Philadelphia looking for 10,000 volunteers to "combat" violence

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Philadelphia police and black community leaders called on Wednesday for 10,000 men to volunteer to patrol the streets of America's most dangerous big city in a bid to halt a surge in murders and violent crime.

In an initiative that organizers hope will be copied in other cities, the unarmed and non-uniformed volunteers would patrol selected areas in an attempt to deter drug dealing and other street crimes that have given Philadelphia the highest murder rate among the 10 largest U.S. cities.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, a key backer of the plan, said it will be officially launched on October 21 with the aim of putting the first patrols on the streets by early November. Volunteers will be asked to patrol for three hours a day for an initial period of 90 days.

"There will be no weapons and no arrests," Johnson told Reuters. "These are not vigilantes. They will be on the streets as peacekeepers."

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1228838920070912?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Things are that bad in Philadelphia?