming arbitration process that will govern the City's next contract with the FOP, the Department will be seeking more 811 2/26/02 COMM. ) latitude in adjusting the hours of work of police officers and transferring officers and responding to the shifting crime patterns. The contract comes into effect on July 1, 2002. The president of the FOP is aware of our position and the reason for it. As I told him in the meeting that I had with him since I became Commissioner, I look forward to working with him and his colleagues, and I know that he shares my goal of reducing crime and improving the quality of life in this city. Making the best use of our offices also means improving way the Department works with other parts of the criminal justice system. A good example of this is the pilot program implemented in September 1999 to reduce police overtime in preliminary court hearings. Usually, the preliminary or arresting officer will be allowed to read into the court records the testimony of auxiliary officers and eliminate the need for them to be present in court. This hearsay testimony was offered with the caveat that each police witness will be available for the actual trial as required by law evaluation. 812 2/26/02 COMM. ) An evaluation of the first six months of the pilot program show that the reduction in the number of court notices for preliminary hearing achieved by the program was such that the Department saved about $109,046 in police court overtime. This represents a decrease of 39 percent from the same time months earlier. 9 In addition, the pilot freed 3,778 10 hours of police time that would otherwise have been 11 spent waiting in court. This is equivalent to 12 having another three full-time officers on the street. The pilot program was recently expanded to additional preliminary hearing courtrooms. Although the Department tends to think of the Police Department mainly in terms of sworn officers, we also emply an 1,002 civilians and 1,037 school crossing guards. Our civilian staff tend to be the unsung heroes of the Department, and we paid a special tribute to them this morning. After September 11th, the public praised our uniformed police and fire officers, but too little was said about the role played by the civilian members of the Police Department whose support is essential to their effectiveness. 813 2/26/02 COMM.
) Speaking for the Police Department, I can tell you that we could not do our crime-fighting job without the scientific and technical and forensic science laboratories, our 911 call-takers and dispatchers, our fingerprint technicians, our crime-mapping experts, our administrative staff, our secretaries, our custodian staff, our correctional officers, and our tow truck drivers. The resource I am requesting are needed to enable the Department to achieve its mission of enhancing the quality of life for all Philadelphia by reducing the fear and incidence of crime, enforcing the law, and maintaining public orders. These are our objectives. I would like to spend a few moments to describe in more detail how we propose to achieve them. Reducing homicides. In my view, our first priority must be to reduce the number of homicides in the City. Under Commissioner Timoney, this number fell from arund 400 a year, where it had been stuck for about 10 years before 1998 to around 300 a year, where it has hovered for the last 3 years. This was an important achievement in 814 2/26/02 COMM. ) the Department, and we're proud of it. But this number is still far too high. We must reduce it further. From our analysis of these murders, it is clear that the most effective way if of preventing homicidess is by reducing the number of guns and the amount of drug activity on our streets. We aim to do both. But we recognize that to be successful, we need to work with others. S. Attorney that we are prepared to work closely with the federal law enforcement agencies active in Philadelphia, that we expect them to cooperate fully with us. We will also continue to work closely with our other partners in the Philadelphia criminal justice systems, as well as with other City agencies, the private sector, the faith community, and anyone else who shares our objectives of making Philadelphia safer. The Youth Violence Reduction Program, in which we are partners with Philadelphia Safe and Sound, the District Attorney's Office, the Adult Juvenile Probation Service, and others have approved that a joint approach does work. In the 815 2/26/02 COMM. ) areas served by this project, homicidess of and by young people, the most vulnerable element of our people, have been reduced sufficiently. One of the most striking facts about homicides committed in Philadelphia is that 79 percent were caused by firearms. The Police Department's determined to do whatever it can to reduce the number of guns on our streets. The Warrant Unit. One of the most effect ways of doing this is by targeting repeat offenders, especially those that have a history of using firearms and violence. This is the mission of the Departments Warrant Unit. It concentrates on finding repeated offenders who are wanted and bringing them to justice. In fiscal year 2001, the Warrant Unit arrested 700 fugitives and located another 214. This fiscal year, it is expected to arrest 735 and look at another 20, 25. In Fiscal Year 2003, it plans to arrest 772 and locate 236. Too many deaths and injuries occur in our city as a result of children playing with firearms. We must teach our children that guns are not toys, that the damage that they do can never be 816 2/26/02 COMM. ) repaired. The Department intends to work with other City agencies and private bodies to develop a publicity campaign to get this message across to our children. Experience has shown that such educational campaigns can make a difference. We are seeing this in relation to drugs. Our Heads-Up Program, which was presented to City Council some weeks ago, is an excellent example. We will continue to develop it and show to it any audience that expresses an interest. While we believe that such preventive work is essential for long-term success in the fight against illegal drugs, we recognize that those who deal in drugs as a way of life are unlikely to be deterred by it. For them, well-planned and well-executed police activity is the only answer.
As a result of such activity, we made 24,000 drug arrests in the year 2001, we confiscated $4 million in cash, and $30 million in illegal narcotics. We are determined to continue this kind of proactive law enforcement activity in Fiscal Year 2003. We will further strengthen both our 817 2/26/02 COMM. ) Narcotics Strike Force, the uniformed components of our Narcotics Bureau, the Narcotics Bureau Unit, the teams that target street-level drug activity "buy and bust" operations, and undertake long-term investigations designed to break up drugs organizations. We will continue to monitor closely the activities of the drug dealers at street level and those who control and profit from them. And working with our federal partners, we will develop new strategies and tactics aimed at eliminating them from our neighborhoods. Drugs are sometimes seen as the problem primarily for the minority community. This is because 85 to 90 percent of those who die in violence as a result of drug activities are African-Americans or Hispanic. It is worth remembering, however, that 85 to 90 percent of those die as a result of drug overdose are Caucasians. No racial or economic group in our society has escaped the destructive force of drugs. We must continue to tackle it with every weapon in our arsenal. The Department also has a major role to 818 2/26/02 COMM. ) play in improving the quality of life in our city. To this end, we have established a Neighborhood Service Unit that works with other City agencies to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods. This unit deals with such issues as graffiti and abandoned vehicles and proactively prosecutes those who dump trash without concern for the environment. It will be working closely with those responsible for the Mayor's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative. School safety is a vital component to the quality of life in our city. The Police Department recognized this formally May 2001 when it created a new position of Deputy Police Commissiner of External Affairs with the responsibility for managing the 700-person School District Police Force and overseeing all safety aspects of the School District. At the start of the 2000 and 2001 school year, the Police Department established a school detail consisting of six divisional captains. They work with the principals of the schools in their areas to create safe corridors, investigage truancy, maximize school safety, and 819 2/26/02 COMM. ) coordinate duties of the school police and the school administration. In addition to the six captains, the Department currently has 41 officers assigned to the school detail. Their task is to patrol the school campus and surrounding areas, conduct crime prevention activities, respond to trouble calls in schools, and deal with truants. Officers who stop truant students on the street return them to their schools or to central truancy sites where they're interviewed and counseled. In the 200-2001 school year, it also handled 24,775 truants. Although this a large number, it represents a 9 percent decrease from the previous year. Technology. Until relatively recently, a police department like ours could fight crime pretty effectively provided it had plenty of trained personnel, an adequate fleet of vehicles, a central 911 control room, and a supply of personal radios. This is no longer true. The threat that we now face and the legal framework within which we have to work are such that we need a whole arsenal of sophisticated scientific and technology support, 820 2/26/02 COMM. ) including image-processing systems, forensic science analysis, and automatic fingerprint identification systems. The Department is well served in this respect and is determined and sure that it does not fall behind as technology develops. But I am not interested in implementing technology for its own sake.
What matters for me is not how much technology we have, but how well we are fulfilling ourcore mission of reducing crime and ensuring public safety. Among the many scientific and technology projects in which we are currently working or have recently completed, there are a few that I would like to highlight this morning. The most encouraging is the development of the new Forensic Science in the former Wistar School building at Eighth and Poplar. This state-of-the-art facility will serve our department as well as others in the region. 7 million and is expected to be completed in March 2003. I also want report on an exciting new development that will make a sufficient difference 821 2/26/02 COMM. ) in our ability to solve violent crimes. Currently, the Department can compare DNA recovery from crimes committed in cities only with DNA recovered from other crimes committed within the City. Thanks, however, to the important work recently completed by our own forensic scientists, we are able to use CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System developed by the FBI to compare DNA recovered from local crimes with DNA samples recovered from crime scenes anywhere in the United States. This very important development will come into effect as soon as we move into the new forensic science facilities I mentioned earlier. For most Philadelphians, the most important service provided by the Police Department is our response to 911 calls for help. Our 911 system was greatly improved by the installation of new 911 call-taking terminals in the Department's 911 call center by fitting mobile data terminals in all district patrol vehicles as well as many specialized units. The new 911 system has many time-saving and life-saving features, including detection of calls from individuals with hearing disabilities 822 2/26/02 COMM. ) and the capability to transfer calls to or contact police departments from surrounding counties. Unfortunately, another vital component for the Department's 911 system, the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system is outdated and must be replaced. As it happens, the Fire Department also needs a new CAD system. We have decided to work with the Department to develop a single system that will serve both of us. 4 million to be funded with 911 revenue. 14 Another Police Department service 15 familiar to many Philadelphians is that in dealing 16 with reports of automobile accidents. The 17 department has recently implemented an automated 18 accident reporting system that allows the public 19 and insurance companies to access accident reports 20 via the Internet. 21 Finally, we have begun a project to 22 archive digitally all aspects of our Records and 23 Identification Unit. The archive computer will 24 hold a wide range of items such as fingerprint and palm prints, digital mug shots, and criminal 823 2/26/02 COMM. ) history information. When the project is finished, the Department will no longer have to keep the original of any document. Finally, all programs described above were in place before September 11, 2001, when our country was attacked by terrorists determined to destroy our way of life. This tragic event imposed both unexpected short-term burdens and new long-term responsibility on the Police Department. Immediately following September 11th, we had to reassign police resources from the conventional crime-fighting activites to provide an enhanced police coverage in Center City, additional security staff at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Red Cross Headquarters, and the City's Emergency Operating Center, and extra surveillance of high-profil locations such as public utility plants, etc. 3 million in General Fund overtime costs in Fiscal Year '02. As for the long-term effect of September 11th, the Department has developed a number of new programs aimed at preventing terrorist atrocities and responding urgently and 824 2/26/02 COMM. ) effectively to critical incidents.
In addition to and in common with other major cities, the Department will be strengthening its senior management team responsible for anti-terrorist and emergency management activity. The aim is to improve our ability to plan and manage anti-terrorist exercises and major emergencies, to collect and analyze anti-terrorist intelligence, and liaison with those at the federal and state level concerned with anti-terrorist and major emergencies. Our hope is that the federal government will provide additional funding to support these new responsibilities, but to date, these costs had to be met from within our existing budget provision. As I said at the outset of this testimony, the Police Department budget request for Fiscal Year 2003 is about $437 million. This money must fund all the services that the provided last year as well as the new responsibility that we have been given as a result of September 11th. We cannot skimp on those new anti-terrorist activities. Terrorists threaten the basics of a free society, but at the same time, we cannot allow 825 2/26/02 COMM. ) these new tasks to reduce the intensity of our effort directed at reducing homicidess, attacking illegal narcotics activity, and maintaining the civilized quality of life in our neighborhoods. The last four years have been one of the outstanding achievements for the Philadelphia Police Department. The City's annual Citizens Survey has shown that Philadelphians appreciate this and feel safer and more satisfied with our service. It is no exaggeration to say that John Timoney transformed our department. He pursued our civil leaders to establish a Police Foundation through which the private-sector could fund innovative programs in support of the Department, including university scholarships for the police officers. He made the Department recognize the racial factor in policing and took steps to deal with it, including the introduction of new policies and procedures for ensuring that racial profiling and bias were eliminated from our culture and our behavior. As I see it, it is my job to build on the achievements of John Timoney and to take this 826 2/26/02 COMM. ) department forward. John Timoney's contributions to the City will never be forgotten, but a police department cannot live on memories. In order to remain an effective and professional as it is today, the Department needs to look forward and not backwards. It needs to develop fresh solutions to new problems. It needs to meet new challenges and set itself more ambitious goals in order to successfully meet these challenges and achieve these goals. It needs to to make new investments in recruitment, in training, in buildings, in vehicles, in radios and computers and other equipment. Our budget request for the next fiscal year will allow us to make these new investments so that we can hold the ground that we have won over the past four years and achieve the objectives that I have outlined this morning. Finally, I would like to extend an open invitation to members of Council to tour Police Headquarters with me at any time to see some of our new technology and meet those who operate it. I also want to let members know that I will be inviting them shortly to the formal opening 827 2/26/02 COMM. ) of the new police station being built at 3901 Whittaker Avenue to serve both the 24th and 25th District. The building is now about 95 percent cleat and should be ready for occupancy in April. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to come here this morning, and I am prepared and my staff to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner, how long does it take from the time a police recruit enters the Academy until he or she is out on the street and functioning as a police officer? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: The Academy is now in ten months.
And can you tell us what the average yearly attrition rate is for uniformed officers? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I'm going to refer some of these questions to Deputy Commissioner Nestel.
Certainly. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: Tom 828 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Nestel, Deputy Police Commissioner. Councilwoman, the average attrition rate is 240 per year.
I think we've been hearing about the number of police officers that will be going out on the DROP Program. Commissioner, I believe in your testimony, you stated that there would basically 504? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: There will be 504 in Fiscal 2004.
Okay, would that be September or October? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: Actually, it's September 28th. They have to be off the books by October 1st.
Okay. Yesterday, when Mr. Kidwell was here, who is with the Pension Bureau, he indicated that there would be approximately 641 police officers that would be going out on the DROP Program. You're saying 504? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: No, I'm saying 504 in Fiscal 2004. 829 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Okay. So if we add 288 to the 504, that would give us 792. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: No. If I can answer that, as of this morning -- and I checked with our personnel and our people -- we now have a total of sworn personnel of 633 sworn personnel that are now entered into the DROP Program as of this morning, and another 102 civilian personnel who are in the DROP Program.
How many? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: 102. Now, some will be leaving the very first day, October the 1st of --
How many do you anticipate will be leaving at the beginning of October? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: 289.
289? And I'm sure you've calculated how many would be going out through attrition? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: Yes.
How many would that be? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: 20 per 830 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) month. We're calculating losing 504 officers, sworn personnel, through the DROP and 240 through normal attrition. However, it is expected that that normal attrition will slow down a little bit because of the DROP.
So you're authorized to hire 475 recruits in FY '03 and an additional 500 in FY '04. What is your estimated hiring schedule? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: We're expecting to have a class of 100 in August of 2002, 125 in December, 125 in April of 2003, 125 in June of 2003. And then going on to the next fiscal year --
Just a minute, please. Okay, please proceed. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: Going into the next fiscal year, we will have four classes of 125 in each class. That will be in October of 2003, February of 2004, April and June of 2004.
As I 831 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) calculate it, you don't have your full complement or strength during the summer months when I think you really need them. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: During the summer months, there will be, of course, recruits in the Academy.
But you're saying it takes ten months for a recruit to be in the Academy, and I'm sure that the day that they graduate -- I don't know how you work this, but I'm sure that they're not simply put out on the street by themselves. Don't they usually go with another police officer? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, that depends on what district that they go to. We never let police officers out there without their safety in place. Normally, when they come out of the Academy and they go to particular district, they normally do work with another police officer, but they're very well surprised by a supervisor there. So if you go to a quiet district like the 5th District, sometimes you may be placed in the car by yourself.
I am telling 832 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) you, I think we're all extremely fearful that we're going to be losing police officers, and we would like to see them recruited as soon as possible. Excuse me a minute, please. Commissioner, if we could get back to our line of questioning, please. How will this schedule impact your ability to provide the appropriate coverage during FY '04? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Go ahead. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: I believe that we will be able to provide appropriate coverage. As it stands, we normally have at least 160 in the Academy at one time. At times, that goes to 240. During Fiscal '04, we will have about 375 in the Academy. However, one of things that have stood out as far as those who are leaving the DROP is that very few are leaving from the busy districts. An example: The 25th and 35th District only have one officer leaving. The higher numbers are leaving from the 7th District and the Airport.
I would assume also that most of those that have applied for the DROP Program are the veterans. For 833 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) instance, the captains, the lieutenants, the inspectors. How many captains, inspectors, and lieutenants will there be included in the DROP Program? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Okay, we will have 3 deputy commissioners, chief inspectors, 7 9 inspectors, 1 staff inspector, 26 captains, and 60 lieutenants.
And how many captains? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: captains, 96 18 sergeants, 32 corporals, 76 detectives; and as of 19 today, 320 police officers. 20 But what we did, the Mayor has gave us 21 the authority on March the 15th to promote, and on 22 that particular day on March 15th, we will be 23 promoting 7 chief inspectors, 14 inspectors, 19 24 captains, 26 lieutenants, 80 sergeants, and 19 25 corporals. And at this point, there's no list for 834 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the detectives. These promotions were made in anticipation that the DROP Program would be kicking in in the next one and a half and two years.
So there's an existing list for captains, lieutenants, sergeants, corporals, and you took from the existing list, I assume. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: That is correct.
