January 27-February 2, 2005

city beat

Safety Check

book 'em: While many city libraries seem secure, problems still abound at the Central Branch. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Testing security at city libraries, City Paper finds there's still work to be done.

by Jonas Raab and Cory Frolik

It is 10:30 a.m. on a cold winter Thursday, and the Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia is buzzing with activity. There are college students doing research, people reading newspapers and magazines, and others browsing the video section or checking out books.

Down in the basement men's room, other people are busy. An old homeless man with a graying beard is cleaning himself in the sink. He has removed his shirt and is completely lathered up, preparing to rinse. He is not alone. There are others lathering and rinsing, brushing their teeth and performing the rest of their morning ritual. Although the bathroom is crowded, there is not one patron that does not appear to be homeless.

Though the homeless using these bathrooms is not a new phenomenon, the practice runs counter to new Free Library security practices that were developed to protect patrons. Those efforts come in the wake of the February assault last year of an 8-year-old girl in the bathroom of the Independence Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. According to police, a 23-year-old homeless man, Brian McCutcheon, followed her into the women's room, tried to rape her and then choked her. He ultimately pleaded guilty [News, "Justice Served," Helen i-lin Hwang, June 3, 2004].

The assault "was the final straw for a lot of us," says Allen Merry, shop steward for AFSCME Local 2187, the union that represents the city's librarians.

In response, Mayor John F. Street asked Library Executive Director Elliot Shelkrot and Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson to form the Free Library of Philadelphia Security Task Force to assess library security at all of Philadelphia's 55 branches and make recommendations for changes.

A library is "a place that wants everyone to be comfortable," says Shelkrot. "When something like that occurs, you want to double-check everything."

As those officials have taken steps to secure facilities, City Paper visited each of the city's 55 library branches in December and January to determine whether recent months have brought increased security. Though most appeared safer than in the past, there are clearly still problems that need to be addressed. (See sidebar, page 9).

With advice from the District Attorney's Office and insight from library staff, the task force assessed security and in October issued a report that recommended a slew of security upgrades. Changes at the vast majority of Free Library branches included the installation of additional security mirrors (four at Central); extending the hours of contract guards; "Do Not Leave Children Unattended" signs prominently displayed along with the library Standards of Acceptable Behavior; improved sightlines from rearranged furniture and displays; and the use of walkie-talkies to improve communication.

Considering the impetus for change, most recommended upgrades involved bathroom security. Now, in order to gain access to library bathrooms, patrons must have a key or be buzzed in from the front desk, according to the recommendations. The task force, however, did not require that at the Central Branch at 19th and Vine streets and Northeast Regional Library (NERL) at 2228 Cottman Ave. "The public bathrooms in Central and NERL cannot be realistically locked because of their locations, size and volume of use," the task force wrote. But other libraries with similar bathroom size and location have locks on the doors.

At the Independence Branch, for example, the bathroom is large and used frequently, yet there is a security guard standing outside the door to let people in with a key. This would be inconvenient at Central but no less necessary. In fact, the report does not address the issue of homeless people in the bathrooms, except to say that it is being dealt with "by increased communication with Project H.O.M.E and the city's Office of Emergency Services."

Still, while the report states that every library — excluding Central and NERL — is fully compliant, City Paper found several branch bathrooms that, while they were supposed to be locked, weren't. For example, at the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Branch at 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway, not only was the bathroom unlocked, the door was wide open. At other branches, the bathroom doors are locked, but there are other problems with security. And officials know that even when guards are attentive, bad things can happen.

At the Queen Memorial Branch at 1201 S. 23rd St. on Oct. 27, 2004, three teenagers, one of whom had been kicked out of the building for being loud, assaulted a librarian, even though there were two guards on duty. Shelkrot said this incident does not represent a failure in library security. "Even with guards there, something could happen," he said.

Another troubling situation arose at the South Philadelphia branch, where an oft-used elevator took patrons to dark, unlocked conference rooms, accessibility that runs counter to the task force recommendations.

The task force also recommended changes to be implemented over time, some by this June. They include a plan to establish a disciplinary system for patrons who violate the Standards of Acceptable Behavior; guidelines and tips to library staff members on when to contact security or the police; and creation of a security council that would meet regularly to address any security issues that arise.

"With 55 libraries, to come up with something that works for them all takes time," says Shelkrot.

Merry says the effort has proven somewhat effective thus far. The task force "did a good job of making the administration aware of what the problems are," he says, but he worries that they've focused too much on "cosmetic" changes rather than addressing the recurring issue of problem patrons.

"The main problem is that dangerous people are being admitted into libraries and we have no way of dealing with them," says Merry, noting that the Jan. 10 announcement of 17 layoffs, with more to come, could negatively effect enhanced security initiatives. "There are still no guidelines in place telling us how to deal with these people."

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Checking Account

It's not hard to understand why, with 55 facilities under his command, Free Library Director Elliot Shelkrot says it'll take some time to make them all compliant with updated safety procedures and mechanisms.

Having visited all of them, City Paper suggests he starts at these libraries, which stood out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons:

Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Branch
5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway
While the bathroom was in plain sight of the front desk, its door was unlocked.

Central Library
1901 Vine St.
The bathroom, located in the basement of the largest branch, was not locked, which was probably convenient for the homeless people using the sinks to bathe.

Fishtown Community Branch
1217 E. Montgomery Ave.
While this branch was overall compliant, CP was troubled by the fact that the security guard located nearby was asleep at a desk, head in hands, during our visit.

Independence Branch
18 S. Seventh St.
Since this is the branch from which a brutal crime kick-started citywide library security reforms, we expected the bathrooms to be under close guard. Our lone concern was the fact that, since it isn't a single bathroom, a person could conceivably lie in wait for a potential victim.

Lovett Branch
6945 Germantown Ave.
The staff-only door on the second floor was open and completely unguarded.

Northeast Regional Library
2228 Cottman Ave.
Rather than manning the bathrooms with personnel, this branch depends on a sign on an unlocked door indicating they were being monitored by security staffers. The problem? We didn't see anybody monitoring them.

Oak Lane Branch
6614 N. 12th St.
While patrons must get a bathroom key, the facilities, located in the basement, are completely unattended and poorly lit. A reporter was able to sit there for more than 20 minutes undisturbed.

Paschalville Branch
6942 Woodland Ave.
The staff-only door was wide open.

Queen Memorial Library
1201 S. 23rd St.
There was no lock on the bathroom door. The meeting rooms were unlocked, making them easy for anybody to gain access to an unguarded area.

Ramonita de Rodriguez Branch
600 W. Girard Ave.
The staff-only door was propped open.

South Philadelphia Branch
1700 S. Broad St.
This one was among the more troublesome. Around a corner and out of plain sight from the main desk sits an elevator that leads upstairs to the facility's second floor. That second floor — it's completely dark — contains several unlit, unlocked conference rooms. That wouldn't be a problem, unless you consider the fact that an employee told CP "everybody goes up there."

Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. Branch
1935 Shunk St.
The private staff area was wide open.

West Oak Lane Branch
2000 Washington Lane
There are several darkened areas and nooks that were rarely patrolled.