The combined monthly Port Richmond Town Watch and PROPAC meeting was held on Tuesday evening, Sept 27th, at Samuels Recreation Center. The turnout by neighbors was overwhelming and the contingent of police officers on hand from 24th district was  impressive   Among the evening’s  speakers were Patty Kozlowski (PROPAC),  Maryann Trombetta (PRTW),  24th District Police Lt. Ronald Ball, and Maura Kennedy from the Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Patty Kozlowski distributed a copy of a redacted version of the official police report filed in the Sept 9th Lavelle home invasion and assault. Patty distributed the report in order to squelch some of the many rumors and misinformation that have been circulating about the incident. The report was obtained through the website freerecords.org. The report includes the names of the three males that were arrested that night and charged in the incident. Lieutenant Ball indicated that charges of “making terroristic threats” were still pending against a fourth individual.  When asked by a neighbor what precipitated the violence that night, Lt. Ball indicated that the matter was still under investigation however it appeared to be a case of retaliation involving a “stolen bicycle.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, there were numerous complaints by neighbors to Lt. Ball about 911 calls that go unanswered or instances where police arrive hours later. The lieutenant acknowledged that the situation is due in part to a manpower shortage. The lieutenant emphasized to neighbors the importance of providing detailed information when placing calls to 911 and the fact that the more people that call to report an incident, the higher the priority the call will eventually receive. The 911 system is manned primarily by civilians who simply “take information”; they do not dispatch police officers. Lt. Ball suggested that the neighbors meet with The Police Radio Advisory Board (PRAB) to learn more about the internal workings of the 911 system.

The Lieutenant commended the neighbors for their overwhelming turnout and told the group that as always they are the police department’s “eyes and ears” and the most effective weapon the police have in combating crime in their neighborhood.

When asked about the recent violence, Port Richmond’s Patty “Pat” Kozlowski said, “People are getting angry, and anger makes more people get involved and act, so that’s a good thing. However as a community leader I am being told by people from other communities in Philly that this is how their neighborhoods went down the tubes. But Port Richmond is different, we have a Rocky Balboa mentality and we will not go down that easy.”

In addition to the crime, the city wants to crack down on deteriorating and abandoned properties. Maura Kennedy from Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections addressed the group regarding the city’s recent crackdown by way of Act 90, also known as The Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act. The new law, co-sponsored by Pa. State Representative John Taylor, allows cities to take legal action against owners of deteriorating properties. Property owners are forced to remedy existing violations or else face stiff fines.

Neighbors can use the City’s 311 call system to report property violations. Complaints can be reported by neighbors either by calling 311 or visiting the City’s 311 website, www.phila.gov/311. When making a report, the caller will receive a service request number that they can use to track the call either online or by telephone. The Department of Licenses and Inspection and Philly311 both have pages on Facebook.

At the conclusion of the meeting police officers who patrol the Port Richmond neighborhood made themselves available to speak to neighbors “one on one” and address their individual concerns.

The next PRTW and PROPAC meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 25 at 7PM at Samuel’s Recreation Center.