Philadelphia Police Participating In 311 Pilot Program
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philly 311 call system wants to improve the delivery of city services by hooking up with Philadelphia Police officers in troubled neighborhoods.
When an officer in a squad car has some down time, they'll be able to use their wireless Mobile Data Terminal system (MDT) on the dash or seat to report non-emergency service requests on quality-of-life and service issues.
City Managing Director Rich Negrin says it's not just about running from crime to crime. It's about problem solving.
"I think a sophisticated officer, especially one trained in community policing, understands that quality-of-life and crime are directly connected."
The Director of Philly 311, Rosetta Carrington-Lue, says they hope the roll-out will include 3000 officers, who will respond to things like, "vacant homes, what's happening with code violations? Or hey, this trash was missed."
"Obviously, as crime is happening, that's their first priority," Carrington-Lue says. "But, when they have down time, citizens ask them about things within their neighborhood."
The initial pilot program is covering seven Philly Rising neighborhoods, the program in sections of Philadelphia plagued by chronic crime and disorder problems.