Commissioner, based on the need to hire a significant number of recruits for the Academy, do you think we'll be able to do that with -- without going outside the City of Philadelphia? You do you believe that we need to hire police officers from outside the City and change the residency requirement to do what you sound like you're going to need to do here? Or do you have enough qualified applicants from the City of Philadelphia? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: We just gave a 835 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) police test approximately two weeks ago. There was approximately 14,000 -- between to 15,000 people 4 that applied for the test. 5 My understanding is 4900 people took 6 the test, which gives us the idea that we're 7 probably going to have to give another test in the 8 next six or seven months. 9 My feeling is that there's enough 10 qualified people inside the City of Philadelphia of 11 people qualified. It's not just Philadelphia 12 that's having this problem recruiting; it's on a 13 national level. New York spent $10 million for a 14 program just to go out there and publicize that they're hiring police officers. I don't know exactly what the problem is. I think if you join the Department just for money, then we're not getting the recruits. So, again, with 15,000 people applying for those tests and only 4900 taking the test, it's presenting a problem. Out of that 4900, we will probably reject close to 60 to 70 percent of the people that applied for it. So my feeling is that there's enough qualified people inside of Philadelphia if they 836 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) want to be police officers. I'm not exactly sure what the answer is.
Commissioner, have you ever looked at the process? I mean, it's such a long process. If you want to be a police officer, before you get to take the test, it could take months maybe before you're even told. So if you apply, you could wind up with another job. Maybe the process has to be looked at on when a person applies, when they're able to take the test, because, you know, six or eight months goes by before you're even eligible to go take the text. Maybe that's a discouragement or a deterrent in itself. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, what we want to do -- at least what I would like to do is look at the entire process. I think that -- I mean, the whole process sometimes to me on a personal level, I'm not satisfied with the entire system that we have in place. I'm not sure whether it's feasible to have a person live in the city a year before he takes the test instead of having him take the test, 837 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) come to the Department, and then move in six months after he passes the test. I mean, there's a lot of other ways that we can look at how we can solve this problem. But at this point, I think the last test we gave was about a year ago. We're going to have to give the test more frequently or we could have continuous testing.
Commissioner, why do we wait until we promote that many supervisors? Why -- are you able by Charter or whatever you're regulated by to promote two captains when you need a captain, five sergeants when you need five sergeants? Why do you have to wait when and have this massive appointment process? Why can't you fill positions as they're needed? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, we probably can. We've never done it, and a lot of it is strictly civil service. All of our promotions is by civil service; I make no appointments. The only appointments in the Department is the Deputy Commissioner and the Commissioner. The other thing is that we normally -- I mean, I have no reason -- I wasn't Deputy 838 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Commissioner or Commissioner at that point, so I had to wait until I became Commissioner to try to prepare for these promotions. Ones we request the promotion, then it has to go through budget restraints, it has to go through the Managing Director, it has to go to the Mayor's Office. I mean, there's different procedures. I just cannot promote anytime I want to promote. I went to the Mayor's Office, I requested these promotions, and the Managing Director, and they approved thee promotions. I would like to make sure in the future that we have enough people just to cover the DROP Program and to promote more frequently than once every year or once every year and a half
Commissioner, just so I understand, in spite of the fact that you have recently promoted many of the uniformed personnel, when the DROP Program goes into effect, we're still going to be short of captains, 839 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) lieutenants, sergeants, corporals. Do we have an existing list that will cover that period of time so that you would be able to make your selection from that list? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: These promotions have not been made yet.
You said they won't be made until March 15th. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: March 15th.
All right. In spite of that, in spite of that, when the DROP Program goes into effect in September, you're still going to be short any number of lieutenants, sergeants, corporals. Do you have an existing list? Will the list be existing at that time from which you would be able to hire the captains, lieutenants, sergeants, corporals? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am.
Okay. Are all school crossing guard positions filled at the present time? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: No, they're not. I believe there are about 30 840 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) vacancies.
Why is that? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: Because the attrition is high and it just takes a while to get people to take that test to get hired.
How frequently is the test being given? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: I believe the test is given about every two years.
There was a period of time when there was an ongoing test; I think it was given almost daily. That has changed now to every two years? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: To the best of your knowledge, it is not given daily. There was a period of time where the Police Department test was also given quite frequently. I will talk to the Personnel Director to find out exactly when, but they do keep an active list so that we can hire from it.
Well, if there's an active list that we could hire from, I don't know why we would have 30 vacancies. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NESTEL: We hire as 841 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) quickly as we can, and I'll look into that for you.
Would you, please. Because I'd like some information on that. Commissioner, you said in your testimony that you will continue to strengthen both our Narcotics Strike Force, the uniformed component of the Narcotics Bureau, and the Narcotics Field unit. I am hoping that you would be able to achieve that since we are apparently going to have less uniformed personnel in FY '03 than we have in FY '02. Do you feel confident about that? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am. There's a couple things that we have in place right now. What we're basically doing is beinging and analyzing all units in the Department.
Excuse me, Commissioner, I think you deserve a little more respect than that. Thank you. Please proceed. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: We're going to analyze all the units to find out the number of people that we can put on the street. We've also 842 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) (indiscernible) into every district to see some if of their administrative people can duplicate jobs such as sanitation...
I'm sorry, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Okay, the sanitation officers. There's a lot of administrative positions that are in the Department that we're looking at now. We're not going to be anything until we make a complete analyzation [sic] of everything that we have within the Department before we bring these people in.
Well, I will tell you, and I know that I don't have to tell you because you fully realize that drugs are almost literally taking over some of our communities, and I think it's something that we really have to address sooner or later. It's absolutely frightening to me. And I know you did mention the amount of arrests that were made during the year. However, I think with many of these drug dealers or people who are using them, they're arrested one night, and the very next morning, they're out on 843 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the street doing business as usual. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, that's correct. And I've said it and I really believe it: We're never going to arrest our way out of the system. Law enforcement will never solve this problem. We have to go into other areas and join in partnership with the community, with the clergy, with the business people, because our arrests are tremendous, our confiscations are tremendous. Because of that, we're not into the rehab community. I've been into the prisons. Traditional police and locking people up is not changing the quality of life in Philadelphia. We have to go into something completely different. We have to be more proactive than we've ever been before. We not have to go into the education, the treatment, the prevention. Locking a person up and putting them in jail for 48 hours and they're addicted, when they come back out, they're still addicted. It hasn't solved anything. The Heads-Up Program that I mentioned earlier, we've been to 26,000 kids so far just to build to this program. No matter how many drugs 844 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that come into the City of Philadelphia, if we can educate our community not to use it and not to sell it, then we would come a long way. But when we're going through the particular areas and we're just making a lot of arrests, it's not the amount of arrests that I'm concerned about; the numbers are not important to me. It's the quality of those arrests. We have to go out to the organizations. Our numbers, like I said, are tremendous, but if it's just numbers by itself and not changing the quality of life, it hasn't really changed anything, and it won't change anything. So what we're trying to do right now is join in the partnership with the Town Watch organizations, with the block captains, with the community. And I think if we do that, then we will be able to do something completely different.
Commissioner, I want to thank you for showing Councilmembers and their staffs the film on drugs. That was just a horrifying film to me. And I know that you have been making that same presentation to many of the schools. Have we found that there have been 845 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) students perhaps who have, after seeing this film, realized that they must get help immediately? Have they contacted the police? And what are we doing to help youngsters who are addicted? Do we have programs that we're sending them to? As I said, showing the film, to me, that is absolutely horrifying. Have we had children who have come forward and said, you know, I've seen this dreadful film, I truly need help, can you put me under a program? Have we gotten any of -- COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes. I'm not going to name the school, but --
I don't want you to mention schools; I just want you to tell me. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Okay.
Are there students that have now come forward and said, Please help me? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: We went to numerous amounts of schools. The last school we went to maybe about two weeks ago, after the presentation, we had eight juveniles who decided to 846 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) go into rehab. We have set up a program with the Bridge Program, which is for juvenile people in rehab who are addicted. That same day they all went up to Bridge and have all basically put themselves into a program. Most of the time when go out to the different schools, we have rehab people with us, and we have people who have given us bids where a child gets up says, "Look, I have a problem. Afterwards, we have facilities or abilities to put them right into a program that same day.
Commissioner, are we showing that film to middle school and high school students? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am, we are.
I will tell you, after seeing that film, I will tell you, I could not erase many of those scenes from my mind for days. I think it's very impressive. Mr. Johnson, how many officers are assigned to the Neighborhood Services Unit? And what is the purpose of this unit? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I'm not sure of 847 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the exact amount, but I think the purpose of the unit is to work in conjunction with the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative. They do the abandoned vehicles, they do the sanitation they do other things like that to identify problem areas. I think it's approximately or of 9 them assigned, along with a supervisor. 10
Will they 11 also be interacting with the Community Life 12 Improvement Program that is a new initiative of the 13 Managing Director's Office? 14 COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am, they 15 will.
Since you have approximately the same number of sworn officers in FY '03 as you had in FY '02, where will these officers be coming from and what's the impact on the other functions of your department? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well --
I know we have a police sanitation officer, I assume, in every district right now, do we not? I know we have one in the 17th. 848 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, we do. Every district doesn't need the same type of officers, every district doesn't need a sanitation officer, every district doesn't need a community relations officer, every district doesn't need certain things. And if they do have that program there, there's no reason why one officer couldn't handle the same problem. He could be more than just having one responsibility. The sanitation officer can also be the community relations officer, can also be the victim witness officer. So we're going to look into that. What I try to do is deploy officers based on the different cabinets. I'm not sure whether anybody here in City Council has been to our COMPSTAT, but we try to hold the captains accountable for the personnel that they have in their particular district. By doing that, we give them the flexibility and the authority to put police officers where they feel it's needed to attack the crime problem in their particular district. Once every 28 days, they have to come in front of the deputy commissioners and myself to 849 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) explain exactly what they're doing and how they're crime fighting initiative. So we leave the responsibilities of deployment to the captains, but we hold them accountable for what they do.
Thank you. I have several other questions but I notice a number of Councilmembers who have their lights on. Is Councilman Ortiz in the room? Do you want to be recognized?
Thank you, Madam President. Good afternoon, gentlemen. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Good afternoon.
The first question I'm going to ask is for my colleague Councilwoman Brown; she had to leave, she had a prior engagement. A few years back, there was an initiative to increase the rolls in the Police 850 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Department for minorities and women, and I think that was relatively successful. The question is: In the leadership ranks in the Department, is there a similar type of initiative to increase those rolls in the officers, lieutenants, captains, inspectors, chief inspectors, deputies? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, all of our promotions are by civil service examination, and they take the civil service test. But I think when you see these promotions on the 15th, you'll have minorities, a large amount of minorities in every single rank. We'll have them in inspectors, captains, lieutenants. We have a large amount of them, almost 35, 40 percent that will be promoted to sergeants are minorities. I think it's another 35, 40 percent will be coming to lieutenant. The same basically with the captain. And normally in the history, at least from my experience, the minorities normally, with the promotional examinations, it's normally about 10 percent. We will triple those numbers with this promotion. And that's not because they're doing anything special for them; it's because they took 851 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the examination and they scored high on the examination, and they're in a position to be promoted. Even to the rank of chief inspector, we'll have two minorities will be promoted to the rank of chief inspector, three will be promoted to the rank of inspector, and approximately six or seven -- almost eight will be promoted to the rank of captain.
What about females? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, the only rank where we won't have a number of females being promoted is the rank of lieutenant, and we're planning on making more promotions, but as the rank -- as the promotions are being made, I have to go strictly by the civil service list. We'll have more minorities being promoted to the rank of lieutenant this time than we've had in the last four five years at one time. We will not have any female lieutenants, Afro-American female lieutenants being promoted this time, but the next promotion, we will have the highest amount of female lieutenants ever been promoted at one time once we hit their numbers on 852 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that list.
Okay, a couple of quick operational questions. I've been getting conflicting reports when I talk to residents and officers. Patrol sectors, most people in my district, they say they don't ever see a police car patroling through their blocks, and I understand the difficulty of vehicles being able to go down every block. We all kind of thought that happened in the older days, but it probably didn't. What's the process? Is there a sector for each vehicle and that vehicle's supposed to traverse down various streets? Or do we solely deal with a response-driven patrol? Can you run me through that process? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, we have sector integrity, but being realistic, in most of our districts, especially the busy districts, they are one-man cars. And realistically, they're going from one district or one area to the other area based on what's happening in that particular district. You may have a sector car that's making 853 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) just a car stop where another's going to back him up. In a real busy district, we try to supplement or complement that by having maybe the Narcotics Strike Force and highway patrol (indiscernible), but it says we're trying to have more emphasis and putting not so much pressure on the police officers to go out there and be visible, because being visible is being proactive, being proactive is being preventive. A lot of times, people won't commit the crimes if they see the police officers out there. But at the same time, that depends on sometimes if they have a full complement of officers working and not counting people that may be on vacation or somebody that may have called in sick, some of them may be injured, some during the daytime are in court. There's a whole lot of variables that comes into that. There are sometimes we will go to roll call where they might have 15 people assigned to a particular platoon, and maybe 7 or 8 are working. So it's kind of hard to have sector integrity when we don't have -- when everybody's working, and there's times that we have a problem with the cars. 854 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) So the uniformed officer on the street is the first officer out there no matter what happens. Whether it's a burglary or robbery or a homicide, the first one to respond is that uniformed officer, and they're very important. And we try to put the emphasis to them to go out there and do their job on a continuous basis. And that's one of other things with these promotions that we're about to do. Say, for example, in the 5th District, which is a quiet district, you have 12 sergeants or sergeants. 13
You're talking about the 5th Police District, not the 5th Council District. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: No, the 5th Police District.
All right. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: And in the 5th, you have 90 police officers assigned, approximately 90 police officers. In the 25th District, there are probably 20 or 40 police officers assigned, with still 13 sergeants. It doesn't make sense to have the amount of supervisor to the 5th District as assigned to the 25th District. 855 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) So with these promotions, it has given us the ability to put more supervisors in the busy districts to be able to be supervised more closely than in the quiet district. Again, the officers are our out there but there's very few times that we sill have the total complement of people who are assigned to platoon, working the street that same day.
Okay, all right, so I guess the answer is that we should not expect vehicles to traverse our streets as we thought we did in the old days. I get these calls, you know, from some of our friends, mutual friends in our district, a certain lady over in Strawberry Mansion that you know very well, who says she's never seen a police car on her block, and I needed to ask these questions get a sense of whether or not she could realistically expect a vehicle to actually patrol her block, not in response to a crime but to simply kind of -- COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, the only that I thing look at, Councilman, is that -- I mean, if she hasn't seen a police car, the positive thing is that there's no problem on that block, 856 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) hopefully. But the officer should be out there patroling, they should be visible because visibility prevents crime.
Okay. In a earlier question to the Managing Director, I had mentioned the fact that one of the concerns in the past of the Police Department was the coordination between the social service agencies, and she indicated that she was going to have a follow-up discussion with you about that issue. Can you just tell me what your expectations would be? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I had talked to the Managing Director maybe about a month ago, and she had made the request that I come to her headquarters or to her building to talk to her people about the Police Department and how my vision is that we're not going to solve this problem just by locking people up, that we're going to need people that's in rehab and alcoholization [sic] to be able to work together to solve a lot of these problems. I think the other thing is that I've 857 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) also talked to her about having City services combine with the Police Department and we go through these particular neighborhoods. I mean, Licenses and Inspections works very closely with us, there's the Streets Department, there's L&I. We have to have a wholistic type of approach when we go into a neighborhood to try to clean it up. We have to work very, very close together. And I think the Managing Director, Miss Richman, is amenable to that. Also, a lot of times, we have to change that mindset 'cause a lot of police officers feel as though traditional policing is just locking people up, that's going to solve the problem. It's not going to solve the problem, it hasn't solved the problem, it will never solve the problem.
Okay. My next question is kind of twofold. And you've actingly been in these discussions. The last Police Commissioner, who's a good friend of mine and a constituent of mine still, we've had discussions about street-corner activity, and you recall actually at last year's hearings, I asked this question about to what degree officers can be 858 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) proactive and, in my mind, preventing crime by allowing congregation of individuals who are obviously selling drugs. Commissioner Timoney was somewhat of a Civil Libertarian, so he felt that people had the right to stand on the corner for nine hours straight for no obvious reason other than the fact that they're selling drugs, but they still had the right to stand there unless the officer actually saw the drug sale. And I guess I want to ask you, one, will the policy change as it relates to simply moving people along on these troublesome corners? The other question is, I asked Commissioner Timoney before, as it relates to guns, if there was a law that he can change; i.e., the Harrisburg; i.e., the State legislature? What would the law be that will allow us to get all of these guns off the street? 'Cause I believe that, you know, there's always been drugs, but the problem now is that there's drugs and there's guns, and there had never been the level of gun activity that we've had in the past, and it seems pretty much that everybody in the world has a gun now, and that's 859 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the first action that they take is to pull a gun. So I just wanted to ask you that in a twofold question 'cause I think my time winding down, and I had to get in two for one. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, Commissioner Timoney and I feel the same about the first question. My feelings is that if the kids are on the corner and they're doing something illegal, even if it's a minor offense, then we can address that problem -- whether it's loud noise, whatever it is. But the mere fact of moving from one corner to another corner to the middle of the block when there are not any illegal activity, I really believe it is unconstitutional and we're going to create more problems, I think, by fighting the drug activity and we clean up area, we're going to have to put jobs into these neighborhoods, we're going to have to put training into these neighborhoods, we're going to have to put something for these kids to do. For example --
Well, Commissioner, in all due respect, I'm not just talking about 860 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) kids; I'm talking about adults who are standing on the corner, right, selling drugs, drinking whatever, smoking blunts or whatever, right, everybody in the world knows what these guys are doing. They're standing on this corner, right, all day long, you know, creating an environment where people are afraid to go to the corner store, afraid to walk down the street. I mean at some point, I mean, we need to be in a position to do something. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: If they're on the corner --
I understand the Civil Libertarian issue, but the reality is that the liberties of these individuals in these communities are taken away every day because these guys decide it's their world, right, and they're going to do whatever they want to do. And at some point, I mean, the people in the community should have the right to have some piece of their neighborhoods. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Councilman, I agree with you 100 percent, and I didn't mean to give the impression that I think it's right to do 861 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) illegal activity on those corners, because it's not. If they're out there and they're drinking or disorderly or if they're selling drugs, then that is the responsibility of the Police Department to clear that corner up. I said if there's anything illegal on that corner being done, then we will react to that. We will survey that, we will make a surveillance of that corner and try to clean the corner up. But if there's no illegal activity, we just can't move them from the corner to the middle of the block to another place like that. And I think the citizens have a right be be able to come out their house and kids have the right to come out and play. But at the same time, we cannot break the law to enforce the law. And if we start taking people's civil rights by doing that, then it will basically create a problem. But if there is any illegal activity, no matter how moderate the illegal activity is, whether it's drinking, wherenever it is, then we will react to it.
