Nutter, though, said that his language and his proposal captured the feelings of people who actually live in the highest-crime areas, which are predominantly black.

"If you live in a hot spot and you're ducking bullets every day," Nutter said, "you're thinking, 'What is anyone doing?' "

Political strategist Neil Oxman, a veteran of Philadelphia elections who said he was not now working for any candidate, said he thought Fattah's rhetoric identified the congressman with the status quo - something Oxman said was a mistake no matter what changes his policy papers included.

"People are really angry right now," Oxman said. "This could be the Achilles' heel of the Fattah campaign. . . . No one, not African American and not white voters, thinks [Street] is doing a good job right now."

No candidate has made crime such a focus of his campaign as Evans, who entered the race last fall with an announcement that was almost entirely focused on crime.

On the stump, Evans has said that the main ingredient in combating the problem is finding the "political will" to make people believe it is possible to do so. He said his repeated mentions of Timoney do more than just highlight his embrace of change. They also, he said, remind voters of Evans' long history on the crime issue.

"I brought him here, under Rendell," Evans said. "I believe he didn't get the political support necessary to change the department. . . . I'm different because I'm telling you who's going to implement the plan."

Evans' long interest in anticrime efforts, though, has been a two-edged sword. He spoke frequently about it during a previous mayoral bid, in 1999, but made little headway at a time when the city's homicide rate was far lower than it is today.

Residents filing out of a candidates' forum in University City last week made it clear that, this time around, they would be paying close attention to the candidates' stances on crime.

"I've had a few friends who've been mugged just going to get Chinese food. It's what we all talk about," said Michael Taptykoff, a student. "They need to get into the 21st century with police."

Anticrime Plans

How the major declared and potential Democratic candidates for mayor would approach Philadelphia's crime problem:

State Rep. Dwight Evans, a longtime champion of anti-crime efforts who has pushed state legislators to enact stronger gun-control laws, has promised to lure former Police Commissioner John F. Timoney back to Philadelphia.

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who worked in antigang advocacy in the 1970s, has called for hundreds of new surveillance cameras to be placed in dangerous areas and more police to be tasked with finding illegal guns.

Businessman Tom Knox has yet to roll out a full anticrime policy agenda, but spent the summer circulating petitions across the city calling on state legislators to act against handguns. His spokeswoman said a full policy paper was on its way.

Former Councilman Michael Nutter, who fought to increase the size of the police force while on Council, wants a state of emergency that allows police to frisk illegal gun suspects in high-crime areas.

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady has not declared his candidacy, but if he does, aides promise that crime will be a major concern. Last summer, he convened a summit of city leaders on the issue.

Read more about the mayoral candidates at http://go.philly.