How a Public Transit Agency Responded to Crime, Drug Addiction, and Homelessness in a Post-Pandemic World

• In Event: Project SCOPE: Philadelphia's New Model of Police Co-Response

Abstract

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, the transit systems of America’s urban centers have become refuge hubs for people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises while paid ridership has plummeted. Such concentrations of vulnerable individuals in subway stations presents unique challenges to the police departments of such systems, as officers have been increasingly required to juggle their use of law enforcement tools (e.g., arrest) to respond to, in effect, a public health crisis. Faced with increased crime and vulnerable population members, the transit authority (i.e., SEPTA) in Philadelphia has implemented Project SCOPE, which deploys teams of outreach workers to subway stations in efforts to connect vulnerable individuals with social services, while reducing police involvement. The current paper uses an implementation science framework to examine how SEPTA and SEPTA Police altered their organizational structures to adopt Project SCOPE. The paper describes the barriers and facilitators associated with the implementation of SCOPE, focusing on the challenges of adhering to experimental conditions in an uncertain urban political environment. The paper describes some implications for conducting research with urban public agencies.

Authors

• Matthew Teti, Drexel University

• Robert Kane, Drexel University

• Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University