Okay, not to belabor the point. I just want to add this. 862 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) My understanding, under this new initiative, the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, as it relates to certain visible violations, we are simply taking the position that we're going to enter -- we entered onto a vacant lot, some people will question the legality of that. We will then cut the locks, went in, removed a bunch of abandoned vehicles, issued a number of citations, and we basically took the position that if what we've done is illegal, then that individual should go to court. And we're taking a proactive approach, and we basically said we have 150 lawyers in the Law Department and we're going to do what we're going to do to put the onus on the perpetrator to come back and make us a defendant as opposed to the other way around. I mean, we're sending that signal on these other quality-of-life crimes, as it relates to vacant lots and abandoned vehicles, and I'm just wondering why we can't take a similar approach. I mean, you said what you said, but I just need for you to get a sense of my frustration with this issue publicly, as I've talked to 863 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) privately about this. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes, sir.
And then Part 2 was the gun issue. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: What was the Part 2?
What law would you ask our legislature in Harrisburg to change that would allow you to get the guns off the street to some degree? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: What I've basically done is talk to the people from the federal sector. We had a cease-fire here. Cease-fire is really a gun initiative where a person who has committed a crime and has a weapon, that instead of trying 'em locally, they will be taken federally, and expandatory [sic] sentences would happen. We make a lot of gun arrests in the City of Philadelphia, but it seems like -- and not criticizing the court system here locally, but it's not taken real serious as it is in the federal sector, where a person's arrested for a gun, goes to a hearing or goes to court, and is released 864 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) either on probation or parole or other things like that. I think if we had strong sentencing for people who have weapons and who are arrested for weapons, then we can eliminate the problem.
I'm talking about the proliferation of guns, not the gun arrests. I'm saying that there is a problem with guns coming in here like water, right? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Right.
And we want to do some things -- I know Councilman Angel Ortiz years ago tried to do something with gun legislation, but he was shot down. I actually got a gun bill 16 passed, and now am told it can't be enforced.
We passed one two years ago. (Council President Verna strikes gavel.)
Our visitors are certainly welcome, but we are trying to conduct business. So I would appreciate you're not speaking or making noise. Thank you very much. 865 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
We passed Smart Gun Legislation, which goes into effect, and we did it around three years ago so that it could -- no, four years ago so that it could go into effect in the year 2003 because it's -- so that no handgun shall be sold in the City of Philadelphia without some protective or identifying mechanism, the Smart Gun concept. And that will probably be litigated very quickly when it goes into effect. I think it goes into effect January of 2003, Commissioner, if I'm sure, okay? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: That's correct.
So we have that, and that's for the handgun. We passed legislation nine years ago dealing with assault weapons, and that was, again, more or less like the school takeover. The State passed Act 46 for us to be able to -- to prohibit us really from passing assault legislation, and the proliferation that we saw in '80, '89 and '90 about Uzis and AK-47s. Commissioner, if I'm wrong, you might -- but I think now we're seeing a lot of those same weapons back again on the streets. Is that what you're experiencing? 866 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes, sir, it is.
So we'll see, Councilman, we'll see how our legislative powers as a council are affected when the legislation on the smart guns, the handguns, goes into effect in January. Hopefully, it would prevents the sale of guns, because every sale will have to have a person, and it will be identified who gets the gun, they will be registered, and so on down the line. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: I think we're talking to our attorneys that -- we're in the process right now of making it harder and stricter for people to get guns, but I will evaluate that, we will look that into that and everything we can, because it's an advantage not only to the citizens of Philadelphia but also to the Police Department to do as much as we can to make sure the right people are getting the weapons. So as we go through this process, I will keep you informed exactly what we're going to do and what we recommend 'cause we're going to need your help in getting it passed.
Last but not lease, are we going to push ahead on this one gun a month? 867 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Yes, sir.
We're lobbying our friends in Harrisburg? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: That's correct.
All right, thank you. - - - 868 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) (Reported by Lisa C. Bradley, RPR)
"Commissioner, not to belabor this issue, however, you did say that you have been authorized to hire an additional 500 in FY '04. When I asked you about the hiring schedule, it would appear that the four classes that you mentioned, October of '03, February '04, April and June of '04, that would I had indicate to me that we would not physically see 500 police officers on the street until FY '05.
When the first group leaves, which is the 289 on the last day of September, by that day we will have graduated 225 new officers will be on the street. There will be a slight reduction. It will take us time to get back the full strength, but this is about the most aggressive hiring program we could handle.
You said it's August of '02, and that would be 100.
The people that are hired 869 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) August 19th of '02 will graduate May of '03. But the classes -- they will graduate in May. At the end of --
I'm not questioning the 475. My question is, it has been testified to that an additional 500 would be hired in FY '04. There is supposed to be four classes, October of 2003, which means that they would not graduate until August of '04 which would be in FY '05. February class would not graduate until December '04, which is also FY '05. April the 4th, you said there would be 125; they wouldn't graduate until February '05. And you said there would be another class of 125, and they would not graduate until April '05. So I don't know how we get 500 in FY '04.
I said we would hire 500 in FY '04. Most of that fiscal year we will have 375 people in the academy.
At the conclusion of the hearing, I would like you to get together with Mr. McPherson, who is to my right, and Mr. Rob Dubow because I'd like to clear this up because it certainly is not very clear to me and I 870 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) don't know that it's clear to anybody else. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Nutter.
It took a while to get there, but it's a pleasure to be able to address you as the Police Commissioner of Philadelphia.
It is a well-deserved honor. Let me ask a couple questions. I had not originally planned to ask about this, but from the discussion back and forth between yourself and Councilman Clarke, I wonder whether or not -- and I grabbed a copy of the Philadelphia Code while you two gentlemen were having your conversation. I wonder whether or not by strict use, if not a little bit of creativity by the Police Department with regard to the well-known guys hanging out on the corner doing whatever they're doing, and from time 871 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) to time, I don't know, there might be some girls hanging out on the corner, but people hanging out on the corner doing the things they do, in many instances, either up to no good or actively engaged in illegal activities. I wonder about the use of some of the provisions of our Section 10-600 in the Philadelphia Code, and there might be other sections, generally entitled -- Section 10 is "Regulation of Individual Conduct and Activity." Could you maybe shed a little light on whether or not ordinances like loitering, open containers on the highway, and some of those kinds of provisions are tools that the Police Department may be able to either utilize or re-utilize in ways that can -- I'm sure Councilman Clarke speaks from experience. I have my own experience of this other time in our City's history when if, one, if you were told by a police officer to clear the corner, generally you did. And I know I had that experience on a number of occasions. But also with added emphasis to quality of life issues, are there provisions of our Philadelphia Code that gives the Police Department some of the tools that they might need if they are somewhat creative in their use? 872 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Councilman, on our staff, I have four attorneys. And what I'm willing to do is have our attorneys look into that.
With every respect to the attorneys, Commissioner, that's only going to get you in trouble. You've got four attorneys on your staff, you might not be able to --
What I would like for them to do is to look for that. Any tools that we can possibly use to change the quality of life in Philadelphia, including what's in the Code, we're willing to do. And the only thing I'm going to use the attorney for is to research that. If there is a code on the books that is legal that we can move people off the corners or disperse crowds, then I am willing to do that because I'm willing to do anything that's going to change the quality of life in Philadelphia that's legal. If those codes are legal, then it's not a problem with me at all. I didn't want to do anything illegal. I did not want to break the law to enforce the law.
Absolutely. And Ms. Simmons knows that I have the greatest respect for her and I know she'll give you good advice. 873 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) On the other hand, for whatever else some of the folks may be doing, sometimes they are, in fact, loitering, they are blocking the highway, they do engage in other activity. And quite frankly, it might sound a little harsh, but if they're out there doing what they're doing, then I think we've got to throw the full weight of whatever we have, if it is loitering, if it's spitting on the sidewalk, if it's blocking the highway, if you're caring an open container, all of those things are in fact on the books. And it might seem like rather small offenses, but if it does disrupt their activity and makes the lives of the people out in the community that much more peaceful on a day-to-day basis, then I am certainly going to be a person to support the Department's efforts to, not only maintain the law and respect people's rights -- but you know as well as I do sometimes in our protection of certain people's rights, which is often a very small group of people actively engaged in illegal activities because we're afraid that they're either going to sue us or come after us, a much larger group of people, their rights are absolutely taken away from them and they live in a 874 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) state of fear and terror. And part of our responsibility is to look out for their rights as well.
Councilman, I will do everything I can. The Department will do everything we can to enforce any law that's on the book that's going to change and better the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner, I saw you on TV not too long ago. There was a recent rash -- and that doesn't mean at other times there aren't shootings, but you were seemingly either at a press conference or an availability just the other day because of -- I think the number 14 seems to stick with me, that there were either 14 shootings or 14 people had been shot or something over maybe a three- or four-day period of time. And you talked about a recent meeting that you had with commanders about that particular issue and some of your expectations out of that. Can you give us a little more information about either the particular situation or your general view about how we're going to deal with 875 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) issues of crime and excessive violence and drug activity, especially when it's concentrated in a particular area, maybe gang warfare back and forth between groups or retaliation, turf warfare activity? Can you tell us what's going on with that?
Yes, sir. Last week we had approximately people shot. 10 (Hearing interrupted.) 11
You do have 12 right to speak, but you are not to interfere with 13 our hearings, sir. 14 Excuse me, sir. Just a moment, please. You can testify. Wait until our hearings are just about over. After the Prison Commissioner testifies, we'll be very happy to hear what you have to say. Presently, we're in a budget hearing and I am not going to have you interfere with our process. You're more than welcome to stay. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: The hearing is an hour late.
And so we understand that. We have been sitting here all day. We are not going to allow you interrupt our session. 876 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Thank you. Commissioner, please proceed.
They had approximately 5 shootings last week. And because of these 6 shootings -- there was one on Friday where eight 7 people were shot: Three people dead, two people 8 possibly could die. That was a concern of mine. 9 The main concern, I wanted to know from our 10 commanders what did we have in place to counteract 11 that. I wanted to know what did they know about 12 these particular shootings and what is our strategy 13 to make sure that these things will not happen 14 again. 15 In addition to that, I'm having a meeting today, if I'm out of City Council on time, with the District Attorney, the head of the DEA and also the head of Narcotics. I think we have to have a holistic-type approach. But the main focus on Saturday is that I was very concerned about these shootings. I feel as though the captains and the inspectors and the chief inspectors should be equally as concerned as I was that we did not have people going all over the City just committing shootings and we took it in stride, that we had to 877 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) fight back. We want to send a message that the Police Department is in charge of the City, not the drug dealers or not the people who are out there doing these particular shootings. If we identify these people, again, what strategy do we have in place to bring these people down. So I brought the Narcotics Bureau in, the Patrol Bureau in, the Detective Bureau in, everybody to sit down and strategize and talk about what did they know about the particular shootings, what have they done about the particular shootings, and what are they planning on doing about these shootings. And that is the reason why I had the meetings Saturday. I should not, at least in my opinion, have to tell a captain or inspector or chief what their problems are in their particular districts and what their plan should be. They should be telling me that there is a problem in their district and they should be telling me what their plans are. That should be on a continuous basis. That was myself, Deputy Commissioner Mitchell who's in charge of Operations, we sat at the meeting along with the person who's like the chief of staff to me, Inspector Tamperelli (ph), and we wanted them to 878 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) come back and tell us what are they going to do about it. The Chief Inspector Patrol went back to his particular bureau, he put a memorandum out yesterday. He wants them to identify what their strategies are by March 4th on how they can combat these particular things. What we do at COMSTAT is hold our captains and inspectors and chief accountable. We give them the flexibility and the authority to do the things that they have to do. But they have to explain to us what they're doing about the crime. And again, that's what the meeting was about Saturday.
Thank you, Commissioner. I'll be glad to have a conversation with you later -- and you've always made yourself available -- about a couple specific areas in the district I represent, parts of West Philadelphia, Winfield and Overbrook and some areas over in the 39th Police District as well that do need some particular concentrated attention. There appear to be a number of entities operating that are not only in the course of doing what they do are disruptive and destructive to the community, but also 879 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) apparently there is rivalry activity going on which is causing even more of a problem, and I'd like to talk to you about those specific areas. I think we can draw them out on a map and I'd like to make some progress on those.
Yes, sir, I will. What I said earlier is that I'm calling all the people, at least in the City of Philadelphia, who's involved in drug activity -- not so much drug activity, but who's involved in drug enforcement, law enforcement, to be able to communicate and work together starting today. In the following week, we're going to meet with all law enforcement agencies that we can sit down and come up with a strategy. Pat Mann who is the US Attorney is very amenable to the meetings that we're about to have. The federal sector has a lot of resources that we don't have. They have a lot of flexibility that we don't have. One of the problems that we're having in a lot of these shootings is that we cannot get witnesses to come forward. We're thinking about having a grand jury convene and start bringing people in and making them talk and give us information, every way that we can do to solve these problems. Because a lot people 880 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) are arrested, the Police Department are arresting them, but the witnesses are not showing up. And I can understand that because of a lot of them have to live in that particular neighborhood. But we have to put something in place to protect the witnesses and make sure they come in. Even some of the victims will not tell us who shot them. So I think the grand jury, whether it's a federal grand jury or a state grand jury, will be helpful to us. And our ideas, see how we can do to bring people in because some of the people we were looking for in last shooting have been arrested 9 and 10 times. We've identified who they are, but nobody will come to court to testify against them. We have to solve that problem.
Thank you. On another topic, on of your testimony, you talk about school safety. I'd like to talk about that particular issue with regard to some truancy issues and safety at the particular school buildings. Now, your testimony indicates that Deputy Commissioner Green reports both to you and the head of the School Reform Commission. How is that arrangement going to work going forward? 881 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) And I know for a fact -- and the School District has its own police force; is that right?
And so what, that police force is now under the jurisdiction of Deputy Commissioner Green?
And how is this dual reporting responsibility work? How can the Deputy Commissioner report both to you and to the head of School Reform Commission?
At this point, it's a little difficult. Maybe Commissioner Dexter Green can explain it. But right now his salary is paid by the School Board. And I think his responsibility at this point is to the School Board. We're going to sit down sometime in the very near future of how -- and we work very closely with one another. But at this point, he reports -- although he has the title Deputy Commissioner of Police, I guess his immediate boss would be the School Commissioner at this point. Maybe Commissioner Green can explain a little better than me. It's a little difficult at this point, but I think we can really straighten it out sometime in 882 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the very near future.
Dexter Green, Deputy Commission of External Affairs. And I also hold the title of Chief Safety Executive for the School District of Philadelphia, and in that role, I report directly to the CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, currently the acting CEO, Dr. Farmbry, reporting to her. I also report to the School Reform Commission under the leadership of Chairman Jim Nevels. And for me, it hasn't really been a problem holding both roles. At the School District, I'm accounting for and responsible for the School Police Department as well as -- there's another branch of my operation which is the prevention and intervention side of the house. And in doing both roles, it has worked out for me personally very well. On police issues, I report to Police Commissioner Johnson. On school issues, I report to Dr. Farmbry and the Reform Commission.
Aren't they all the 883 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) same? I mean, what's the difference?
For me there is no 4 difference because collectively and collaboratively we're both working for the same purpose.
Obviously, you know your job better than I do. I'm not going to question your judgment about it. On the other hand, just from a pure management standpoint, it seems to me that it is a little difficult -- I mean, notwithstanding your experience and your talent, it's a little difficult for a person to report to two totally different entities and maintain a certain level of accountability and responsibility. I mean, it would seem to me that the job needs to be in one place reporting to one entity about the nature of your work. And it's, obviously, very serious and very important. And maybe as the School Reform Commission goes forward or any other agreements that are made that that situation would get kind of squared away. I mean, if you're in charge of the School Police and school safety, it seems to me that you should be over at the School District or with the School Reform Commission because they're the new entity in charge. But I did 884 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) wonder about that. Now, the testimony also indicates that on average 13.6 percent of the total school student population was absent on any given day the 2000-2001 school year. Taking the school population, which generally reported in the newspaper is 212,000 students, that means 28,832 young people were absent from school on any given day last year?
And the testimony further indicates that at least 50 percent of the students were truant. What were the other 50 percent doing? They were sick that day?
They could very well be. The 13.6 percent, I think it was, includes all absences from school. It can be an excused absence.
14,000 kids absence from school for legitimate reasons?
On the 14,000 who were potentially truant, later in the testimony it says that in 2000-2001 the officers contacted and returned to school a total of 24,775 students across 885 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the City. Now, how many of those students were a one-time return to school and how many of those students were multiple returns to school in the course of that school year?
I don't have those numbers with me. But that's one of the things that we've been looking to kind of track that the District was not tracking before I got there.
So at the moment we don't know whether they returned, quote/unquote, 24,000 students who could actually be 5,000 students who were returned four times, we don't know what --
Now, what happens with these students when we return them to school and what contact do we have with their parents or other guardian?
