Philadelphia crime rates, police strategies, and racial disparities

Philadelphia

Crime in the City of Philadelphia

The crime rate in Philadelphia has been a major issue for many years. Philadelphia is known as one of the cities with a highest crime rate in America. Crime is any act committed that breaks the laws, breaking rules that were established by a state or federal authority. New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are cities that are bigger than Philadelphia, with much larger populations, however they have lower crime rates compared to Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Police Department have made many different attempts and tried several strategies in an effort to reduce crime rate in this city. In 2002 the Police Department launched Operation Safe Streets, where police officers were placed on all the known drug infested streets in attempt decrease crime rates (Lawton, Taylor & Luongo, 2005). In this paper I will discuss some of the issues associated with the crime rate in Philadelphia, such as social stratification, social class, race and ethnicity and other variables.

Police Efforts

Crime is such a major problem in the city of Philadelphia in some areas policing is ineffective (Lawton, Taylor & Luongo, 2005). In 2002 residents in some areas of Philadelphia felt as though it is business as usual, the police crackdowns had stopped and many residents felt as though the police department was failing the residents. Residents also believe that police crack downs take place as a part of political concern, rather than citizen safety (Lawton, Taylor & Luongo, 2005). In attempt to reduce crime Public Closed Circuit Television were installed and monitored in public spaces over the last two decades (Ratcliffe, Taniguchi & Taylor, 2009). This process was beneficial in reducing crime rates in some neighborhoods while it was not beneficial in other neighborhoods. Operation Safe Streets began in 2002, the mayor placed police officers on many street corner to prevent drug activity.

Race and Ethnicity

It is the 21st century and yet there is a major disparity that exists today in Philadephia and in America. There is a significant disparity with incarceration on African-American and Latinos compared to whites (Miller, 2010). There is high evidence to support that victims and incarcerated individuals are drawn from poorer areas, and areas with high racial minorities (Miller, 2010). Philadelphia has a majority of White residents 67.9%, and 26.8% African-Americans (see Appendix E). Although there are much more whites than African-Americans, there are at least seven African-Americans incarcerated for every one white that is incarcerated (Lawton, Taylor & Luongo, 2005).

Poverty, Education and Crime

In the last decade, on average there is between 300 and 400 homicides in Philadelphia, and about half of these homicides go unsolved (see Appendix C). The poverty rate in Philadelphia is extremely high 24.3% (see Appendix A). Cities that have high poverty rates are known to be cities with high crime rates. In 2009 only 52% of the student enrolled in the public school systems are considered proficient or advanced in Math and 47.7% proficient or advanced in reading (PEW, 2010). Neighborhoods that are populated with individuals who are not adequately educated are known to be neighborhoods in poverty and with higher crime rates. According to the census report 22.9% of the people in Philadelphia are below the poverty line (U.S. Census Bureasu, 2009). Philadelphia has an 11.5% unemployment rate, which is much higher than the unemployment rate of America which is 9.6% (PEW, 2011). "Delinquency rates are negatively correlated with socioeconomic status" (Barlas & Farrie, 2006). Many theorists argue that the financial state of the individual could drive them into a life of crime for survival.

Political & Economic Structure

Political influence has been a major factor in the efforts to reduce crime in Philadelphia. According to 2010 census Philadelphia has grown and is now the biggest county in the state of Philadelphia. The local government has a heavy responsibility to the residents of Philadelphia; they have a big burden of ensuring the safety and protection of the citizens. One of the biggest election campaign themes is the crime reduction platform. Politicians have based their political career in Philadelphia on the crime rate and the safety of the residents. Philadelphia is known for its historic sites. The city receives a large percentage of their income from tourism, they are known as a service-based city. Philadelphia spends a large amount of money on crime prevention methods.

Conclusion

In conclusion Philadelphia is a beautiful city with a lot of historic sites and strong American history. Philadelphia is known as a very dangerous city, it has a very high crime rate, compared to bigger cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. These cities have larger population with a smaller crime rate. There have been many different attempts by politicians and the police department to reduce the crime rate in Philadelphia. Crime rate today is still very high, and many of the residents of Philadelphia feel as though the reduction of crime is more political than a reality. The average household income in Philadelphia is very low compared to other parts of the country and education level is below standards. These are all contributing factors to the crime rate in Philadelphia and must be addressed.

Appendix A

Graph from PEW 2010

Appendix B

Graph from PEW 2010

Appendix C

Graph from PEW 2010

Appendix D

Graph from PEW 2010

Appendix E

2010 Population by Race and Ethnicity

Philadelphia, MS

Mississippi

United States

Population by Race

White

5,148

67.91%

1,759,110

59.45%

221,809,059

71.91%

Black or African-American

2,032

26.80%

1,081,598

36.55%

37,036,996

12.01%

American Indian and Alaska Native

1.65%

11,505

0.39%

3,026,418

0.98%

Asian

28

0.37%

28,753

0.97%

13,906,406

4.51%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

9

0.12%

1,534

0.05%

662,031

0.21%

Other

3.15%

76,699

2.59%

32,014,224

10.38%

Population by Ethnicity

Population Hispanic

2.24%

68,878

2.33%

49,511,501

16.05%

Population Non-Hispanic