FNA Safety Committee meeting recap for September 2017

We hosted our September meeting on location under the El, with help from Lt. Tim Catto of SEPTA Police.

We hear a number of crime and safety concerns via email and on social media about, and invited SEPTA Police to join us to discuss how we can work together on improvements.

Lt. Catto was incredibly helpful and informative. He addressed concerns about Berks Station, walked with our group to Girard Station, and back, and gave some context about how patrols work. Here are a few takeaways for everyone in the neighborhood:

Issues under the El

• Lt. Catto oversees District 4, which runs from Frankford Transportation Center to 15th Street.
• Berks and Girard stations are both low on major crimes (robbery, theft, etc), and concerns tend to be more about quality of life issues.
• Some of the most serious issues at Berks involve impaired drivers driving into the eastbound exit turnstiles (instead of turning right or left onto Front Street).
• The most active and consistent patrols at these stations tend to happen around school dismissal, and officers are currently keeping an eye on tension they’ve heard about between Roman and Penn Treaty students. Lt. Catto is in regular communication with local schools, which is a citywide effort between SEPTA and educators.

Things we’re working on

• Lights under the El at Girard are now much brighter, and we’d love to see them along Front Street and at other stations, too. Lt. Catto is making that connection. A number of the lights between Berks and Girard are flickering, or off, creating dark patches.
• SEPTA Police alert clinics when officers spot clients selling or trading Transpasses in exchange for drugs.
• Police are aware of drug activity, specifically around Girard, and discussed some of the hot spots around the station. We’re discussing the possibility of more cameras.
• Cleanups: SEPTA power washes stations overnight, but cleanliness on Front Street is beyond their scope. Contact beautification@fishtown.org to get involved with cleanups (and shout-out to the Penn Treaty and Franklin Learning Center students and parents who want to get involved with that!)

How and when to contact SEPTA Police

• During emergencies, 911 calls do get dispatched to SEPTA Police when applicable

• To speak directly with SEPTA Police about a problem, call 215-580-8111
• Download the Transit Watch mobile app to discreetly report issues (including uploading photos) to police. This is especially useful to report aggressive panhandling.
• You can email Lt. Catto with non-emergency questions and concerns at tcatto@septa.org

Our next Safety Committee meeting (and final meeting of 2017) will be Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 6:30pm at Fishtown Rec, 1202 E. Montgomery Ave. Email safety@fishtown.org any time for information, questions and concerns.