The students are returned to what we call the age-appropriate school, so high school students are returned to high schools, middle school students are returned to middle schools. 886 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Anyone picked up in Center City is returned to the Truancy Center down in South Philadelphia.
Well, when you say that the various students are returned to a middle school or a high school, are they returned to their school?
They're returned to they're school if that's where they're picked up. If a kid is picked up in Olney Section of the City who goes to Overbrook, they're taken to Olney, not to Overbrook.
Even whether they go Olney or Overbrook or the Truancy Center, each school is supposed to have a program in place where they get, again, what they call age-appropriate education at those facilities. You asked me about the parental contact; and parents are notified.
What does that mean? Who notifies them and then what happens?
At the Truancy Center, that's Marilyn Carr who is the Principal at the 887 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Truancy Center notifies parents, and parents are -- she requests that parents come and pick their teenagers up.
Most of the time they do. I don't know if you've ever met or talked to Marilyn Carr; and if you haven't, I would suggest that you take a visit to that Truancy Center. I would say that 80 percent of the parents come and pick their kids up from the Truancy Center. That's not true at the middle and high schools.
Can you lay out for us by way of any of the various reports or data that you might have access to, I guess on a ZIP code basis, the truancy that was experienced last year if you can determine how many students were single one-time truant in the course of a school year, two-time, five-time, ten-time, any of this multiple discussion that we've had? And do you know after a parent has picked up their child from being truant 888 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) whether the child ended up back in the Truancy Center or had been determined to be truant at a later point in time?
I can't give you that for school year 2000-2001. I could probably give you that information for this year, for this current school year.
Is there an overall safety plan for the 264 schools in the School District?
That's a written document. It was written back on May 1st of 2001, and it was also the same document that we took before Judge Smith in September of 2001.
And does that mean that there are also safety plans for each school?
That is correct. 889 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
If you could get that information to us through the Chair, I would greatly appreciate it. Lastly, how is the plan working in the context of some of the incidents that we've read about or heard about in the news media recently?
I think we're moving forward, but there's still a lot of work to be done, particularly in the area of training with School Police Officers as well as making sure that all of the building administrators understand their role and responsibility in school safety.
What are your ideas or what would our proposal be to ensure to the greatest extent possible that our school buildings and the area around the schools is close to 100 percent safe for the students and the staff and the faculty?
One of the first things that we did do is this whole issue of deployment of the 490-plus School Police Officers that we have, plus the NTAs and noontime aids. What we did was come up with a deployment strategy based on incidents, truancy, suspensions, to kind of ensure that we're, 890 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) first of all, deploying the appropriate number of people to each school. The other two things I think that are extremely important is, one, to get the School Administration in this whole picture. And finally, I think it's to make sure that the community and parents are involved in this process. We can't leave them out.
Last question: What resources do you need to improve safety at schools?
If that's the answer, then say the answer. I mean, I asked the question, so ... I mean, I understand.
More money honestly would help, but before I go that far, what I'd like to see more of is other governmental agencies -- more collaboration with other governmental agencies, for example, the Managing Director was up here a little bit earlier talking about DHS, more cooperation between the agencies who can provide services for the school kids. A lot of these kids need other services that the school cannot provide. And I'd just like to see us work more collaboratively with 891 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) other agencies.
What kinds of things? I'm sure in the course of this budget process we can have a longer conversation about it. Whether it's financial resources or support services resources, is there a plan or have you been able to develop a plan that takes you from where things are today to where you'd like things to be in a year or two and what kind of cooperation are you talking about trying to either inspire or encourage and what kind of cooperation are you not getting today that ends up being an obstacle or a barrier to you being able to do your job?
When you see the copy of the Comprehensive Safety Plan, right in the Comprehensive Safety Plan are some suggestions and recommendations as to how we can sure up some of these collaborations. And to date, let me say this, the District Attorney's Office has been very active with the School District. DHS has been very active with the School District, and we hope to improve that. The court system, the Managing Director mentioned Judge Sylvester, has been very supportive and very active with the School District. And 892 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) hopefully, we intend to enhance those relationships, is the direction we'd like to go in.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have some other questions, but I'm sure my time is expired.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Madam President. Good afternoon, Commissioner. Thank you and the deputies and your department for all that you do for us in this City. We say thank you. My question to you is that I've been concerned about the move -- and maybe you can check this. I've been meaning to call you and ask you anyway. Maybe your people can check it out for me. I'm interested in misdemeanor court cases staying in the neighborhoods. So for the 18, for example, they have taken them out and everybody has to come to CJC. They've told me that, you know, it should be better because there, hearsay evidence is allowed so everybody doesn't have to come in town. But it creates a problem with seniors coming in town and 893 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) other people leaving their neighborhoods. And I believe the backlog -- and I'll deal with the courts when they come. I believe the backlog of cases may go down because people won't complain, but I believe the quality of life in neighborhoods will be decreased with this new move. I've talked to the judge about it, Seamus McCaffery, and apparently this has already happened. My question to you is, in your opinion or can you check for me to see if it makes a big different whether officers are at CJC or in the neighborhoods. Does it really matter? Does it affect the amount of money that the Police Department would spend for overtime? That's what I'm told, but common sense tells me that it's not so.
Well, I think what happens a lot of times, you have an officer who may be going to Municipal Court at the same time subpoenaed the Common Pleas Court. If he's going the Municipal Court, sometimes he's in the district and the problem that we're experiencing is that he may be in the 18th District and his case is being called CKC. And what happens with a lot of the judges is that if the officer is not there, they're dismissing the 894 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) cases. He can't be at both places. The other thing what I understand is that a lot attorneys are using the same excuse, that I can't be in CKC because I have to be in the District Court. Well, at least what was explained to me, if we have them all in the same building they just have to go floor to floor. We have them centralized and it will be better for the police officer and better for the attorneys because a lot of attorneys use the excuse, I can't come to court that particular day or I can't come to the hearing that day. And what you have are a lot of the victims frustrated because the case is scheduled three and four different times; the lawyer can't appear, the police officer can't appear. Where if we have them all in a centrally located place, then the excuse that I can't get there or I can't appear because I'm someplace else, they would eliminate that because they're all in a central location. But what I will do is research that. It has nothing to do with the overtime. It's just sometimes the officer who is in the Divisional Court may have an additional case in another court and he can't be at that one place. 895 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) The Police Department has really enhanced the amount of arrests that we've made, so the numbers are up. Although our numbers are up and our staff has been built up, the court system hasn't built theirs up. And a lot of times they can't handle all those cases. So I'm not saying they use excuses to get rid a lot of the cases, but we have a lot of cases that are being dismissed just for the mere fact that the officer is not there. And sometimes he's in the building and may have three or four different cases. But if he's not there at the time that the case is brought up and the defense counsel may come up with the idea, well, he's not here. And the judge is, well, dismissed. And he might be on another floor. But I will look into that. I will research that and we will do everything we can to make it better for the victim because sometimes they're victimized twice.
Thank you. I'll send you the information I have. And listen, 9 times out of 10 they're probably stuck outside trying to get in the building. That's a big issue, too. CJC can't even accommodate this increased 896 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) level. The new reportings we've had in the paper, about people getting in the building, I contend, are because the CJC can't handle that. So some cases are getting dismissed simply because people are trying to get in the building when their case is called. But at any rate, I'll send you the background information I have. I just wanted to know the part that the Police Department played. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Commissioner, again, congratulations. You've come a long way in the Philadelphia Police Department. Based on some of the testimony that we heard this morning, it appears that there might be some difficulty down the road having enough police officers, at least that was my interpretation, where we need them to be in the neighborhoods. And that 897 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) leads me to an issue that I've discussed here before, but not too much really came of it. And again, I don't want to go in depth here, but here's what I'd like to know, and you tell me the detail you can give me. I would like to know how much money we spend, the Philadelphia Police Department, in the Highway Patrol Division's budget to patrol I-95, Schuylkill Expressway, Woodhaven Road, Vine Street Extension. And again, not to belabor it here, but I believe it is the responsibility of the Pennsylvania State Police, and we patrol that as a courtesy. And I believe we have -- and you don't have to tell me how many police officers, but I would like to know -- and you can provide the information to the Chair. I'm sure you don't have that number with you today. But I'd like to know how much money we spend hours a day, 7 days a 19 week, 365 days a year to patrol those roadways when 20 it's the responsibility of the Pennsylvania State 21 Police. 22
Well, again, in my 23 opinion, I think we spend too much money. I don't 24 know the specifics, but Highway Patrol when it was beefed up in December or November of 1997 with the 898 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) idea that they'd be a rapid response team, that they would be out there to go into the crime areas and go out and fight crime any time we needed a large amount of police officers at one time, they would be ready to respond and that could bring a whole group at one time. Without giving you the specific numbers, half of Highway Patrol is on the expressway. The fact that they are on the expressway has taken -- we don't have the ability to have a rapid response team anymore. If we can eliminate that, however, and go on to crime-fighting, which they were originally meant for, it would be a benefit to everyone. But, as I said, I don't know how we can do that. As long as the State is not patrolling, it is our responsibility to patrol it. But I would love to see Highway Patrol in the areas in the communities fighting crime where I think they should be. In addition to being a limited amount on the expressway, but if the State Police took over the entire expressways and the roads, it would really help us out quite a bit.
I'm sure it would, Commissioner, and that's why I don't want to belabor 899 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) and explain to maybe people that aren't up on the issue the actual details. Now, Commissioner, there's another area -- and I know the 800 megahertz radio system is slowly approaching the Philadelphia Police Department. But something that I've observed recently and it's really troubling me and it's something that we all have probably lived with the best part of our lives. It has to do what we call, at least on the street, wreck chasing. Commissioner, when there's a vehicle accident in the City of Philadelphia, many times two, three tow trucks are at the scene of a vehicle accident before the police, just there waiting in prey to get someone to sign a paper to have their vehicle towed away from the road and sometimes to sign away, make a commitment that they're not even aware of, to repair the automobile. Commissioner, I don't know what we can do, but it appears to the public, and I've received calls about it, that the police -- I don't know at this point whether it is legal. I observed on the expressway, on the Schuylkill Expressway recently, where there was a minor fender-bender and the whole shoulder of the road had 900 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) tow trucks there that were monitoring police radio, which I believe is not legal. There's an ordinance 4 that says who can listen in, the media and other organization that can legally monitor the police radio. But most of the tow trucks have T Band, have police radio in there. And again, like I mentioned, they're there before the police in many cases. Are the police, are they supposed to be saying to those tow truck drivers, "Get out of here, you're interfering with a police process here"? I know it must be reassuring to see all these tow trucks, but they're fighting for the wreck. We all know about wreck chasers, that they go out and they snag these cars and tow them to their favorite body shop and get a piece of the action. But I think it's personally starting to disturb me to see every time there's a vehicle accident, whether it be on the Boulevard, whether it be on the Expressway or I-95, this windup of tow trucks there just waiting to snatch one of these wrecked cars. And the police eventually arrive and the tow trucks seem to be able to stay there. I don't know, is it legal? Is it appropriate? What can we do to deal with this situation? 901 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Well, it is and it has been a concern of mine before. Because a lot of times we have these accidents, a lot of times it's the person's first accident, they don't know how to respond or they might be injured and they might sign something that they're not cognizant of what they're doing. I'm going to have our people who will be able to look into that problem. We had a problem maybe four or five years ago that we felt as though, and I'm trying to be very candid with you, that some of the police officers may be collusion with some of the tow truck people that they're pushing some away and accepting others. That became a problem also. But I think it's a serious problem that we have to look at and solve, and I'm willing to do that. We'll get back to you with our results.
Commissioner, I think it's important. I think the obvious part of the problem and I think we'll have to deal with it, when you cut over to the new communication system, the ability for -- and I'm already getting calls from various people asking me how they're going to be able to monitor the new police communication system. 902 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) So that in itself might put them out of business, but there will be scabs out there that will probably bootleg and give them the ability to monitor police radio. But I think if there is a law that prohibits tow trucks from monitoring police radio, then they ought to be either confiscated or arrested by the police officers at the scene when these wreck chasers show up. I think that should be the first step if in fact it is illegal for them to have it, and I believe it is.
It is my understanding that it is not illegal for them to have it.
I read the ordinance 15 and it's very specific because that ordinance was written back in the 70's. It states the media, and nowhere in there does it say that private tow truck operators are permitted to monitor police radio. I hate to disagree with you. I might be wrong and I'll apologize.
I apologize to you if I am wrong. But what I will do is I'll have it researched today and I will get back to you today. If the law is they cannot monitor and they come to a location and they're not supposed to be there and 903 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) they have a radio, then we will enforce that. I don't have a problem enforcing anything that's on the books. But let me research that and have our attorneys research that to find out whether it is or not. I'm not positive myself.
And I'm recollecting that that ordinance was written to prohibit that from occurring. There might be authorized tow trucks that have that ability, but I don't believe that that is the regulation. And again, I don't want to say too much here, but the problem that we had which motivated that was burglars were monitoring police radio, and the minute they heard the call go out, they beat it.
Councilman, I will research that today. I will get back to your office today.
And Commissioner, the indication that you'd be supportive of the Pennsylvania State Police to some degree, either overlapping I think is a good move because we could use those officers in Highway to fight crime. Not that they're not fighting crime out there on the roadway, they are. But if somebody else would pick 904 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) up the tab to do that or at pay us to do it. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Miller.
Thank you, Madam President. Good afternoon, Commissioner and Deputy Commission, and congratulations.
I have a couple questions. I just want to follow up and make some comments and ask for your input concerning the troubled corners. In my district there's one corner in particular that I ride past almost every day on my way home. And I know some of the guys on that corner are selling marijuana and I'm not sure whether other drugs are being sold there. But the 14th District has targeted that corner and they've 905 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) arrested at least one individual several times. But what baffles us in the neighborhood is that he gets arrested, he gets out, and he comes right back to the exact same corner each time. If we rode there right now, he'd probably be on that corner. Do you think that there's some way that the community at this point could partner with the police to free this corner? It's a troubled corner. There's a store on the corner. It's my understanding people like those types of corners because people are coming there to go to the store anyway. It's just a good place to be on the corner of a neighborhood store. Do you think there's anything to do? We were talking about having a sit-in.
I was up in the 14th District not too long ago on a real cold night on one corner. And as we were sitting out there freezing, they were inside looking at us laughing. It didn't solve anything that particular night except us being out. I think you have other cities where a person is arrested and they go to court and they are found guilty, one of the stipulations for their 906 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) release or their probation is that they're not allow to associate with certain people or they will not be allowed to go back on that corner or designated corners that they can frequent. I think we are going to have to bring the judges into this as one stipulation of the patrol. But I think the important thing is that the community and the police do work together to take over these corners. A lot of times what we find is people who are selling drugs on the corners who are arrested, and I'll check our record, numerous amount of time, 4 or 5 or 10 times that they go to court. And the judges in their court rooms have to take this serious. It's more so than just a release -- a lot of times if it's not a violent-type crime they're arrested for, normally they get out on nominal bail and they come right back on those same corners. And the only thing we can do is arrest them again. It sometimes became a problem with the police officer; why should we arrest them and he's going to get back out? My opinion is arrest him again. We will continue to do our job. And now the courts are going to have to do their jobs. So I think by working together and communicating with one 907 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) another and networking that we can solve this problem. I think the drug markers are important, but I'm not sure whether they're as effective now as they were at one time before, because they just move to another corner. Or they get rid of that corner that particular day, but they come right back as soon as the police officers or the community leaves. But it has to be some way that we can say to the citizens of Philadelphia that we're just not going to let drug sellers take over our community. And my intention is to arrest, but not just take them locally, but take them federally because there's a different penalty when they go federally. And I think that we can solve the problem as long as we work together and communicate with one another.
Okay. Because we'll probably be meeting with someone at the 14th District to figure out how we can tackle that corner. There are some other corners in that particular neighborhood that we worked on over the years, and we've been very successful. But this individual's head is just real hard, and I guess he just thinks he's just going to operate his business there ongoingly. 908 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) I was in the Caucus Room, I guess about a month ago, and I did see part of the Heads Up Program. And I thought that that was really a good program. I mean, it told me a whole bunch and a whole lot about drugs and, unfortunately, the violence that goes along with it. How are you using the program and where are you using it and when? I know you should be using it in schools. I missed the beginning of the introduction of the Heads Up Program, but I thought it was a really good prevention program, educational program, not just for children, but also for adults.
The program -- to give you an idea of what the program consists of, the first 10 minutes of the program is prisoners from Graterford Prison talking about their life experiences. And most of the ones that are talking are from Philadelphia. After they've talked and give them an idea of how it is to be in prison, we have Philadelphia Police Officers who will give you history and identification or definition of all the drugs, heroine, cocaine, the different types of drugs. And they will show pictures of different drug houses and drug corners. In addition to that, 909 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) after they show the pictures, it's pretty graphic, they actually show films of people who have died because of drugs. And in the film you will see Belushi, Jimi Hendrix, people who are known entertainers, rich people to show these kids that it's not just affecting the younger kids or poor, it's affecting everybody. So after that, we actually show pictures of kids who have overdosed and who have been killed because of the drugs. But in addition to that, after that is done, then we have people from the rehab community and the ex-offenders that will talk to the audience. After that, we have parents who have lost their children because of guns or because of violence because of drugs. So what you have is a partnership at one location between prisoners or inmates, the Police Department, ex-offenders, rehab community, parents everyone working together to try to solve our problem. When you deal with drugs and you go to the different schools, it's all about choices. And one bad choice can ruin your entire life. We try to send that message to the children. So far we've been in front of approximately 27,000 children in 910 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the City of Philadelphia and we've been to almost all of the public and Arch Diocese schools, the high schools, and most of the junior high schools. We've been as far as Delaware. We've been over Jersey five or six times. We've been up in Harrisburg. We go anywhere we're invited to no matter what the time is because we think it's that important. The other thing, the officers that are presenting this program are normally volunteers. They go on a voluntary basis and at night they're out there on the street with the narcotics strike force enforcing the law. And the amount of times that we've shown it, we get additional photographs and additional parents want to be involved in this because drugs affect everyone. It doesn't make any difference whether your black or white, rich or poor. If you get yourself involved in drugs, it's going to ruin your life. But it will not just ruin your life, it ruins everybody's life that you're going to come in contact with.
