The 15th Police District’s crime statistics show most crimes are down or running about the same as last year, says the district’s commander, Capt. Frank Bachmayer.
The exception is burglary, Bachmayer told members of the 15th Police District Advisory Council during their Nov. 28 meeting in the John Perzel Community Center on St. Vincent Street.
Residential burglaries are up more than 20 percent compared to last year’s numbers, the captain said. At one point this year, the increase was running about 30 percent higher than last year. However, the positive note is that burglary arrests are up, too, Bachmayer said.
During PDAC meetings earlier this year and in interviews with the Northeast Times, the captain had stressed that homeowners should take steps to make their houses less attractive to burglars.
Bachmayer had suggested that residents make sure all doors and windows are locked, and that they secure window air-conditioners so they can’t be pushed out by burglars who can easily climb into their homes. Timed lighting and burglar alarms are good ideas, he added.
During the meeting, the captain also said that anyone who calls 911 to report a crime should also try to give the approximate age of the person committing the offense. The information can help responding officers identify an offender.
OFFICERS HONORED
Dolores Bartholomew was honored as August’s Officer of the Month for making arrests in a Pratt Street stabbing and an armed robbery on Torresdale Avenue.
Robert Bakos and Sean Quinn were recognized as October Officers of the Month for quickly arresting a man who allegedly assaulted and robbed a man near Unruh Avenue and State Road. The officers had a total of nine arrests during October.
Last month, Joseph Tigue and Colin Broderick were named September Officers of the Month for making three narcotics arrests on the 4800 block of Griscom St.
In other business, Mike Thaete, the PDAC’s chairman, said the group’s Thanksgiving dinner for the needy, held at Mater Dolorosa R.C. Church in Frankford, was a big success. He said all involved worked very hard and fed hot turkey meals to 130 people for less than $300.
PDAC meetings and membership are limited to those who represent various neighborhood organizations, businesses, churches and schools. However, sessions of the district’s three Police Service Areas are open to the general public and give residents of the district — the city’s largest — opportunities to exchange information with the police officers who serve their neighborhoods.
Two of the three PSAs have meetings scheduled for the remainder of December.
PSA 2 will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at St. Timothy’s Church, Hegerman and Disston. The area is in the center of the district and also between Roosevelt Boulevard and the Delaware River. It runs north to Magee Avenue, but goes up to Knorr Street between Frankford and Torresdale avenues. After Torresdale, the northernmost boundary of PSA 2 is Unruh Avenue.
PSA 1 will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21, in the second-floor meeting room of Aria Health’s Frankford campus, 4900 Frankford Ave. PSA 1 is the bottom third of the 15th, from the Frankford Creek to Bridge Street, between Roosevelt Boulevard and the Delaware River.
The next 15th PDAC meeting will be Monday, Dec. 19, at the John Perzel Center, 2990 St. Vincent St.
Thaete said the group is considering moving some of its sessions to a few different locations in 2012. A full schedule of meetings will be determined at the start of the year. ••
Reporter John Loftus can be reached at 215–354–3110 or jloftus@bsmphilly.com
