Calling upon The Department of Public Property for the City of Philadelphia to install magnetometers at the entrances of Municipal Buildings, in the category of City Hall, and the Municipal Services Building to ensure the safety of all persons within these buildings.

WHEREAS, Philadelphia had the highest murder rate among the nation's 10 largest cities in 2006, and violent crime and property crime grew at a rate that exceeded the national average according to FBI statistics recently released; and

WHEREAS, Among the top 10 cities, Philadelphia reported the highest violent-crime rate last year, up 5.9 percent. Nationwide, violent crime increased 1.3 percent last year over 2005, according to the FBI's annual survey of 11,723 law enforcement agencies. Violent crime includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; and

WHEREAS, According to FBI statistics, Philadelphia had a murder rate of 27.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2006, compared with 18.9 in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphians are more likely to be murdered than residents of other cities whose populations exceed one million people; and

WHEREAS, The installation of magnetometers at the entrances of all Municipal buildings would secure a vital government interest; and

WHEREAS, The magnetometers represent a search of the persons passing through it, however, such a search is limited and is no more intrusive than necessary to protect against the danger to be avoided; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Council calls upon the Department of Public Property for the City of Philadelphia to install magnetometers at the entrances of Municipal Buildings, in the category of City Hall, and the Municipal Services Building to ensure the safety of all persons within these buildings.

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