Ramsey improves his record

In November 2007, I wrote an article criticizing then Mayor-elect Michael Nutter’s choice of Charles Ramsey as commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Today, I am writing to say Ramsey has proven me wrong.

In the first article, I cited Ramsey’s history as police commissioner in Washington, D.C., as evidence he would not be a good fit for Philadelphia. Ramsey presided over a police department that had been sued for human rights violations.

Since coming to Philadelphia, though, Ramsey has proven himself to be an able commissioner for Philadelphia’s police force.

It’s true that crime rates have not changed substantially, and property crimes are on the rise. However, property crime rates will always rise in a recession. Ramsey cannot be blamed for that.

Ramsey’s biggest success so far was his reaction to a police beating caught by a TV helicopter’s cameras. In May 2008, almost a dozen police officers were videotaped by the helicopter beating and kicking three suspects. Ramsey fired four officers and disciplined as many within two weeks after the incident.

The commissioner caught flak from the Fraternal Order of Police for doing so. The FOP said he should have let the investigation take place. Ramsey realized, perhaps better than the police union of this city, how important public relations are, especially when they are often far from warm.

In my earlier article, I wrote that the city’s public image could not afford to have Ramsey at the helm. I said so because Ramsey had left the District on mixed terms and had drawn criticism for some actions he took when large anti-war protests were held in the city.

As it happened, Ramsey has only improved the city’s image. Murder rates are down, which matters when they garner more headlines than other crimes.

Not only has he improved the city’s image, but Ramsey improved how Philadelphians perceive the city’s police force. This perception can be one of the most critical obstacles in bringing down crime rates.

Combating crime doesn’t just take officers and squad cars. It takes at least a lukewarm – if not cozy – relationship between the public and the police. Then, people feel more responsible to help the police, helping to bring criminals to justice.

Ramsey deserves accolades for what he has done for Philadelphia in his first year. The commissioner may not have solved all the city’s crime problems, and some problems are getting worse, but that isn’t the point. Getting stuck on the statistics after one year would be a mistake. No one could significantly change Philadelphia’s crime rates all on their own in a year, or even two, without committing some serious human rights violations.

The important point is that Ramsey is taking on Philadelphia’s problems with what a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article called “relentless energy.”

It is that energy that Philadelphia needs, especially from the upper echelons of its leadership. Ramsey has not lost his energy after decades as a police officer.

Some of Ramsey’s actions in Washington, D.C., will not look well on his legacy. But judging from his first year as Philadelphia’s top police officer, those actions may only be a footnote to a much more effective career in Philadelphia.

Stephen Zook can be reached at stephen.zook@temple.edu.

Chess tournament discourages violence

More than 100 Philadelphia school students participated in the city’s first 24-hour chess tournament last weekend, aimed at providing an alternative to violence.

Half of the participants spent Friday night playing informal games in the Howard Gittis Student Center, while the other half arrived Saturday morning for the tournament.

Temple hosted theevent, which saw a brief appearance from Mayor Michael Nutter on Friday The mayor spoke to the participants before leaving to pick up his daughter.

“Chess is more than a game,” Nutter said. “These are all the skills you will use when you’re older.”

Nutter had a chance to display his own skills in a match against one of the students, but was defeated.

Also in attendance were Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and Leteef Street, son of former Philadelphia Mayor John Street.

Street, a Class A ranked player by the United States Chess Federation, played 18 kids at one time.

One of the weekends competitors, 14-year-old Dwight Johnson, said he got involved with chess because of his mother.

“I didn’t think I would like it. I thought it would be a boring game,” Johnson said. “[My mom] said I needed to do an after school program.”

Johnson, along with two of his friends, won iPods for participating for more than 24 hours and playing what they think was well more than 100 games.

The event was organized by Philadelphia’s After School Activities Partnership. Aside from chess events, the group provides other after school alternatives for the city’s children such as dances, debates and scrabble.

“When you go out in the community, you realize there are kids all around here that need enrichment,” ASAP President Marciene Mattleman said.

Mattleman received her degrees from Temple and taught for 18 years in the university’s College of Education while doing research on academic success. After teaching, she left Temple to pursue full-time non-profit work.

Before starting ASAP in June 2002, Mattleman had already established four non-profit organizations.

She credits the idea of a 24-hour tournament to Gil Motley who brought his own team of 25 elementary school children. One of the children placed first in the unrated section of his age group in the State Scholastic Championships in March.

ASAP holds other chess tournaments, and while the next large event is another four months away, there will be an all-girls tournament in June held at Drexel University.

“Philadelphia has a rich history of chess,” Mattleman said. “But it’s kind of fallen on the skids.”

