South Philly Review

A few weeks ago, Judy Cerrone was watching the local news when Mayor Michael Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey were on and Nutter announced two districts in the South Police Division would become one.

To her shock, she learned the affected were her 4th and the 3rd — two districts housed in the same building at 11th and Wharton streets. Cerrone and others say they feel left out of the information loop, having only heard about the merger through the rumor mill or hearsay.

“The City is not being transparent in informing the people. The mayor is saying it will make the city run more efficiently. How? We would like more information. How is this going to affect us? Why was South Philly picked?” Cerrone, who lives on the 3100 block of Juniper Street and is president of the Stadium Community Council Civic Association, said.

The Mayor’s Office deferred comment to Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations Command South Kevin Bethel, a former 17th District captain, who said the 3rd and 4th Districts were selected for two reasons.

“The facility is one reason. We have the ability to merge because everybody is already in the building. Geographically, it’s conducive because the coverage area [for both districts] is small enough with 6.5 square miles,” Bethel said.

The 3rd covers Lombard to Tasker streets and Broad Street to the Delaware River, while the 4th spans Tasker to the stadiums and Broad to the river. The move follows a similar one made earlier this month, when Ramsey united North Philadelphia’s 22nd and 23rd districts.

“It’s going very well. We have a lot of officers on the street, foot beats, bikes, increased supervision,” Bethel said of that merger. According to the deputy commissioner and 3rd District Capt. Joe McDowell, the change is targeted for sometime in March and will be called the 3rd District. All of the cops will be absorbed into one staff. “The officers assigned to the 3rd and 4th will be remaining. That’s a positive thing for the community. And the number of sergeants will increase per platoon,” McDowell said.

Former 3rd District Capt. Mike Weaver is being brought back to command the new district. In 2008, Weaver was relocated from the 3rd to oversee the Police Athletic League. When 4th District Capt. Alan Clark was reassigned Jan. 11 to the Center City District, Weaver stepped in.

“I always loved South Philadelphia and the crime down here is always attackable. The people down here, when you help them, they appreciate it. I like being back,” Weaver told the Review.

The captain’s plan remains the same.

“We’re going to direct our attention to eliminating the serious crime, going after repeat offenders and getting them off the street,” he said.

Being proactive is another top priority.

“Youth violence reduction — once we find out these kids are heading that way, meet with them: ‘We know who you are, if you pick up a gun and cause this [violent crime], we’re going to be paying attention to you,” Weaver said.

As for McDowell, he will be reassigned — a post not yet determined at press time — something that is commonplace in department ranks.

“By no means do I see this as a negative thing. I will still be contributing my crime-fighting efforts to the Philadelphia Police Department,” McDowell said. “I enjoyed working here the last two years. I got tremendous help and support from the community.

“Since I’ve been here, violent crime has decreased 19 percent and property crime, 12 percent. I attribute that to the hard work of the officers and community who helped feed police information.”

The 11th-and-Wharton facility is being revamped with more modern work spaces for personnel.

“Which is a positive thing, good for morale,” McDowell said.