Anthony Murphy is the head of Town Watch in Philadelphia. During the press conference, he said instead of shying away from officers, city residents should give police a chance to speak, give them a drink of water. He said the relationship between police and the community is improving every day, and neighbors reaching out to police helps to build community policing.<\/p>\n
Rev. Chauncey Harrison, of the Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia, said this is the first National Night Out event his church at Broad and Venango streets will be hosting.<\/p>\n
Its an opportunity for us to come together as a unit, for hope, optimism, for a safer, more vibrant city of Philadelphia, Harrison said.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Outlaw said that at a time when the number of police has decreased from decades past, there is a need for police to work more closely with residents, especially in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.<\/p>\n
You have to use a wide net, Outlaw said. It has to be spearfishing. There are unintended consequences of disparate policing and some communities being over-policed because of that. She says policing has to be done in a strategic and intentional way.<\/p>\n
Outlaw said, Oftentimes, residents know who the folks who are doing the graffiti We can bring them home to their parents and it nips crime in the bud.<\/p>\n
She added that the police plan to have a presence at hundreds of parties throughout the city that are designed to strengthen the police-community bond, which has been the aim of the night since it began in the Philadelphia region, and has since spread to a nationwide effort.<\/p>\n
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An excuse to be neighborly: Philly officials call for unity on National Night Out - WHYY<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Anthony Murphy is the head of Town Watch in Philadelphia. During the press conference, he said instead of shying away from officers, city residents should give police a chance to speak, give them a drink of water Continue reading