Kriston Bethel can be reached at kbethel@temple.edu.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey speaks to a crowded class at Penn

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey took the floor at a University of Pennsylvania class Thursday afternoon and addressed a room packed with students about the media’s role in public safety.
After a five-minute introduction of himself and his work, the commissioner, who is nearing the four-month mark in his position, opened the floor to questions about everything from his controversial stop-and-frisk policy to Philadelphia’s “stop snitching” culture.
Ramsey also commented on Mayor Michael Nutter’s recent gun law signing.
“I’m not anti-gun, but I do think there needs to be reasonable controls,” he said. “I think that asking the state to pass legislation where you have to report a handgun that you lose or is stolen from you is not asking too much. I don’t see why people need to have an AK-47, so banning assault rifles to me seems reasonable.”
When asked about criticisms of him that ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ramsey said he tends to skim everything and make note of good points, but he never lets reporters make him second-guess himself.
“You know why? I’m doing the best I can,” he said. “The next time the commissioner’s job comes open, I implore them to come apply for the job. Until then, I got it and I’ll make the decisions and they can like it or not like it. Because the end result is going to be just that – results. If we’re able to lower the crime rate then it will be successful.”
Ramsey previously served on the police force in Chicago, his hometown, and in Washington, D.C. from 1998 until last January. He likened Philadelphia to Chicago, but told the class it was very difficult to compare to Washington, D.C.
“As far as just an urban environment, Chicago and Philadelphia are easier to compare because Chicago is much larger but it’s very similar in terms of neighborhoods. Some of the issues and problems, just the size of the city, size of the departments – those are comparisons that are easier to make then others,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey turned the tables on the inquiring students and asked if it is OK for an official, like himself, to lie to the media in order to avoid giving out information about an important case?
After receiving various answers from both ends of the spectrum, he said his opinion on the issue.
“This is something where every person has a major decision for themselves. I’ll tell you what mine is. Mine is you don’t talk,” Ramsey said. “There is nothing more important then your personal integrity. With the media, which you’re going to have to deal with again, if you lie to them and mislead them, they will never ever trust you again.
“I don’t believe in ‘no comment,’ personally,” he said. “There’s a way of saying a lot without saying anything and I’ve gotten pretty good at that over the years … They already know that there’s certain things you can’t say. Their job is to ask the question, you’re dumb enough to answer it. You have to know what you can say and what you can’t say.”
Among Ramsey’s major points about the media, he said he believes the media often instill too much of a fear in people.
Ramsey also recently met with Campus Safety Services Executive Director Carl Bittenbender and other representatives to discuss Temple Police’s relationships with the Philadelphia Police Department, said Michael McFall, operations manager for Campus Safety.
While he acknowledges that Philadelphia needs work, Ramsey said he took the job because he wanted to “make a difference” here.
“I came to Philadelphia because I felt I could make a difference. I knew it had issues, but that’s what I was looking for,” Ramsey said. “I wasn’t looking to go to Mayberry or something like that. I wanted a challenge and I got it. This is a great city and I enjoy being here.”
Morgan A. Zalot can be reached at morgan.zalot@temple.edu.
Photos by Julia Wilkinson

SEPTA attacks bring security too late

It took three attacks and a funeral to increase security on Philadelphia’s sole public transportation system.

The subway attacks of March 26, April 2 and April 4 occurred within blocks of each other – some in broad daylight – and have highlighted the need for increased security on SEPTA’s tracks.

“We’re taking special note of what’s going on,” Mayor Michael Nutter told 6 ABC recently.

Nutter and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey have both promised SEPTA users more safety in the wake of the attacks.

SEPTA has also responded. Immediately following the attacks, the transit agency increased the number of officers on duty by 50 percent during after school hours – the time associated with the recent attacks. Between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., 90 officers will now police the city’s subway system to deter crime. SEPTA also plans on installing security cameras over the next few years, an investment of more than $50 million.

“These senseless and tragic incidents are unrelated events that occurred in the public pedestrian areas adjacent to our stations. I want to assure you that our transit system is safe,” Joseph M. Casey, general manager of SEPTA, wrote in a message to users on the agency’s Web site.

Immediate action by Nutter, Ramsey and SEPTA is undoubtedly a good thing. To have the mayor, police department and the city’s only mass transportation agency working together – and doing so efficiently – speaks volumes to the progress Nutter is making in Philadelphia.

Of course, there are already some flaws in the system. Had there already been enough officers patrolling the subway – as opposed to the 60 who were patrolling prior to the attacks – fewer, if any, of the attacks would have occurred. The assault that led to the death of Starbucks manager Sean Patrick Conroy took place in the middle of the afternoon near one of the system’s most used stations. Our subways need to be better patrolled if riders are going to feel safe.

Video surveillance is part of that patrol. SEPTA’s plan to install new cameras has a 2012 deadline. Though the three incidents have encouraged the authority to try to push up the deadline, there is still no logical explanation for why there aren’t cameras already.
Community members are also taking action, as The Temple News reported [“Police react to SEPTA violence,” Morgan A. Zalot, April 8, 2008]. The Alliance of Guardian Angels is a group of civilians who have patrolled the subway in the past, and are now making a comeback. Though not exclusive to Philadelphia, the Guardian Angels have worked for years to enhance the safety of the Philadelphia community, doing so without weapons.

In yet another mistake by another police commissioner, it was announced last week that the Guardian Angels will not receive free subway passes for their efforts. Ramsey passed the buck off to SEPTA officials, who maintain that only employees and uniformed police officers and firefighters can hold free passes. This news came just after the Philadelphia Police announced support for the Angels.

City Hall, the Philadelphia Police and SEPTA were wise enough to respond to the attacks quickly and in sync, but they should have been working together, along with the community, to combat crime all along.

Shannon McDonald can be reached at shannon.mcdonald@temple.edu.