Philly police foundation spends $500K to reduce crime, increase safety and officer visibility

The Philadelphia Police Foundation has spent $500,000 to help combat Philly crime, increase safety in the city and provide better policing.

The money the PPF spent went toward major investments that included: 12 new highway patrol motorcycles, 80 new fully equipped police bikes, six mounted patrol horses and three bomb sniffing canines.

“Right now the city of Philadelphia, like many major cities, is experiencing rampant gun violence and crime. And you know what folks? This isn’t just the Philadelphia police problem…this is all of our problem, and we are here as the solution for that,” President of the PPF, Maureen Rush, said at a press conference Tuesday morning.

All the investments PPF made were to provide better staffing, equipment and support for the department and community.

The new highway patrol motorcycles will go toward the highway patrol unit and the Philadelphia Police Department’s traffic unit. The fleet, which hasn’t been updated in years, will now have enhanced mobility and response capabilities, allowing them to swiftly address traffic safety issues, Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Danielle Outlaw, said.

These patrols are responsible for community engagement, crowd control, major events, fallen officer escorts and patrols in high crime and violent areas.

The police will now have more bicycle patrols with the addition of the 80 fully equipped police bikes. This will allow for more staffing to serve the 300 commercial corridors in the city which will increase community engagement and visibility.

The Mounted Patrol Unit came back in the early 2000s with funding provided by the PPF and they are now providing funding for six new horses to help with big events, crowd control needs and added patrols throughout the city.

The extra K9 officers will aid in speeding up investigations and locating critical evidence in cases. The PPF was able to purchase a new K9, Deuce, who has undergone nearly 1,000 training hours and now serves as a four-legged officer.

Two more K9 officers are currently in training as well.

The PPF has four areas where they are aiming to make the most impact for 2023. 

Those areas are reducing the gun violence epidemic, supporting officer wellness programs and police accountability, providing strategic training opportunities at all levels of the PPD and providing engagement opportunities between the PPD and the city’s youth, Vice President of the PPF, Peter Madden, said.