New Philadelphia Police Academy recruits will be deployed to Kensington
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- New Philadelphia Police recruits will be walking the beat in Kensington.
The department will strategically deploy its latest graduating class of officers to the troubled neighborhood.
They will be out of the academy in just ten days.
The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting the focus will be in the department's East Division, which includes Kensington.
It's where Roz Pichardo has spent her life's work as a harm reduction specialist. She recently opened the Sunshine House to serve those suffering from substance use disorder.
"We're not trying to institutionalize people already suffering. We need to provide a place of healing, a place of recovery," says Pichardo.
The police department says it's been instructed by Mayor Cherelle Parker to address, quote, "The rampant drug sales that have created an environment conducive to an open-air drug market."
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"This increased presence aims not only to enforce the law and provide services to the addicted communities, but also to address the dangerous sellers who contribute to the violence and instability in Kensington," said Sergeant Eric Gripp.
"The high levels of violence are directly tied to the drug trade, and our increased deployment that has been underway since last year and has already led to noticeable reductions in violence," Gripp continued.
It has been one month since the city cleared out encampments along Kensington Avenue, but the rampant addiction has not been eradicated.
"If you're asking people to move it along, where are they moving to? There was never a solution of where people should go, especially if they are out on the street, if they are unhoused," says Roz Pichardo.
Pichardo says she's ready to collaborate with police officers. She wants cops to commit to the community members they have sworn to protect and serve. She welcomes them to the Sunshine House.
"This can be a learning center for those recruits," Pichardo said. "This can be a place they can learn empathy, love and compassion. It can be reactive, where they learn how to treat those dealing with substance use disorder."
