Perzel & Taylor rip Evans on new-cop proposal

To hear them tell it, two Republican state representatives can succeed where SEPTA and city police cannot, in decreasing crime on SEPTA's subterranean system.

Reps. John Perzel and John Taylor say their plan - the Commonwealth Officers Act - could work, if only Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans would allow it to.

Yesterday, Perzel and Taylor stood alongside SEPTA Board Chairman Pat Deon at a news conference and called for 10,000 new cops on duty throughout the state - while taking a jab at Evans for what they said was a lack of movement on their bill.

"This is a common-sense bill that will provide an innovative and new approach to law enforcement," Perzel said. "But the bill is bottled up."

Perzel and Taylor said the bill has languished in the House Appropriations Committee since October. "The bill has been sent to the committee," Perzel said. "Something needs to be done."

Perzel said Evans had canceled a vote on the bill when Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was in town. "This is critical legislation that's bottled up; if it is brought in the floor, it will pass, and it will also pass the Senate."

The Commonwealth Officers Act, as House Bill 1189 is known, would provide 10,000 officers to counties throughout the state over four years. Philadelphia would get 1,300 of those new officers, many of whom would help beef up SEPTA's officer corps.

According to the GOP representatives, the plan would combine state and local funding to the tune of $450 million; the amounts would be determined on a county-by-county basis, using a complex system that analyzes the number of officers, the crime rate and population of the counties receiving funds.

They said this would drop Philadelphia's officer-to-civilian ratio from one officer for every 217 citizens to one per 161.

A spokeswoman for Evans disputed many of the GOP representatives' claims.

"Dwight's record for supporting police, both in terms of numbers and legislation, is second to none," said the spokeswoman, Johnna A. Pro.

"We support Perzel's concept, but we don't agree that his proposition is the way to go.

"Mr. Perzel is grandstanding at the expense of crime victims, and it's a shame.

"We would expect more from a man with his stature, someone who knows the issues very well," she said.