Can community groups call and request that the Heads Up Program come out to community meetings?
We've been out to 911 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) community places, we've been to YMCA, we've been to churches. We will go anywhere we're invited to. We will go if the crowd is people or if it's a 5 thousand people. Wherever we're invited to, we will 6 show up. 7
You can call Chief Rooney 10 at (215) 685-1119 or 1120. They normally set up the schedule. And, again, we will go anywhere we're invited to no matter how the big the crowd is. You give us the date and time, and we will be there.
Good. I have a couple more questions. For the past, I guess, year and a half, I've Chaired a Task Force on Dangerous Dogs. I have a couple questions that talks about dangerous dogs and what's happening here in Philadelphia in relationship to the Police Department and just have some recommendations. Representatives from the Police Department served on the task force, representatives of the Research and Development and K-9 Unit. One of the recommendations that came out of the task 912 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) force was that we would like police wagons to be equipped with the animal control device. And I think currently you do have some of the these devices. Would you happen to know how many devices do you have, you know, that stick with that wire on the end?
I'm not sure how many we have now. I know at one time we had the dog nooses in the wagon. I'm going to have to research that and look into that. A lot of times we would respond if there was a vicious dog. And we had a problem with that because what happens, we would respond and we would wind up shooting the dog eventually. That became a problem with the SPCA. So it's something that we really have to work out and look into.
How do you rate the call just in terms of when you prioritize calls to respond to from citizens when someone calls and says they're being attacked or there is attack by a dog, a vicious dog. We just changed the name from "vicious" to "dangerous," but we mean the same thing. Because as you know and as we all know, there's been an increase, and we see it as a very serious public safety and quality of life issue in 913 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) neighborhoods. People that are accustomed to going out and taking walks in the morning and jogging for exercise are frightened to do that now because of the increased presence of dangerous-type dogs running through neighborhoods. If someone calls, how do you prioritize that call?
If they're saying they're being attacked, it's a top priority. We will respond right away. If it's a vicious dog out there that may be cornered, it's still a priority, but it's not the top as it is if a person is being attacked. If the call comes in that there is a vicious dog and is attacking somebody, then that is a priority call and we will respond right away, immediately.
We are also requesting that two police officers in each district be trained on the proper usage of the animal control device. We just want the Police Department to keep people trained in the area of animal control because the incidents of crime and injuries from these dogs is just growing, not just here in Philadelphia, but across the nation and, in fact, across the world. So we don't want you to forget that that type of 914 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) training is important and that we want police personnel trained to be able to respond to these dog attacks. And also, I think that that's probably something that should be added under the Neighborhood Services Unit because it is a quality of life issue out in the neighborhoods right now. We're working on legislation, we're continuing to work on that and there's a companion piece of legislation that was introduced at the State, I believe it may have been introduced last week, and we're going to have the State Department of Agriculture that controls the animal laws will be coming here to Philadelphia to hold hearings on this issue.
We will be glad to be a part of that and we'll also be glad to be a part of the solution of that, so whenever you set these particular hearings up or whatever concerns you have, we'll be willing to talk to you at any time that you want to sit down and talk. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: May I say something, please. I know there's protocol, but I just want to say this is blessing. We're proud of you. We think you are doing a hell of a job. We 915 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) know you got a hard job. We know you got a hard job taking over for Mr. Timoney, but God bless you. And you Councilmembers, thank you for going back to work. President Verna, we love you. Okay, I'll leave. This is usual. I always get put out. I mean, things are going as normal. I usually get escorted out.
I have one more question on school safety. You asked the question earlier about whether any Councilmembers had been at COMSTAT, and I have been to COMSTAT. Lately I've been hearing about some serious reports of school violence at Cleveland, Gratz, and Gillespie. Those schools are in my district. And I was wondering do you use COMSTAT or will you be using COMSTAT to address violent crime, tracking of violent crime in schools? And are you satisfied that the reporting of these crimes by principals make the data relevant?
We're planning on joining forces with Deputy Commissioner Green, and I think it would be important that we have school COMSTAT. At the same time, I think we're looking to the fact that -- I mean, there's no doubt there's some 916 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) problems in the school. We would like to see that any crime that is reported in the school is immediately reported to the Police Department. I think we're working in that direction. There's a lot of disciplinary problems that happens in the schools that sometimes the principal is in charge or the School Board is in charge, like a small fight or some other disciplinary problems. But if a teacher is punched in the face or there's a criminal act committed, then the Police Department wants to be involved in it right away. The fact that we have a Deputy Commissioner over there, we now have an Inspector over to the School Board, we have six captains that are involved and meet with the principals on a continuous basis that we joined that liaison because if it's unsafe in the school, it's going to be unsafe outside the school. We have to have a coordination between what's going on in the school, what's happening in the school because they interact with one another. So we've been meeting with the people from the School Board. Dexter, even though he has another boss, he has three bosses I believe, but I'm one of them. So it's very important to me that we work very closely with the 917 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) School Board and we will work out these problems. School safety is a top priority in our administration.
I was at a Home and School meeting at one of the high schools, I guess, two weeks ago, and I did meet a police person and he explained to me how the new structure is and how they're assigned -- he may have been a sergeant; I'm not sure. But also, the principal expressed how happy she was that now she doesn't have to be directly responsible for school safety but the Police Department will be doing that now I guess in partnership with her and she thought that the new structure and new assignment of police officers was really good, the way it's assigned now.
Do you have these officers assigned to all of the comprehensive high schools.
Well, the officers inside the school are School Police Officers. The officers that are assigned outside the school are normally Philadelphia Police Officers. The six captains are Philadelphia Police Officers. The inspector is a 918 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Philadelphia Police Officer. The Deputy Commissioner is a Philadelphia Police Officer. So but actually inside the school, they are School Police Officers whose responsibility and authority is inside the school. Because, again, once outside the school, it becomes a Philadelphia Police Department responsibility. But if there's a crime that happens inside the school, that is still our responsibility and we will go into that school.
Now that we've had -- I guess, most of the high schools have had that monitoring, that electronic --
Right. I think you've had them now for about a year in schools.
Well, some schools didn't have them before and then they got them recently or more recent than the others. At some point perhaps, Deputy Commissioner Green, when we have our School District hearings, I'd like to know how effective that mechanism has been in terms of number of incidents of crime and violence and 919 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) trespassing in particular, okay? Thank you. One other question. Commissioner, I have four police districts in the 8th District, the 39th, the 14th, the 35th and, of course, a small portion of the 25th. And it has become increasing difficult to develop a good working relationship, ongoing continuity with captains, particularly in the 14th and the 39th because they're consistently transferred. Now, we've talked in the past about this, and I'm not talking about a transfer that happens as a result of a promotion because I know that that's going to happen in the 39th. I believe the captain there has passed a test for inspector and will be moving on. But some of those transfers have not been due to promotions. And it's really hard when you're working with captain, you're working well, the community starts to get to know them, the captain starts to get to know the community, and they're gone. And particularly in a district like the 39th, there's no administrative or executive officer there and so there's no 23 continuity. So presently when Captain Horn leaves, you know, there's just nobody there. So in the 39th we have two issues, turnover of captains, no 920 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) administrative officer. And in the 14th, I did talk to you about Captain Dorsey and requested that she continue at the 14th District if her leaving was not due to promotion. And at some point, we really need to sit down and talk about it because it is a concern of mine, of my constituents. We work really hard to build relationships with the captains, and then before you know it, they're gone and then we have to start all over again. In the last year or two years, we've changed -- the last three years we've had three captains at the 14th, and it seems like Castro was just at the 39th and Horn came. Now Horn's going to be gone. It just makes our job a little bit more difficult. And certainly, our relationship with the Police Department is vital and key because of the crime and violence that goes on in our neighborhoods. So we need to be able to build good working relationships. But the players change so often, it makes our job harder.
There are a couple reasons -- there's more than a couple reasons sometimes why captains leave. Sometimes in a real busy district, it's at the captain's request that he's there for two or three years. He gets burned 921 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) out and he requests to leave. There's other times that the administrators in the department, from myself to my executive officers, feel that a captain's not doing what he's supposed to do. And sometimes our responsibility is to make sure that we put the right person in those particular districts. There is some sort of incidents that are happening up there, and my feelings is that, and I believe it, that a captain should be a captain no matter what district he goes to, that he should be able to come to a district and step right in where the captain has left. It's very important to me that the captain is in communication with the particular district so when he arrives there, he should talk to the community people, he should talk to the politicians, get himself familiarized with what's going on. But he's a police captain getting police salary. And I know there's liaisons built there, but there's a lot of different reasons why captains are moved besides promotions. And I know the captain that you're talking is that sometimes in real bad places, we have to put certain people there. And I don't want to go into their personal problems, but there's times that captains that were 922 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) in the 14th District that have came and asked because of personal problems in their own families that they have that they would like to get something a little more amenable to what they're doing because the area that you cover is some of the most busiest districts in the City. And by it being very, very busy, after two or three years -- the average life of a captain in any district is two or three years before they get burned out because they go to community meetings and they're constantly moving and going. So I try to be amenable to those requests. But if there is something that happens that I feel as though that they violated departmental policy, they've done something that's demeaning to the department, to the community, then sometimes we may have to move them. But we always try to put a good captain in those positions. And we really have decided to pay patrol captains even more money than other captains get paid because we know it's a taxing job. But we will always try to work along with you. And from now on, if there is a move, I will call you up and tell you what captain you're about to get. And for a period of time when he comes there, he should be in communication with 923 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) you and should be able to work with the community. But every captain should be able to do that.
We understand that. What about what you call an administrative or executive officer at the 39th? The 39th is pretty busy.
Well, you know, my personal feelings again, and it is my feelings and it might change if someone else takes over my position, we had one captain in every district in the history of the Police Department up until four years ago. And it is his responsibility to run that district, the one captain. And when we came up with COMSTAT, I think we used some of the administrative captains as a crutch, that I'm so busy that I need another captain to be there for me. And sometimes it brings conflicts if you two captains there. I really believe that one captain has and should be able to run a district. There doesn't need to be two captains running that district. If he has officers there, say even in the 39th District, and we go by priority. We go by the amount of crime that's happening in that particular district, we go by the incidents happening in that district, we go 924 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) by the 911 calls in that district. And we have A Districts and we have B Districts. Right now the 39th is an A district. It may become a B District. But I really feel that a captain should be able to handle a patrol district. They always have. And in the future, we might go back to one captain again, that they have the administrative captain, they have the administrative lieutenant, they have the administrative sergeant. And then sometimes we have the problem we don't have enough people on the street. We've got to stop being administrative and put them where they belong, and they belong on the street out there patrolling.
Well, I think the 39th may change from an A to a B District because of the change in its boundaries. I think the change is working well. We had a really big thing welcoming Castro to our district. And before you knew it, he was gone. But the 39th is doing a good job in the area that it has expanded to. I think that's one of the reasons why it may change from an A to a B. I did not know originally that there were so few calls coming out of the 39th, but I believe with the increase activity, neighborhood activity that the 925 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) 39th could potentially change from an A to a B. It's just that when you have other districts and everybody else has an administrative captain, then you just think, Well, why doesn't the 39th have one? If it's based on volume and activity, then I can understand why there's no administrative officer there. I'd just like to continue to have dialog about what's going on in the districts.
Councilwoman, we have a number of other Councilmembers --
I'm finished. That's my last question. So I just want to make you understood that really impacts the community when we change captains all the time. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
And congratulations. And I want to thank you and the Police Department for all the good services you provide to us in the 9th District and particularly to the 14th for Vernon Road.
I apologize. I had a 926 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) o'clock meeting with the District Attorney and the head of the DA and I just asked Commissioner Mitchell to start the meeting for me. So I apologize that I didn't hear. I just want to have him go over there so we can start this meeting. It's all about drugs and crime.
Okay. I just want to thank you for the 14th District and Vernon Road. My questions are very minor. One, I just want you to know that we have a very serious problem -- mine is minor. I support everything else that's been said about drugs. But the other issue we have is enforcement of no truck parking in a residential neighborhood. I'm talking about these big large tractor-trailers. They should be ticketed whether there's a sign or no sign. You don't have to answer, I just want you to know.
They're just proliferating everywhere. So we want them ticketed, okay? The other thing is bike patrol. I wanted to know if the Police Department is going to 927 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) be able to put bike patrol on the street? And do we have to engage the business community in helping pay for that? I think it ought to be something that comes out of the Police Department's budget.
I think at this point we have enough bikes. At least that's my belief. We're going to have bike training sometime in the very near future. The only problem that we have sometimes -- as a matter of fact, I would prefer that the community don't buy the bikes because when they buy bikes, they feel as though they own the bikes and the officers. When they buy the bikes, they want the officers in certain locations, so I would rather it comes out Police Department budget and put the officers there and we can put them there where we need them. But there's going to be training for bike officers in the near future. We have bikes available, and I'll be willing to sit down and talk to you to make sure that you get your people there.
The Chair 928 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
I want to go back to one thing President Verna said. We don't have a full complement of crossing guards hired, right, Commissioner Nestel, you said that? How many are we missing?
Oh, yes. As a matter of fact, what we normally do is try to get five at a time so that we can train them and get them uniformed and get them out there.
Do you have the list of the schools that are missing those crossing guards?
I'm sure our Patrol 929 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Division does. That's who they report to. And the answer to that would be yes.
We'd like to have that because we'd like to know because I've been pushing that for a long time and I get inquiries about crossing guards from all over the City. So if you can give us that, I would really appreciate it.
And what is the projected time line for securing the full complement?
I can't tell you that, but I will check into it and get back to you. I can tell you that they hire them as quickly as they can and get them trained and get them out on those corners. But I will get back to you with that.
Commissioner, before I get into the other questions I have, I'm always interested and I ask this question every year. What is the status of Latino recruitment into the Police Department? What is the current percentage of the police force that is Latino? And if we have a breakdown of the numbers of Latino by captains, inspectors, sergeants, on down the line. 930 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
I'm not sure of every rank. And I'm not exactly sure of the percentage, but I think the percentage is -- while we're finding this, I'll say I have a strong working relationship with Salea (ph).
As a matter of fact, what happened was that they were planning on giving the test in November. Commissioner Timoney met with Salea. Salea requested that they delay the test for a full month while they went out there and recruited. And they did a well job in recruiting a lot of Latino officers. Only going by memory of what I believe is current, I know we have one Latino inspector. I think we have a Latino captain.
One. I'm not sure how many lieutenant's we have. I know we have at least maybe two or three. I'm not sure the amount of sergeants, but I believe the percentage of Latinos on the department is a reflection of the Latinos in the community or in the City at the police rank above the rank of patrolman, I believe. But what I will do, and I will do that today, is be able to get 931 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) back to you with the specific numbers of every rank that they have and what the percentages are based on the population of the City.
We used to have a policy in which percent of every class was 7 recruited from the Latino community and so on. I 8 know Timoney changed that. I don't know, because he 9 said that he felt that it could go higher. I don't 10 know whether that happened, whether it did go higher or not. But out of the classes, what's the numbers that you're expecting to have in the following classes that you're recruiting?
I believe, and Commissioner Estelle can probably verify it more so, but I believe in the last recruitment classes, the percentage were pretty good. Is that correct? From natural hiring.
From the natural hiring, our last couple classes have actually been more than 10 percent Latino.
Could we have some of that information available so that we can look at it?
I will have it for you 932 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) later on today or first thing tomorrow morning.
Commissioner, what is the status of Operation Sunrise? I like to tell folks that the concept of Operation Sunrise was in place before Timoney came on board, and I know that was part of your creation when you were Deputy Commissioner. But it was aimed at attacking the warehouse problem with drugs in the east, East Division. How has that been affected? Is the East Division still the warehouse of heroin and crack cocaine, or has that changed?
Philadelphia still has the most pure heroin in the nation. Of any other City in the nation, Philadelphia heroin is the most pure. I think over in East Division, and I look at the violent crimes, the reduction of violent crimes went down, the shootings and the homicides. After we took over -- we went on four phases and we were in our last phase, Phase 4, which encompass Ninth and Indiana, which I thought was the worst drug corner in the entire City. From Sunrise we went to Operation Take Back and Operation Take Back was at the time that I put police officers down there just to be visible. I wasn't concerned about arrests 933 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) because we made a major drug -- we took down a major drug organization that was supplying not only to East Division, but all other areas in the City. And when we took that corner down, we decided that we weren't going to give that corner back up. So right now -- and I ride by there every day because I took it personally, especially that corner, Ninth and Indiana. And I take all the drugs and the shootings personal. We still have a long way to go. It took us 25, 30 years to get into the condition that we're in today, and it's going to take us a while to get out of the condition. But I think the perception, if you talk to the citizens down there, that it's a lot better. At one time, 70 percent of the drugs that was coming to the City of Philadelphia was coming to East Division; 48 percent of the entire drug arrests for the City of Philadelphia, East Division; one-third of our entire homicide for the City of Philadelphia, east division. And I admittedly say constantly the Police Department totally and completely let go along with other agencies had let go. So we had to change the mind-set of the Department. We have to change the 934 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) mind-set of the community. And when we first went down there, we made numerous amounts of arrest. And I analyzed that. After making the amounts of arrests we made and not realizing that it was changing quality of life, that we have to go into something different. I decided to go into the rehab community because we have these reverse things down there and we would take over a drug corner and we would replace the drug sellers with police officers and in four hours maybe we would lock up a hundred people. Well, if you're an addict and you're arrested and you spend 48 hours in jail, when you come out you're still an addict. So we had to do something completely different. So when I went to rehab community and started talking with them to get them involved with this type of thing, right now we have something new that started. When we take over a drug corner and we replace them with police officers, as the buyers come in and we arrest the buyers, we take them to our command post. At the command post there's a District Attorney and also people from rehab. If a person signs up right then to go into rehab, they won't be arrested. We have to start going into prevention, we have to start 935 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) going into treatment, we have to start going to education. But as far as East Division, I'm not satisfied with the entire thing in East Division or in other parts of the City. But I think it's 75 percent better today than it was four years ago.
