By Alex Lloyd Gross
There were years that the homicide rate in the city was over 400 people killed per year. That number was unacceptable. People would congregate around bars and cause problems. Something needed to be done. In the spring of this year, Philadelphia Police rolled out an initiative called Operation Pressure Point. This was a collaboration with 17 different agencies. The number of those killed in the city stands at 283 which is still "unacceptable" in the words of Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Still, it is an improvement and a substantial one, at that.
Concentrated in high crime areas, police responded to complaints and patrolled the area using aggressive and pro active measures. The end result was 1775 arrests, 500 bench warrants served, almost $5 million in narcotics seized. 247 illegal guns were removed from the streets. 93 bars had been closed for code violations.
Most of those bars have corrected the violations, and have reopened. Still, other remain shuttered. During a press conference held at Police Headquarters, Commissioner Charles Ramsey was joined by representatives from various different departments, to give out awards. Lt. Col. Lenny Bandy of the Pennsylvania State Police praised his troopers that worked with the city officers to make a difference.
Crime spikes in the summer months. While the full scope of Operation Pressure Point concluded on November 1, Commissioner Ramsey stated that it will continue in a smaller, internal scale.
Comments