"The SEPTA police have done a great job with what they've had," Perzel said at a news conference yesterday at SEPTA headquarters, "but they need even more help.

Joining Perzel were SEPTA board chairman Pasquale "Pat" Deon Sr. and Republican State Rep. John Taylor.

Using the crime drop in New York City in recent years as an example, Perzel continued: "Additional police officers will help to curb the amount of violent crime, whether it be on the subway system, the rail system, or whether it be anywhere in the city of Philadelphia. We are imploring Rep. Evans to let that bill out of committee."

Last October, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved Perzel's Commonwealth Officers Act, which would provide 10,000 police officers throughout Pennsylvania by 2011, at a cost of $450 million in the first four years.

But the bill has idled in the House Appropriations Committee, which Evans chairs.

Yesterday, Perzel accused Evans of playing politics.

Evans returned the favor.

"This is a game that's being played," Evans said. "The Republicans were in charge for 12 years, and in the time that Perzel was [House] speaker, he never passed a bill like this."

Evans also had a question for Deon:

"In the entire time that Deon's been on the SEPTA board, has he ever put up the idea of more cops? I would argue that they [Perzel and Deon] are not serious."

Evans said that he believed the state had already done its job in providing funding to the city for more police officers and that he had no plans to move the legislation.

Because of his influence over the state budget, Evans said, the city has 260 more police officers - 100 from last year's budget, at least 60 from the redeployment of state police officers, an additional 100 in the current budget.

"Like anything, you have to set priorities," Evans continued, "and the number-one priority is public safety."

On March 26, in the 13th and Market subway concourse, 36-year-old Sean Patrick Conroy, a Starbucks manager in Center City, suffered a fatal asthma attack when he was beaten and kicked by a group of truant teens.

Five Simon Gratz High School students have been charged as adults with murder in his death.

On April 2, Tyesha Tazwell, 23, was thrown to the ground, kicked and punched by a dozen youths as she walked through an underground concourse at the Gallery near Eighth and Market.

And on April 4, three men wearing black wigs robbed a 30-year-old South Philadelphia man of $20 as he rode the Market-Frankford line after boarding the train on 13th Street.

SEPTA has responded with increased overtime and an additional 30 officers to join the 60 already on duty between 2 and 5 p.m., but Deon says the system could use the officers Perzel's bill would bring.

"Since the chairman of SEPTA was just voted more than 300 million additional dollars" last year in a statewide transportation bill, Evans said, "he could have hired more police officers."