What are the numbers? How have the numbers? Changed from 70 percent to what now?
What about the drugs in terms of the amount of drugs stored, warehoused in the area?
Well, I don't think -- the suppliers never came to East Division. You would have some stash houses there, but working along with the DEA and the FBI and the District Attorney's Office, we've taken down 25, 30 major organization. So as we change our tactics, so have they changed theirs with the idea that they don't carry as much drugs no more as they did at one time because a lot of times they take them federally. They get sentenced on the amount of drugs they have on their 936 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) possession. At one time in North Philadelphia or in East Division they run a corner between 1500 and 2,000 a week to rent a drug corner.
Well, they're still renting them. I don't know if the rent came down or the rent went up, but they're still renting them. But at the same time, we don't have as many drug corners. But we don't go by corners any more, we go by complaints.
The to 30 14 organizations, were these all in the East Division 15 or across the City? 16
The 25 to 30 big 18 organizations that you took out -- 19
We had some in South 20 Philadelphia. Most of them were in East Division. 21 It's still -- from my experience and from my 22 knowledge, a lot of our drugs are coming from New 23 York right to East Division. We have I-95 here with 24 the seaport still coming to the East Division and 25 then they distribute to other places, the heroin and 937 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the cocaine. A lot of the marijuana are still coming in maybe South Philadelphia or other areas. But most of the organizations that are supplying drugs in the City are still located in East Division. That's where their supply is at and that's where -- not so much the warehouses, but the dealers are at. But it's been reduced quite a bit. And that's why the meeting today is very important because we're meeting with people who can assist us in that, the DEA, with the FBI, with the District Attorney, with Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, and we have people assigned to all these different agencies. We have to work together. We have to communicate with one another. But the other thing we have to do is, again, and I know all police officers don't agree with me, traditional policing will not solve this problem. We will never arrest our way out of this problem. Those who sell drugs live in our neighborhoods. Those who buy drugs come from outside the neighborhood. 35 percent of the people that we arrest come from outside the City.
Do you have numbers on that? Do you have statistics in terms of 938 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) documentation that shows that and able to provide it to us so we can look at it?
Not only do we have the numbers, we have the names and addresses. What we were doing a lot of times, when we lock up a person who lives outside the City, we will contact the area that he lives in. In other words, if he lives in Collingsdale, whatever street, we would call up that police chief there, give them the name of the person and what they were arrested for so they can put it in their local paper or at least they can be on the lookout with the idea -- because a lot of times people come to Philadelphia, buy our drugs, it's pure, it's available, it's cheap. They take it back and the cut it down. And where are they're a buyer here, they become a dealer in their own townships.
Through COMSTAT, you're able now to really detail how the drug dealers are moving around in the neighborhood? When one corner is being hit by police officers and your folks are around, you're able to trace those movements?
Well, we're able to trace their movements by a lot of things, but I think we 939 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) have to go into the different -- we've got to go into the wiretapping. We have to go into confidential informants. We have to do a whole lot of things that we've never done before. We're doing that. A lot of the information that we receive from the federal sector who has a lot more money than what we have, they like these long-term investigations. It might take them a year or two years to bring certain organizations down. We can't afford that in the City of Philadelphia because our organizations are not only dealing in drugs but they're dealing in violence. We have to attack the violence on a continuous basis right away. As many cases that I can possibly do -- and I've talked to the District Attorney and the U.S. Attorney who is concerned about this. As many people that we can take federally is to our advantage that they don't go to the local courts because a lot of times when you go to the local courts, they go to the Municipal Court hearing and they're out. They intimidate people. They do a lot of things. They're well organized. And we have to be as well organized as they are and better. And I think, at least in my opinion, we are more organized and better than they 940 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) are. We have a lot of law enforcement people in the City of Philadelphia. We have to work together. It doesn't make any difference who gets the credit for a big arrest. The people who gets the credit and that really benefit from it is the citizens of the Philadelphia. So at one time four or five years ago we wouldn't even talk to one another. That is no 9 longer the case. Law enforcement has combined. Law enforcement are working together and we're trying to change and will change the quality of life in Philadelphia.
What's the current number of police officers in the department?
Our goal and objective at this point is to make the 7,000 that we have go out there and work and deploy them and in the proper and in the right places.
The Council President was talking about the retiring, the DROP factor, the other aspects of the police. 941 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
I think at this point what we want to do is keep the same level of police at least stated at 7,000 that we gave present today. Now, with this DROP Program which is going to hurt us, that's why these promotions are beneficial to us. And we're going to have more promotions in the same time the hiring, but we don't want to lower the standards at all; and I don't think the standards have been lowered. We can only train so many people at so many times. I think Deputy Commissioner Estelle has put in place the most aggressive hiring practice that we can possibly do at this point. I don't think anyone anticipated so many people joining the DROP Program, especially all the command staff, but it's happened and we have to be able to react to it. And I think we are planning and reacting to it.
Have you been able to computerize every car right now? Do you have computers in ever patrol car?
And they are totally 942 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) connected so that they can really get quick to information?
How has that been functioning? What has been the results of it.
Well, we've had some problems. And I'm in communication with Deputy Commissioner. We have a Deputy Commission just charged to technology and he's constantly looking for improvements and doing improvements. We have some repairs that we have to do and some more innovative things that we have to do. My whole idea is we cannot stay status quo. We have to change. We have to take risks. We've got to do things that are better. We have to enhance the things that we're doing. In the area of technology, and I'm not a great person in technology, but the Deputy Commissioner I have is very knowledgeable in technology and I think he's doing other improvements based on the budget that we have to improve the quality of life for the police officers and the community.
Thank you, Madam 943 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Chair.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll be brief. Commissioner, I do need to go back to the area where I left off which was schools for one brief second because there was one thing that was not clear to me and I had an additional question. Deputy Commissioner Green made reference to some plans that had been developed and handed in or sent in, and I thought he said to Judge Smith. Can you give me a little more information about that, because I remember when Judge Smith was handling, I thought, a Human Relations Commission case some years ago and made a variety of rulings, some related to all-day kindergarten and a whole host of things. But I thought that that case was basically either over or jurisdiction had been relinquished. Deputy Commissioner, what did you mean by that?
Judge Smith is handling the deseg. case. And as part of that case, she required the district to develop a comprehensive safety plan, which it did. And it went back before Judge Smith 944 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) September 17th, and she was please --
Of 2001. And she was pleased with it and we're moving forward with it.
Now, the fact that she was pleased with it -- I mean, obviously I respect Judge Smith. What does that mean? And does that mean that the plan is the official safety plan of the schools? And how does that get communicated either through the schools or through to the students and the parents? What happens after it gets filed with Judge Smith?
It is the School District's safety plan for the district-wide safety plan. Every building administrator and every administrator at 21st Street was given a copy of that at convocation this year. Some 600 copies were given out. There was training along the lines of the comprehensive safety plan. We've developed a tri-fold that we give out at community meetings and that we give to community folks. And 20 copies will be given to Council President Verna.
I appreciate that. How do parents access the same 945 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) information and know about the safety plan at an individual child's school? I will tell you I certainly received no 5 information about that.
At every school there is a safety plan. The ultimate goal is that the comprehensive safety plan district-wide should be on the Web, hopefully, in a couple months. I'm not sure we have the capacity to do it. We hope to get the individual school plans on the Web. I don't know if the District has the capability of doing that.
The School Police Officers, are they a part of the same union as the Philadelphia Police Officers?
But as the person at the top, and I understand in basically somewhat of a paramilitary structure, you take your direction from whoever has been designated as the top of the unit. So in your capacity as either Deputy Police Commissioner or External Affairs or -- the other title is...
Chief Safety Executive. 946 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Chief Safety Executive for the School District, they automatically have to report to you?
They report directly to me, that's correct. Well, not directly. Through their chain they report to me, that's correct.
Did I understand that there are six Philadelphia Police captains?
They're not assigned actually to the School District. They're signed to -- you want to explain that?
They are liaison people who are assigned and help out the principals. But they're in constant communication with the principals. They're assigned to the Philadelphia Police Department, but they're in communication to the principals based on geographic. In other words, we have one in the south, west, east, and in certain schools. But their immediate superintendent is the chief inspector of the department and they report to the department. I'm sure Dexter has some communications with them, but they're actually Philadelphia Police Captains. We thought it was important that at the 947 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) rank of captain we put them over there to show the School District that we're very concerned about what's going on in these schools. And they meet with the principals, they talk to the people from the Administration of the School District and they have no authority to -- I mean, the School Police, they report directly to the Police Department with recommendations and with complaints and with ideas.
These six captains, is their sole job school-related matters?
Well, I guess I mean whether Commissioner Johnson were working with Managing Director Richmond or with the Mayor or Chairman Nevels, it just seems to me that -- obviously, everybody wants to do a good job. And I'm not from Price, Waterhouse, Coopers or some management expert. But there are a lot of different people seemingly with a lot of different responsibility. And for something like this, one entity and one person really has to be in charge. And so ultimately, either the Philadelphia Police Department is going to be responsible for safety 948 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) issues city-wide everywhere in all public places and in schools and I guess those officers potentially end up as part of the department, or the people who go in are just Philadelphia Police officers and ultimately accountable to the Police Commissioner or I know your possibly Secretary of Public Safety, the other title. But even in terms of some of the press accounts of incidents in schools, who reported them -- Commissioner Johnson, I heard you say earlier that every incident that takes place in a school should be reported to the Philadelphia Police Department. I think, again, at least if you can believe some of the news accounts, there have been times when in-school incidents have not been reported to the Police Department although they have been reported to School Police Officers or school administrators. I mean, you can't have this thing in a happenstance kind of fashion. It just seems increasingly there will be these issues, as they say, betwixt and between; in school, out of school; School Police Officer, Philadelphia Police officer. You're left with a bit of a matrix of who is in control here and who has ultimate responsibility. I'm concerned about that. 949 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
I think the original plan, if I have it correct and I know I have it correct, was that we were going to send a Deputy Commissioner over to the school with the idea of evaluating of taking over the School Police. That was the original plan. I think things have changed a little bit since then. But the original plan and the idea of sending the Deputy Commissioner over to the School Board was to evaluate the feasibility of taking over the entire School Police.
And would the Deputy Commissioner then work for the School District?
The Deputy Commissioner would then work for the Philadelphia Police Department. And all police officers inside the school would be Philadelphia Police Department.
Okay. Because you mentioned earlier that technically -- this will be my last piece -- Deputy Commissioner Green presently is being paid by the School District or School Reform Commission?
Why was that decision made? 950 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
If it happened before you got there, you don't have to take responsibility.
I understand. That's fair. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would just like to follow up with Deputy Commissioner Dexter Green. After 911 there were many threats that caused our schools to be evacuated. And I don't want to reinvent the wheel here, but there was lots of confusion. Parents were not being told clearly -- I don't want to use the word honestly -- when there was a bomb threat. Kids were sent home. Parents had no clue what was going on. And the communication between the School District and the media was even in some ways not as clear as it should be, saying that it was a fire drill rather than a bomb threat. Has that all been straightened 951 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) out? There was supposed to be some follow-up with us on that. It never happened. Could you explain that whole process? Has it been cleaned up and there's a more candid approach to what's going on?
Right after our conversation, I had a meeting with several of the school administrators to deal with that issue and to kind of clear that up. But even in recent weeks, we've been working with Fire Commissioner Hairston on some of these -- not so much the bomb threats, but more on the fires and whatnot being set in buildings and evacuation of students and how that should be accomplished. Again, things are not perfect there. But working with Fire Commissioner Hairston, hopefully over the next few -- I don't want to weeks, but probably over the next few months we'll have that piece straightened out. But in terms of the bomb scares themselves, we are actually telling folks honestly what the situation is.
You can imagine when a parent calls the school, fire engines are surrounding the school and they're told it's a fire drill. They've never seen fire engines show up for a fire drill. Obviously, there's some concern about 952 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that.
Even with the anthrax scares, principals are probably less than candid. I understand what they were trying to do, but why not just let folks know exactly what they have.
Good. I appreciate that. That makes me feel a lot better because the phones were ringing off the wall during the period shortly after 911. And I know that the communication -- because I even talked to a journalist who said they called to find out what was going on and they were told the same thing, that it was a fire drill. Thank you, Commissioner.
Thank you. Commissioner, thank you so much for your patience. We wish you all the luck in the world. And we certainly applaud you and your department for 953 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) just doing a fabulous job.
The Fire Department is next. (Witness come forward.)
Good afternoon. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good afternoon. I'm Fire Commissioner Harold Hairston, and with me to my right is Deputy Commissioner William J. McNulty and to my left is our Fiscal Officer Dave Beatrice. So good afternoon to you and the other Councilpersons. The Fire Department's FY '03 Operating Budget proposes $157,559,617 for the General Fund, $4,397,400 for the Aviation Fund. And $591,893 for the Grants Fund. This is an increase of $155,592, counting all fund over the current '02 budget. Last year, as you may know, we had a 12 percent drop in our fire deaths. We went from 51 the previous year to 45. We were pleased to have that drop. That represented 33 incidents, and 7 of the 45 deaths were caused by arson fires. We 954 2/26/02 COMM. ) increased the number of fire prevention programs that our fire prevention division did to 3200. Part of that -- and it's a program that we started sometime ago to deal with juvenile fire starters. We have a program where we interacted with 190 families to help bring that kind of problem under control, representing 213 incidents. We completed Phase II of Operation Children First. That was a program where we had it funded through William Penn Foundation where we got $550,000 to cover two years. And we looked at 58 high risk centers where we were checking children under the age of 12 and we installed over 31,630 ten-year smoke alarms. We believe those ten-year smoke alarms are a big answer to the problems that people otherwise have where they take the batteries out of smoke alarms. We put those in 17,000 homes. And if we include all of the smoke detectors that we installed last year, it was 46,063. 6 percent lower than we had in 1992 where we had 4,025. As you know, September 11th brought a 955 2/26/02 COMM. ) lot of changes to all of us, particularly in the service that we're in. And what I did with that was I took a senior chief officer and had him reassigned to direct our preparedness activities on a full-time basis. We brought in our chief officers and our captains, total of 150 of them, and gave them refresher training on managing the consequences of weapons of mass destruction. As you know, we sent some members up to New York, members in fact. Eighteen of them 12 stayed up for a little over a week, and one of 13 members who has really been elevated in that whole 14 urban search and rescue scene stayed up for 40 days. 15 He was also a person that went to the Olympics to 16 help in the preparedness there. 17 One of the things that we were concerned 18 with and we had been concerned with sometime and we 19 were able to get it into our training program last year was rapid intervention teams. And those are teams that set up so that we always have an additional engine or an additional ladder company at a fire scene just in case some fire fighter gets trapped and needs the services of having a full team prepared to go in and do nothing but deal with 956 2/26/02 COMM. ) rescue activities. Otherwise, they're in a standby mode on the fire grounds. And we spent about $110,000, I think, on actually buying additional rescue ropes and webbing and hand tools and those kinds of things in order to do that. The anthrax scare became something that touched, I guess, all of us from a national level as well as from a local level. And when we realized that that was going to be the case, we recognized we were going to be overcome with responses to that. So we did something I thought was rather innovative along with the Health Department and Fire Department. We put in what we call rapid assessment teams where we took two fire fighters that were hazmat trained and put them in a vehicle along with one police officer and one health care worker to respond to these incidents. And from the time that we did this, which was from October 12th until the end of the calendar year, we responded to 1263 of those incidents. No and thrash was discovered. We had a pretty fortunate year as far as injuries and accidents were concerned. They're down.
We did an averaging where we looked at from 1991 to 2000, and we were down 34 percent in 957 2/26/02 COMM. 2 percent in accidents. We had a number of enhancements in EMS, not the least of which was the fact that we took one of our medic units that was hours, increased that 6 to 24 hours and then we added three 12-hour units in 7 locations that were strategically placed around the 8 City. We responded to 186,000-plus medical 9 incidents. And quite a few of those ended up in 10 being hospital cases, as you might imagine. One of 11 the things that we have worked on very hard over the 12 last few years is to make sure that our dispatchers were certified. And we had them all certified through the Association of Public Communication Officials, something that we refer to as APCO. And we had them all certified as emergency medical dispatchers. We have oversight from a doctor by the name of C. Crawford Mechem who is our medical director, and he works not just for us, but he also works for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. And all of them are in compliance with Pennsylvania law. And they're actually certified through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency called people PEMA. Our revenues were good over this last 958 2/26/02 COMM. ) year because we charge, as you know, for transporting persons to the hospital. 9 that we had collected in FY '92. 5 in FY '03. We had something that was fairly well publicized about dealing with Hepatitis C, as you might imagine, and we actually hired an infectious disease control officer. It was a position that we created, and that is working out extremely well. And we had training for everyone, every fire fighter and every paramedic so that they would understand the nature of infectious diseases and we focused specifically on Hepatitis C, and the training primary focus was on the universal precautions that we recommend so you can not end up being exposed to that dreaded disease. We improved our billing collections and increased our revenue. We also enhanced the quality of our assurance process by having mobile data terminals where we get rid of all the paper and the information's a lot more instantaneous and we're 959 2/26/02 COMM. ) able to take that information and download it and make decisions a lot quicker in terms of patient care as well as being able to decide what training needs we need, and it has worked out extremely well. And I'd like to say that I would invite any Councilmember to check out our Website. We're very proud of it. gov and then click onto the Fire Department under City services. I'd like to thank you for all of your support. We hope that you continue to give us that support. Again, thank you.
Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner, how many fire fighters will be leaving in FY '04 as a result of the DROP Program?
Well, basically it's 167 that we had originally scheduled to leave. And some of them, as you might imagine, have started to leave already this past year. Out of that 167 that were originally scheduled, we had 20 to leave already. We anticipate some others will leave the same way. What we've decided to do with that is to -- we broke 960 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) it down about every way that you could possibly break it down. One deputy chief's in the DROP Plan, we have battalion chiefs, 29 captains, 70 5 lieutenant's, 297 fire fighters for all total in 6 that plan along with engineers, pilots, paramedics, 1 paramedics operations chief, and 1 captain. Now, what we decided to do when we broke it down was that we can do this by adding five classes starting in FY '03 of about 80 per in the class and then two the following year and then one the following year after that, and it should take care of all of our problems. There's a total of 436 people that have signed up for that DROP Plan.
How long do 16 the classes last? I know with the police officers 17 they said that it's 10 months in the academy. 18
It's much shorter for fire fighters. It's 16 weeks for fire fighters and 7 weeks for paramedics. The paramedics, of course come in already trained and certified and then we give them 7 weeks at our academy and then we put them with preceptors where they stay in until we're satisfied that they not only understand the protocols, but they have perform the intricacies 961 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that are necessary in order for you to possibly intubate a patient and do the other things that are necessary.
You indicated that you'll have five classes starting in '03. When in '03?
We actually spaced it out to January of '03. We're counting on putting 80 in. June of '03 would be 80; January of '04, 80; May of '04, 80; and January of '05, would be 80.
Do when we have an existing list from which you can --
Yes, we do have an existing list. Fact is, we're preparing right now to do some hiring. We don't have much in the way of vacancies but we plan to have a small class of about 40.
So you known interruption or any impact in your operations because of the DROP Program?
Not at all. I see it, if anything, as an opportunity to do some things. I see it as an opportunity to promote some people. I see it as an opportunity for us to do planning and 962 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) those kinds of things because this is one of the rare cases where you know exactly how many people are signed up and what you can anticipate.
Great. Commissioner, on of your testimony, you talk about your net EMS revenue collections.
Well, after we pay the contractor. We have a contract with ACS, formerly Lockheed and we pay them percent. And after they 15 get their fee, that's what I mean by the net.
And what is the amount that the provider receives? Did you say 15 percent?
It depends on who you talk to, but most of the people that you talk to that have systems that are similar to ours where 963 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) it's with a major City, we probably do better than anybody. The only person I think that might be close would be Houston, and Houston has, I think, 80-some ambulances and they run a few more thousand calls than we do. They're collections, I think were close to million, but that was based on a gross 8 figure and not a net figure -- 20 million, I'm 9 sorry, not 22 million. 10
Thank you. 11 The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz. 12
Thank you, Madam 13 Chair. I've got to begin the way we always begin, 14 Commissioner. Again, out of the corps of fire 15 fighters -- and we seem to have a problem recruiting 16 Latino fire fighters for some reason or another. 17 What is the percentage of Latinos right now in the 18 Fire Department? 19
And over the years, we've had this problem of being able to bring in 964 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Latinos from the fastest growing community in the City. Do you have any inkling as to why?
Well, actually, I think that when haven't done badly, all things considered. As you know, we go back some time where we decided to set our goal at percent, and we've met that 8 goal since when set that goal. 9
So that's why we have gone up to the 3 percent that we have right now?
So in every class that you have right now, we are getting 10 percent of Latino men and women coming into Fire Department?
Very good. In the issue of Hepatitis C, give me a perspective on it. How is it affecting and impacting the Fire Department and the finances? And how are we doing with the fire fighters who have contracted Hepatitis C? 965 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
We only one person that I can think of that is really suffering from long-term illness where it has become so debilitating that the person cannot work, and that's Mary Kohler. The other persons are still coming to work. They are getting medications. They are getting the meds that they need and so forth. It may not be a perfect scenario, but it's one where has not become so debilitating to them that it really has affected our service. As you might imagine, most of these people that have Hepatitis C actually got it more than 10 years. Since I've been the Commissioner, they've been universal precautions, and I think we only have two cases that we know of.
Incubates and it takes it time to be able to show itself?
Well, I don't think so. I think what happens is we've had these procedures in place for a very long time. And if you suspect that you have a contact, what you do is you tell us and you fill out the forms and you get medical 966 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) attention from it immediately. And so we would have that on the record. We've been encouraging people, and fact is, have had it as a requirement as to if you have a contact or you suspect that you have a contact, you're supposed to notify us so that we can take the proper steps as far as the hospitals are concerned. So I think it's because we have been using these precautions for a very long time where you put the gloves, on you put the mask on, you make sure that you don't have any open cuts or anything like that, and you do exactly what the doctor's have taught us to do as to why we've been so successful since we've used the universal precautions to have such a low rate of it.
Well, that's an argument that you can argue whether or not it's being resolved or not. There are a couple of things that are in there. One of which was to put some ventilators in the fire houses. We have worked with Risk Management. Risk Management is now engaged in contracts to see that that happens. They have eight of them listed so that they can get those things 967 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) done. They did engineering studies and so forth, the fortunate part of which was that the air in the fire houses was nowhere near as polluted as it had been otherwise thought to be. And so that's on its way to being resolved. The base line testing for Hepatitis C has all been set up. We have plans within this next month to run some pilots. We'll have about 200 people that will be tested as part of the pilot to be set up in four sites. We're going to see what we learn from that in terms of setting it up. It takes about minutes per company in order to do that. 14 Once we get the feedback back from that, then we're 15 going to test everybody in the Department. And that's all being arranged through and contracted through Risk Management. So those are the two things that have really been the major issues as far as that is concerned. And some of the other issues we had been working on in just have good relationships from the union and we've been meeting, not discussing but cases where we can implement things that we think are good for everybody. That's the kind of thing that we're trying to do.
Thank you, Madam 968 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Chair.
Thank you very much. Are there any other questions from Members of the Committee? The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Commissioner just to finish up here and it sounds like I'm going to be the last member to address you. I just want to tell you what a great job the Fire Department always does under the worst conditions. They're always there. I just want all of you to know how I personally feel about the work you do.
Thank you. I really appreciate that. And I appreciate your support, not only today, but over the years. And by you being a member of our Citizens Fire Prevention Committee, it means a lot to us.
Thank you. 969 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Thank you very much, Commissioner. And gain, thank you for your patience.
Philadelphia prisons is next. (Witnesses come forward.)
Good afternoon. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Thomas Costello. I'm the Prisons Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia. With me today, to my right, Deputy Commissioner Press Grooms; to my left, Mr. Ed Szymanski, Fiscal Officer; also here today is Leon King, our Chief Legal Counsel; Dianne Granlund who is the head of our Population Management Unit; and Alan Appel, our Director of Inmate Services. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and answer any questions you may have concerning the FY '03 Operating Budget for the Philadelphia Prison System. We have some submitted some extensive written testimony. However, I would now like to point out some of the highlights for our FY '03 budget request. 970 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) The $164.7 million Operating Budget request for FY '03 is based on a projected average daily inmate population of 8,034 and is 8.6 million or 5.5 percent more than our FY '02 estimated obligation level. FY '03 General Fund Class 100 request of $94.1 million reflects a phase-in of additional full-time staff and overtime savings and is an increase of 2.3 million over FY '02. It funds an average of 2,007 full-time positions, including an additional 200 positions for the women's detention facility, tentatively scheduled to be opened in the latter part of FY '03. The General Fund Class 200 request of $64.9 million contains funding for increased cost of health service and foot services and out-of-county housing for inmates. This is a 10.8 increase over FY '02 estimated obligation level of 58.6 million and is related to the rise in the inmate population. Funding levels for Class 300, 400 and 500 remain the same as the previous year. The FY '03 budget will allow us to continue to maintain our facilities in a safe and secure manner, provide adequate medical and mental 971 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) health services, allow us to continue to maintain our inmate services programming, including social services; in-house substance abuse treatment programs; and our educational, vocational, and training programs; in addition to maintaining our population control programs including our community substance abuse treatment program which not only serves as a population control mechanism, but also reduces the overall rate of recidivism. It is important to note that absent the current population control programs we would be required to house nearly 1400 inmates within the PPS, which is actually higher than our current population at the House of Correction, one of our main facilities. Madam President, this concludes my testimony. I'm now available to answer any questions that you may have.
Thank you very much. You state in your testimony that the City is taking a number of steps to control the growth in the prison census. What steps are you taking?
There are a number of 972 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) steps that are being undertaken by the Population Management Unit. There are -- Ms. Granlund do you want to address that?
Ms. Granlund, our Director for Population Management will address that, Madam President.
Madam President, good afternoon. Dianne Granlund. There are a number of things that the prison and the City in general have done in conjunction with the First Judicial District because it's clear that although we operate the hotel, they're in charge of the business. There are pretrial release guidelines that the First Judicial District has implemented, and implemented when the cap went off which are, in theory at least, supposed to govern who comes into jail who does not based on an evaluation of prior failures to appear to court, ties to the community, the nature of the offense, being charged presently, and those kinds of factors. They work fairly well in screening people away from 973 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the jail from the beginning, from arrests onward. There are a number of other things that we use. We use electronic monitoring sometimes on a pretrial basis and sometimes on a post-sentence basis to get people out of jail back into the community and into treatment. There is the Treatment Court which is under the supervision of President Judge Louis Presenza in the Municipal Court who will screen people at all stages criminal justice system in an effort to divert those from jail who are in need of treatment. There's the Intermediate Punishment Program which also diverts people from jail, whether pre-trial or post-trial. That happens at almost any point along the way. These people are somewhat more serious offenders, although they continue to be nonviolent offenders. We have the a program which we discussed this morning during the Managing Director's testimony which is an early parole program to drug and alcohol treatment programs. There are other initiatives that my office has undertaken to speed up the trial of cases of people who are in our custody so that we can 974 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) reduce their length of stay in the Philadelphia Prison System. There is also am Earned Time Good Time Program which is a court -- it was devised by court regulation. That has been amended to permit the awarding of Earned Time Good Time to people who not only remain infraction-free, but participate in and successfully complete programs that are offered in the prison setting.
Can you tell us what the re-arrest rate for people under that program, the Good Time Program?
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Good afternoon. I'm going to read into the record a letter that was left by Councilwoman Blondel Reynolds. She could not be here. She wanted to put this letter on the record 975 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) and ask you the questions that come out of the letter. It's letter from the Indochinese American Council addressed to Warden Levy. "I would like to bring to your attention a very unpleasant experience of three other adults, including a 9-month pregnant woman and myself had to go through during the freezing night of February 11, 2002, at your facility. This pregnant woman is the girlfriend of the incarcerated man that we tried to bail out from your facilities. With your permission, I will not disclose the name of the incarcerated man because of fear of reprisal against him. "As the head of our community-based organization, I volunteered to help get a family to get one of their members released from your facilities. The members of this family do not speak English very well nor do they know how to communicate with correction officers. "We arrived at your facility at 11:00 p.m. on February 11, 2002, with bail paper. Ten minutes after we handed in this paper, we were advised by the receptionist that we could not stay in the facility and must wait for our man in our car 976 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) which was parked in the facility's visitors parking lot about a quarter mile from the facility. We complied. However, we were forced to wait at the parking lot until 4:35 a.m. or for more than five hours and a half after we presented the bail paper. During this period, all of us, including a ninth month pregnant woman had to walk a few times in the freezing night from the parking lot to the reception area in order to use the bathroom. It took about 10 minutes to walk from the parking lot to reception building. At one time I explained to your staff that the pregnant woman might deliver a baby any time. Instead of taking this concern seriously, one correction officer said that she was concerned more about my impatience more than the possibility that the woman might deliver a baby. This remark was made loudly in front of a number of people who happened to be in the reception area. I found this remark distasteful, insensitive, humiliating, irresponsible and certainly lacking in dignity. "I would appreciate it very much if you could respond to my following questions regarding the policy of your facility: "Why weren't we allowed to stay in the 977 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) heated reception area until the incarcerated man was released on bail? "Why were we forced to stay in our car in very cold weather for more than five hours without being able to talk to anybody? During this time we used our cell phones to call the facility, telephone number, (215) 685-2862, several times and no one pick up the phone. "Why did it take more than five hours to process the release of one incarcerated person? "One of the purposes of this letter is my sincere hope that no one will have to go through what I call inhuman and humiliating treatment by your staff and that all people who come to your facility will be treated with dignity and respect. "Thank you very much for your prompt attention. Von D. Doy, Ph.D., (ph) Executive Director, Indochinese Center." Ms. Reynolds could not be here and she left this letter, and I had would like a response for the request.
Mr. Costello, I too had received the very same letter. I forwarded it to your attention, ask that you 978 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) investigate same and report your findings. To date, I don't believe I have received a response to my letter.
I will certainly investigate that. I don't have a response right now, Madam President. I will certainly look into it and respond formally to both of you.
I just had one question about the facility, which facility was that?
Thank you. 979 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Commissioner, how many -- what's the total population now currently in prison?
Our total population as of this morning, actually as of last night midnight was 7,689 inmates.
While you were here, we had a big demonstration outside with people that were questioning the treatment of prisoners in the health program that is currently in service at the prisons. They're concerned in terms of HIV, Hepatitis C, the treatment they get. On February 20th, I got a letter -- and you know that we're going to have a hearing on Thursday.
I got a letter on February 20th about a Mr. Francis Xavier Cannon, and I got this from the law firm of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky. They represent the Estate of Mr. Cannon. He received injuries while in prison. And according to the newspaper, Mr. cannon allegedly struck a correctional officer while at the 980 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) correctional facility and the correctional struck Mr. Cannon in the jaw causing a compound fracture to the right mandible. What occurred next is unclear, other than the fact that Mr. Cannon was transferred at sometime thereafter to the correctional center's medical facility operated by Prison Health Services may have remained there approximately hours in 9 spite of the fact that his right side was swollen. 10 He was spitting blood and agitated. 11 More than 24 hours after the assault Mr. 12 Cannon was transferred to Temple East, Northeastern 13 Hospital. According to their hospital records and 14 admission, Mr. Cannon was noticed having extensive 15 bleeding and swelling to the right side of his face. 16 He was brought to the emergency room for further 17 evaluation and he was intubated in the emergency 18 room for airway protection. 19 Mr. Cannon was then admitted to the 20 Intensive Care Unit with diagnosis of respiratory 21 failure in addition to mandibular fracture. 22 Mr. cannon underwent surgery to correct 23 the fracture, but his postoperative course was poor 24 because of a combination of reasons, including anesthesia being responsible for aggravating his 981 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) preexisting liver condition. Mr. Cannon was delivered to the hospital and his family was notified and by that time Mr. Cannon was unconscious. Surgery for the jaw was required. He died October 14, 2001, from kidney failure..." Did you conduct an investigate into this case?
The findings from the Internal Affairs did not show that the officer involved violated our policies and procedures. But that --
We're not talking about the officer. It's the treatment. The officer might have hit the individual, but it's the hours 21 that go on after that and what happens within those 22 24 hours. 23
Well, again, the 24 investigation on this incident I believe is still ongoing. I don't -- I believe that there's also 982 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) been litigation filed by the family of Mr. Cannon. So at this point, I don't know how much information would be available at this time, Councilman.
Yes. What did you tell the family? The guy is in the hospital at one point. He gets into a fight and then he dies.
Well, the information I received specific to this case was that he had other conditions. He had a major problem, medical problem. Although he was taken to the hospital initially because of the injury he incurred as a result of the incident, there were other factors that led to his death, not the broken jaw.
Well, I don't think many people die from a broken jaw. That's why people are wondering why he died.
He died from existing conditions. To the best of my knowledge on this particular case, he died from existing medical conditions that he had prior to being incarcerated. 983 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
This happen to other individuals within the prison system and have come under the care of this company that you have a contract with for what, $27 million is it now?
$27 million. And this company has come under criticism, internal criticism, by your on consultants, but they still got renewed in terms of their contract. And that criticism in terms of the consultants was never really turned over to this Council while we were investigating the performance of this company. Don't you think that those documents should be made available to us now?
Well, the studies that have been made about the performance of Philadelphia Health Systems and the studies that consultants that have written that we have paid with taxpayers' money.
I believe that there's been documents submitted by the City. I do not know to what extent. I assume that that was the 984 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) information that we had submitted. At this point, maybe the Managing Director has some additional information.
This company was granted the contract really without -- this contract was not put out to bid again, right? We just renewed them?
There was other companies involved with PHS. Prison Health Services is the name of the corporation. This is Leon King, our Chief Legal Counsel.
Good afternoon, Councilman Ortiz. In regard to the documents you just referred to, I believe you're referring to DePaul reports. We provided to your office the DePaul for 2001 and the year 2000 and we're gathering the ones from 1995 to 1999 that you requested and you should have them in advance of the hearing on Thursday.
Did we get them yet? 985 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
I don't know if they're there yet. I know that we're working on it collectively.
