SafeStreetsPhilly

What You Can Do:

Be persistent and speak out, particularly about quality-of-life offenses. Talk to the police, city council, the mayor, PA state reps, etc; plus, educate property owners, businesses, and residents about their rights & responsibilities to keep their sidewalks and neighborhoods free from "Prohibited Conduct" under Titles 9 & 10, as well as the responsibility of the police and District Attorney's Office to enforce the law.

• CONTACT & WRITE LETTERS! to the Mayor, City Council, state and federal representatives, the newspapers, etc.

• JOIN US AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS > https://phila.legistar.com/calendar.aspx

• CALL 911!  Your call matters. And it doesn't have to be just in your neighborhood. Call, day or night, whenever you see those who are sleeping on the street and/or panhandling, as well as drug addicts & the mentally disabled who appear to be inebriated. By calling 911, the police must come out and a record is established that can be used by others, including the Mayor and City Council in their decision-making process. Use a business-like voice. Give the 911 operator the address or coordinates (ex: northeast corner of Walnut and 12th Streets), and a brief description, if possible. It is important to say that those sitting on the sidewalk are "blocking the sidewalk". Do not get flustered if you cannot give a complete description, as it is not necessary. If the 911 operator is not cooperative, then ask for their number and request to speak with their supervisor.  We advise against calling 311 or Homeless Outreach for the following reasons: 1) 311 calls do not get recorded as official statistics like 911 calls do, 2) Too often, Homeless Outreach staff do not call 911 as needed, but instead leave the offender at the scene of the offense and sometimes feeding them, 3) The police can contact Homeless Outreach when appropriate.

• FILL OUT A POLICE FORM AND PROVIDE PHOTOS and/or VIDEOS > https://www.phillypolice.com/forms-reports 

• URGE THE POLICE TO ISSUE CVNs (Civil Violation Notice) AND/OR MAKE AN ARREST, depending on the severity of the offense and particularly if the offender is repeatedly violating the law, if the offense occurred in your neighborhood, and there are witnesses who will give statements to the police. Do not accept police excuses. Tell the police the following: 1) Philadelphia Code Title 10 describes "Prohibited Conduct" which the offender just committed, and 2) Title 9 "requires" business owners to keep their property and the surrounding area clear of "Prohibited Conduct". (see City Laws)

• KEEP A LOG of any offenses in your neighborhood, including the day, time, police officer(s) name, photos/videos, description of the offense, and if the police issued a CVN or made an arrest. This will be helpful information should you are called as a witness or decide to press charges. (see below).

• IF PROBLEMS PERSIST: (In increasing order if you don't get satisfaction.)

• CALL / EMAIL your local POLICE DISTRICT and ask for the "community affairs" officer - https://www.phillypolice.com/districts-units/index.html
• CONTACT YOUR councilmember - https://phlcouncil.com / Find your council member: https://phlcouncil.com/stay-connected-philadelphia-city-council
• EMAIL the Police Commissioner: Police.Commissioner@phila.gov
• Contact the Mayor - https://www.phila.gov/departments/mayor
• Call the news media and write letters-to-the-editor https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-inquirer-op-ed-opinion-pitch-submission.html

• ORGANIZE YOUR COMMUNITY:
  • Get together with your neighbors, local businesses, and your local civic association to make your neighborhood safe.
  • Hold public meetings with your local councilmember and police chief - ask why they are not issuing CVNs and/or making arrests for repeat offenders.
  • Organize a group of "walking buddies" to walk around your neighborhood and call 911 on any Title 10 violations.
  • Talk to businesses who allow panhandlers, etc. in front of their establishments, which is a violation of Title 9. Plus, ask the police to issue violations against those business if they doesn't stop the violators. We have had a lot of success contacting/emailing the corporate CEOs of chain stores in the downtown area, particularly when local management is unresponsive.
  • SAMPLE HAND-OUTS: Safe Streets Philly FLYER for Property Owners, Tenants, & Businesses!  

• COMPLAIN to your city councilmember if your local Business Improvement District (BID) is not making your streets safer, which they are paid to do. Unfortunately, as a matter of policy, Center City District employees do not call 911 on the homeless, drug addicts, mentally ill, and others who are laying, sitting, or sleeping on our sidewalks and streets. They call Homeless Services instead, who are often ineffective at removing the offender or making sure that they get the services their condition requires by law.

• MORE INFO ON HOW TO:
  File a "Private Criminal Complaint" - Pros & Cons: Needs the approval of the District Attorney

  • https://casetext.com/rule/pennsylvania-local-court-rules/philadelphia-county-local-rules/municipal-court-criminal/private-criminal-complaint-procedure/rule-840-private-criminal-complaint-procedure
  • https://gambonelaw.com/what-everyone-needs-to-know-about-private-citizen-criminal-complaints-in-new-jersey-pennsylvania
  • https://www.lccpa.org/pathfinder/privatecriminalcomplaintpathfinder.pdf
  • Citizens Arrest - Pros and Cons: https://www.phillytrib.com

• SUE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY for failure to enforce local and state criminal statutes. Contact Bochetto And Lentz who have a lot of experience in this field. Failure to enforce the law by government officials is a widespread problem throughout the country, so suing on those grounds is a legitimate and often successful strategy, although it can take a few years and be expensive.