As the unofficial border between the Penn campus and West Philadelphia, 40th Street has held an unsavory reputation in the minds of many. That perception is something both the Penn and Philadelphia Police have been working in the last three months to change.
The two police departments launched a new bike patrol on 40th Street last September, in an attempt to improve "quality of life issues" on the street, according to Maureen Rush, Penn's vice president for public safety. The patrol is a joint effort in which one Penn and one Philadelphia police officer traverse 40th Street between Baltimore and Market streets nearly all day and night long.
Joseph Fischer, a captain of the University of Pennsylvania Police Department who oversees the patrol, said that since the actual number of crimes that occur on 40th Street is not exceptionally high, the bike officers will focus on curbing such problems as public urination on sidewalks, drug use, open containers of alcohol and double-parking.
"If you take care of the small things, then the bigger things fall into place," he said.
"The area may be safe," Fischer continued, "but people perceive it not to be safe, because of the activity going on around them."
Fischer said that he meets with community groups regularly, and they believe there has been some improvement.
"I think it's safer now," said Flo Mayes, manager of Nan Restaurant, which is located at 40th and Chestnut streets.
Noting that she has seen a decline in panhandling outside her restaurant over the last few months, Mayes said, "There used to be people standing around outside when we left work around 1 a.m. There aren't anymore."
"I think the customers feel safer, too," Mayes continued. "Panhandlers used to come in here and ask for money while people were eating. That doesn't happen anymore."
The impetus for this patrol initiative came over the summer, when Rush received an e-mail from a community member complaining about the state of 40th Street.
"The perception of 40th and Market has been a problem for a long time," Rush said, noting that the joint patrol was launched because she did not think this border area was solely Penn's responsibility, but rather one that could be shared with the Philadelphia Police Department.
The split patrol also helps to coordinate the UPPD and PPD, as each day the bike officers report back to their superiors, who meet regularly to discuss any issues.
New Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey especially likes this aspect of the patrol, saying, "We have the same mission [as the PPD]. It enables us to be stronger in our response and coordinated in our response, so we're all working together for a common cause."
Fischer emphasized that one important aspect of the patrol is community relations. Officers are assigned to the patrol on a volunteer basis, and "officers [know] that part of their assignment [is] to interact with the community," Fischer said.
"They're not just riding their bikes up and down the street," he said, adding that the officers had established "casual relationships" with local shopkeepers.
"I talk to them every day," said Christal Rollins, manager of the McDonald's located at 40th and Walnut streets. "I just say, 'Hi, bye,' [and] they see how everything's doing."
