In an election featuring crime as a major issue, former Philadelphia City Councilman Michael Nutter won the Democratic primary yesterday, virtually assuring him of winning the mayoralty in November.
The Philadelphia Inquirer summarized his anticrime policy this way: Declare a state of emergency; step up patrols in identified hot spots; use curfews, checkpoints, and “stop, question and frisk” to confiscate illegal guns; install more video cameras and gunshot detectors; create a public safety cabinet – the mayor, district attorney, president judges, police commissioner, Department of Human Services commissioner, and probation and parole authorities – to meet weekly throughout the emergency; convene a public-safety roundtable to build cooperation in the eight-county region; provide three-year tax credits for employers who hire ex-offenders; hire 500 more police officers; change the city charter so the police commissioner has more power to appoint and reassign staff; establish a 311 call center; enact stricter city gun laws; provide conflict resolution curriculum in schools; pass tax reform to stimulate job growth.
Link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/special/mayors_race/The_Candidates__Positions_on_Reducing_Crime.html