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Murray Bailey: Philly cops would do '8 hours a month' community work

Republican mayoral candidate Melissa Murray Bailey said all police officers would spend eight hours a month performing community service-type work as part of her public safety plan.

Editor's note: A spokesman for Bailey clarified that officers would be compensated for the eight hours of community time, which would be part of regular work schedules.

Republican mayoral candidate Melissa Murray Bailey said all Philadelphia police officers would spend eight hours a month performing community service-type work as part of her public safety plan.

She described the eight hours as "dedicated" to time in the community, including recreational activities like pick-up basketball games.

"I want to make sure that we have police officers who are going to be out of their cars and in the neighborhoods," Bailey said of her plan to step up community policing if she is elected Nov. 3. "In so many neighborhoods, you see police just driving by."

Her eight-hour proposal will be part of an overall public safety plan to be released in the next week, Bailey said during a press conference Friday morning in front of the entrance to a North Philadelphia playground at Eighth and Diamond streets. She was accompanied by two anti-gun-violence advocates who slammed her principal opponent, Democrat Jim Kenney.

Bailey said the event was designed to draw attention to continuing gun violence in Philadelphia. Her press advisory touted the location as the scene of a recent triple shooting, but a police spokeswoman later said the intersection was the site of gunfire that wounded one man Wednesday night. He is recovering from gunshot wounds at Temple University Hospital.

Bailey said that she would continue to organize similar events highlighting the need for more police funding from the city.

"We want more resources in the police department so the police can be in the neighborhoods, in the community, partnering with leaders ... to make our streets safe again," she said.

Bailey appeared with anti-violence crusaders Terry Starks and Melissa "Ma Dukes" Taylor.

Starks said he has worked with Philadelphia Ceasefire to reach young people at risk of turning to violence, and criticized Kenney's commitment to combating Philadelphia's homicide rate.

"Jim Kenney is not out here on these crime scenes seeing the deplorable conditions of these people," said Starks. "I got nothing against [Kenney], all I'm saying is that as a community leader, I can't get no help from those guys."

Starks said he reached out to Kenney to get a pledge of support for a youth program he runs at a rec center but never heard anything back. Starks said he was supporting Bailey as a result.

The Kenney camp denied being contacted by Starks and noted that Kenney had attended a meeting of church leaders in North Philadelphia on Friday.

Spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said Kenney has run on a platform of reducing poverty and crime through social programs and the deployment of gunshot detectors.

When asked about police Commissioner Charles Ramsey's future if she is elected, Bailey said if Ramsey retires, she would be inclined to install current First Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross into the top post.