Councilman, this is Estelle Richman, Managing Director. There was a very controlled bid process for PHS that we did. They've just completed their first year. The contract was awarded in July of 2001. We did go through a process. We monitored this contract very tightly. Many of your issues, I believe, should really be directed to the City to know how our tight our monitoring is.
And I will have the person who manages the contract here as well as people from the Behavioral Health System who oversee and tell these folks what to do. Unfortunately, I will be out of the area, but the folks who have monitored this contract and worked this contract will be available for your questions and to answer what they're doing and how they're doing it.
Well, whatever information you have also about Mr. Cannon, we'd really appreciate. And we would like to find out 986 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) what communications you had with their families and so on. It's strange that people die. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Commissioner, I'd like to do two things. One, I want to go back to one day last week at the Appropriations Committee hearing. We had some discussion about the total number of beds or cells, holding areas that are available to people who happen to be incarcerated in our system. There were, at the time, a fair amount of numbers kind of going back and forth. And at some point, I think we lost track of -- we may have forgotten what the original question was. Your testimony back on that day on February 19th was that the current estimate for average inmate population was 7,674. Somewhere in the course of the hearing I then asked the question about the prison cap. While 987 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) naturally I was aware that the cap technically has been lifted by the court, it was obviously put into place because the prison naturally can only hold or should only hold so many people, I'm assuming according to some guidelines, and therein, started a bit of the problem. Can you tell me how many prisoners do we have, and define the term, how many beds, how many cells, how many spaces, what's the occupancy that you're allowed to have by way of any code in the various facilities we have?
Currently, Councilman, there is 7,689 inmates that are under the custody of Philadelphia Prison System. The number of inmates that are actually in the facilities today is 7162. Our current number of beds available --
7,689 are the number of inmates that are committed to the Philadelphia Prison System under the jurisdiction of this county, of the City. Of that total, as of today, there is 7,162 that are actually being housed within the system, in the physical facilities in Philadelphia.
So that means that 988 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) 527 are somewhere else?
409 are housed in Delaware County. There are 50 being housed in other jurisdictions on rent to other facilities. They're not being housed in the system. They will eventually come back to Philadelphia to finish out their cases. And we have 68 being housed at the State Department of Corrections.
Okay. Now, the 7162 number, how many beds do we have in our facilities to deal with that cohort of people.
It was 5600 originally prior to CFCF being completed. It was 5600.
CFCF actually added about a thousand beds to the system because we closed Holmesburg Prison which had a little over a thousand 989 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) beds. So CFCF added a thousand beds to the prison system.
Well, the total was never officially changed but, actually, if you were to use that number as a base, we would just add a thousand beds to that. It would be 6600.
We have 7468 beds right now in the prison system. So the cap had -- there was no correlation between the cap and the number of beds that were available. That was a number that was given by the court which, to my knowledge, had no actual formal formula attached to it. It was a number that 5600 would be the ideal cap according to someone in the court system.
So based on the information you shared, we actually have 306 beds empty?
So we don't have an 990 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) overcrowding problem now?
Well, I would always like to see more beds available, but it's -- everyone has a bed as we speak.
I understand that. But why would you say -- if you have 306 beds empty, why would you say that you'd always like to have more beds?
Well, there are some beds wouldn't be available to fill because of classification issues that spoke about last time. For example, I used the female classification and the male so...
So sometimes you have an imbalance between the various classifications, notwithstanding the fact that you actually have more beds available than you have need for?
If they're not in the right categories, that causes a problem.
For the total 991 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) population and on average year to year, what is the recidivism rate with regard to people who have been in the facility or any other facilities once, on average, how many times are they coming back?
You must run a really nice facility or they must not have anything else to do with themselves. Does that strike you as high?
Is the high just because the number is 81 percent or is it high because it's significantly above either the national average or -- I mean, how is that rank as compared to other major cities across the country or counties that have prison systems?
Those reporting recidivism rates report basically on whatever they consider to be the definition recidivism. One of 992 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the issues that we have to deal with is measuring exactly what that means as far as this jurisdiction.
To me, a recidivist is someone who is convicted of a crime and then eventually is re-convicted at sometime in the future. That person would be, to me, considered a recidivist. In a jurisdiction such as this our main issue is the arrest rate because many of those coming through, come through strictly because they're arrested, whether or not they're convicted. It's a real percentage of repeat arrestees that come into the prison system that create a problem for us.
Is the 81 percent figure represent everybody who was in once and comes back through regardless of whether they're ultimately convicted or not?
It represents the number of any of those who have been arrested and was processed in our prison system and re-arrested for the past 16 years that we've been keeping records.
What's the rate for 993 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) people who have actually been convicted once and have come back through and subsequently been convicted again?
We do not have specific figures on that at this point. We're trying to ascertain exactly what that rate would be and trying to break it down in terms of length of time between convictions, such as someone who comes in six months or is arrested, convicted, serves their sentence, discharged, and comes back within 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 2 years. We're working on that project right now, Councilman, and we're trying to get accurate data on that issue.
What's the percentage of people who come through the system, whether they're convicted or not? Let me preface the question. Is it my understanding that everyone who is ultimately processed is also drug tested?
Is one of them to determine the presence of drugs or other illegal substances either in their blood or their urine? 994 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
Some of the tests do. Mr. Grooms, do you have anything specific as far as -- You mean if they have any illegal in their system?
Why not? Don't you want to know? Aren't there also safety issues involved, or don't you need to know whether someone has in addition to whatever it was that they were locked up for -- I mean, I think there's literature out in the public that seems to indicate that some significant proportion of people either arrested or convicted have some kind of drug problem. How would you know that? Where does that information come from?
Well, the information comes from various studies that have been completed. In fact, the last study that was completed in this system showed about 80 percent of everyone coming through the system has a form of either drug or alcohol substance abuse. 995 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
But then you tell me that just in the regular course of business as people are being processed that they're not drug or substance tested?
There probably isn't a basis for doing that at this point because of the number of admissions that come through the system and the --
A whole series of 996 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) things happen. You don't want to know whether this person at that moment has something going on in their system. Don't they present some level of potential threat to anyone that they're either in contact, whether it's at the moment a fellow inmate, some other person, correction officer. I mean, if somebody is completely whacked out on some substance don't you want to know as they're coming through the door what you're about to deal with?
They would be dealt with specifically if there was some deviant behavior. There is an extensive questionnaire that is given upon admission.
Most people act out when they get arrested. Last I checked, it wasn't a pleasant experience. So if you're arrested and act like a nice person or don't exhibit these deviant behavior signs or you're not throwing your arms up and down or speaking, you know, in three foreign languages at the same time or foaming at the mouth, okay, you come in, you sit down, go sit over in 997 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) chair and we'll deal with you when we get to you, notwithstanding the fact that they maybe as high as a kite and have all kinds of other stuff going on in their system and at some particular moment flip out on somebody and stick a pen in their neck.
Well, normally, anyone coming in, again, every inmate coming in every new admitee is screened.
If we were to perform tests on everyone coming in initially, it would take probably several days to get back the results of any of the tests that we would take. If there's someone specifically coming in that has a problem, we deal directly with that individual as a priority coming in. If there's no complaints, if there's no deviant behavior. Again, they go through a number of processes when they're first admitted, including medical screening and a physical where they were physical upon admission.
What's the average length of stay for the average person that gets popped by the system? 998 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
An average person gets arrested, what's their average length of stay?
Our average length of stay is probably around three months, something like that, around three months.
You're telling me that from the time they're arrested during the course of three months, we don't have time to figure out whether that person has a substance problem and to give them some kind of test?
Well, 50 percent are out within the first two weeks, Mr. Nutter.
I understand that, but you said it would take three to six days to get a test back.
I don't know how long it would take to get the various tests back, but it certainly takes several days. If someone's coming in, they would get immediate attention and immediate screening.
All right, fine. Let's forget about the folks who just kind of come 999 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) in, maybe they're out in a couple days. Let's talk about the people who are going to extend their stay with us for a little while. Are all of those people drug tested?
They're not drug tested, but they're tested for any problem that they have, any medical problems that they have.
Well, substance abuse might be a medical problem, right?
Press Grooms, Deputy Commission. What we have, your Honor, is a screening process and each and every inmate that come in is seen by a nurse or medical person and there's a list of questions that we ask: Have you ever been arrested before? Have you ever used drugs? What type of drugs do you use? And 80 percent of them answer "yes" to those questions. Once we do that, if we determine that that person is on some type of drugs, say, heroin and they're going to be going through detox, that person is seen by the doctor immediately and given medication for detox. 1000 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
We are not giving methadone as of yet. But there are other medications that we give instead of methadone to those individuals that are withdrawing for drugs. So we do know the number of inmates that come in that are utilizing drugs because of the screening process that we do and because most of them are honest in terms of, "have you been using drugs?"
Roughly about 80 percent of those people that are incarcerated have drugs or drug-related or alcohol-related charges, yes.
And is that number now consistent across the population of -- so you're now telling me that out of 7,162 people housed in a facility, on average on any day 80 percent of them have a drug problem?
Have either a substance abuse or an alcohol problem, some type of substance abuse problem.
What are we doing to 1001 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) help them?
As far as, as I said, probably 50 percent of those coming into the system that are here for the first couple of weeks are discharged. There is medications that are given to them if they need to be detoxed. Although we do not have a methadone program, we do have other medications that we administer if they are suffering from that type of problem. We do have for others whatever programming that is available for those that are amenable to treatment. For example, we have quite an extension options program which is our in-house substance abuse treatment program. We have several slots that available for them if they are amenable to treatment.
If they're not, then we're not going to treat them unless they're absolutely amenable to it.
Well, how do you 1002 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) deal with a substance abuse problem when you're in prison and you're not in treatment?
Through education, through therapy. Mr. Appel, did you want to step in here? This is Deputy for all treatment programs and runs the substance abuse treatment programs within the system.
Hello, Mr. Nutter. Alan Appel, Director of inmate services. We have approximately 900 inmates that are in your drug treatment program per month.
No. There's a rapid changing of that number as inmates are released and new inmates are admitted and then enrolled. That number for the Fiscal Year '01, approximately 2300 -- no, no. If you can give me one minute, please.
Approximately 20,900 inmates went through group treatment through the options program. 1003 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
And how many people actually came through the system during that same time period.
We had during the same time period about 35,000 admissions.
Let me try to understand this. You presently have 7,162 housed in the facility.
80 percent of whom have some kind of substance abuse problem.
Let me just say this, Councilman. Our priority for our substance abuse treatment is for the sentenced inmates, inmates that are sentenced to the system that are going to be with us for a while. Our priority is that population, which is probably around 2700 of the 1004 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) total that you're speaking of. Of that 2700, probably about 50 percent are amenable to treatment. About 50 percent are willing -- you know, there are individuals that will admit they have a drug and alcohol problem, but I would say probably professionally about 50 percent are actually amenable to treatment and are willing to take treatment of the sentenced inmates, which would probably be around 1400 of the sentenced.
Right. And then since we know that only about 80 percent of those inmates have drug problems, that brings the number down to about 1200. We have approximately 400 of our sentenced inmates are housed in the Delaware County Prison.
We already eliminated them from the population for this discussion. They're not in the 7,162.
But they're a good part of the sentenced population. So there has to be some portion of that population that we can attribute to not receiving --
Commissioner, let me go back to something, though, that you said. Maybe 1005 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) that's a part of the issue. What you said earlier was if 7,162 people, and then I thought I heard you say only 2700 of whom are basically your sentenced individuals and that they were your priority. I'm sure you did not mean to convey, though, that the other people who came through your system for some amount of time are not your priority because you had them for some period of time, you know they have some kind of substance abuse problem, you've got an 81 percent recidivism rate probably driven by the fact that most of those same people have a drug problem for which they were either robbing, stealing, shooting, or doing something else which caused them to be re-arrested. But they never got any real treatment, so they keep coming back and they keep coming back and they keep coming back. At what point in time does that group, the non-long-stay people, who treats them and who deals with them and their issues?
There are many, many community treatment programs that are available to them that are provided throughout the City. The City spends millions of dollars upward to maybe a billion dollars on those programs throughout the 1006 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) entire City. The priority for the prison system, as I said --
Well, Commissioner, with every respect, and I know you don't run the whole social service system, if they were working, you wouldn't see 81 percent of the people back. So obviously that's not the answer.
Well, we do have some of the other un-tried, although they're not the priority for the system, there are un-tried, some of those who are un-tried who do participate in the programs. We don't have a program that's large enough to deal with the entire prison population sentenced and un-sentenced.
The inmates who are committed to serve a sentence where we know that they'll be with us for a certain amount of time and who are kind of beyond denial of the problem since they've been convicted, are the ones who are most likely to be successful. If you enroll someone and three days later they get bailed out, you've kind of not had a chance to allow your program to work.
Okay. Let me ask with reference to the same population of my last 1007 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) question. Who works with either the sentenced or the non-sentenced people on issues around post-incarceration employment and trying to help people get either their lives back on track or if they were never on track, on a track? Because, one, I'm sure it must be very difficult to get any kind of employment if you have even a little bit of a record. Who works directly with this population to help them start to point their lives in the right direction, not only on the substance abuse side if that's an issue, but on the kind of work side getting your life together program?
Our vocational training staff work along with certain programs that we have that try to help a certain percentage, obviously, in getting jobs and employment.
We also had the work release program that's working to ensure that those have jobs that are committed to work release that do not have employment.
I actually don't know what that means. 1008 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
If someone is committed to the prison system with a work release program, we have to find them a job and work with them to get a job.
In our last Fiscal Year, 1914 inmates went through one of our vocational training programs.
I don't have the answer, sir. But what I can say is that in our new Fiscal '03 contract with our vocational training provider, we have greatly reemphasized that the primary outcome that we expect from them will be placement upon parole. Rather than simply providing job training, we will expect to provide them with actual work when they are paroled.
All right. Do me a favor. If you would get information to the Chair responding to the question of -- if you're telling 1009 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) me that last year 1914 inmates came through the vocational training program, I'd like to know how many of that number actually found employment and sustained that employment for at least six months.
Mr. Costello, do we have a contract with physicians at the prison? I see that the inmate medical services is something like $28 million. Do we have physicians that are under contract and how many physicians do we have at the prison? Are they there hours a day? Are they there just on certain 17 days, certain hours? 18
Please identify yourself for the record. 1010 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.)
My name is Press Grooms, Deputy Commissioner. I can't give you the exact number of physicians that we have, but I can tell you this, that there's a physician on duty hours, 7 days a 7 week in one of our major institutions. And there 8 are physicians on at the other four institutions for 9 16 hours a day -- correction, three of the four 10 institutions for 16 hours a day. 11
There are physicians on 14 duty at one institution 24 hours a day. There's a 15 physician on duty at three of the four other 16 institution for at least 16 hours a day. But in 17 terms of a number, I cannot give you the number of 18 physicians that are employed by the contractor. But 19 I can find that out for you. 20
Are there any 24 other questions from Members of the Committee? Gentlemen, thank you very much. 1011 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) Mr. Costello, is there something you wanted to clarify or the Managing Director wants to clarify.
The contract for PHS is $28 million for the entire which contains the salaries for the physicians that are employed with that company.
I'm sure for medication and -- I realize that. I was just wondering if we had a contract with physicians. We do not?
Again, I don't have the exact number. But there are physicians on duty.
Oh, I didn't think that the doctors got $28 million. I realize full well that that is for many of the medical services. I was just curious to know about the 1012 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) physicians and the type of coverage. Thank you. Department of Records is next. (Witnesses come forward.)
Good evening. I will be very brief. Good evening Council President Verna and Councilmembers. My name is Joan Decker, I'm the Records Commissioner and I have with me today Jeanne Reedy, Administrative Services Director; and Virginia Martinez, Payroll Assistant; and Dave Werbo, Budget Assistant. For Fiscal Year '03, the Records Department is requesting a General Fund Operating Budget of $5,424,009, which represents a net increase of $48,513 from the '02 estimated obligations. Just a few points in FY '01. We collected $95.6 million comprised of recording fees and realty transfer taxes. And this marks the fourth year that we do not have a document recording backlog. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
I, for one, 1013 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) think that you and your department have done a really fantastic job. And I congratulate you.
Thank you. I wanted to echo the statements of the president. We thank you. You've done a great job since you've been Commissioner and we thank you for your service.
Thank you very much. We want to continue that, and I will convey that to the staff.
Did I understand you to say you have absolutely no 16 backlog?
Amazing. Amazing. Councilman Nutter, I'm sure want to say a word.
Absolutely, Madam President. Commissioner Decker and her staff, we do remember not too many years ago how tough it was for 1014 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) you. And you came here and told us that with some additional support you would be able to turn things around. You have clearly done that. I wish to continue to commend you and also thank you for a great response whenever we've called the office. Things have shown up instantaneously. I read the real estate section in Sunday's newspaper just to kind of keep track of different transactions. I noticed the other day that there was a listing about sales in the City that had taken place in early January, and this was about a week or so ago in relatively early February. Those listings used to show sales of maybe six to nine months previous. And the fact you're almost at a real-time basis is really quite amazing. And I want to thank you for the great service. We are paying attention out there. Thank you very much. Keep up the good job.
Thank you all for your support. We appreciate Council support. Thank you.
For you to be up there and testifying for all of six minutes you must pat yourself on the back and tell yourself how wonderful you and your staff are. Because I think 1015 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) the Managing Director was up there for how many hours today?
At least four. Congratulations. Thank you so much. We appreciate your patience.
This Committee will stand in recess until tomorrow, Wednesday, February 27 at 9:30 a.m. Thank you. (Council adjourned at 5:30 p.m.) - - - 1016 2/26/02 COMM. OF THE WHOLE - BILL 020001 (cont'd.) 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 February 20, 2002, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ___________________________ Josephine Cardillo, RPR and Notary Public ___________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR and Notary Public