I first saw Juan “Ace” Delgado, the 3rd Police District’s community relations officer, in action, so to speak, at a South Philly community meeting a month or so ago.
He appeared to be well known to many of those in attendance, and he was engaging and knowledgeable.
I ventured to the 3rd District at 11th and Wharton streets and sat down with Ace Delgado. He said he has been a police officer for 33 years, all of which he has served in the 3rd District. He has been the 3rd District’s community relations officer since 1999.
According to Delgado, the community relations officer serves as the district’s commanding officer’s direct liaison with the community, ensuring they have a voice in the police district. Delgado added that he is the point of contact for various community groups, such as business and neighbor organizations. He is also involved with events such as the National Night Out, the Hero Scholarship Fund and the Thrill Show.
As the community relations officer, Delgaldo is also tasked with visiting local schools to talk about stranger danger, bullying and other issues that concern children and their parents.
3rd Police District Community Relations Officer ‘Ace’ Delgado
“I also handle a lot of the community complaints with my fellow officers in the 3rd, and we try to do some problem solving. We host town hall meetings, and we also try to attend as many of the Registered Community Organizations (RCO) in our district,” Delgado explained. “We’re out there trying to give out as much crime-prevention information as possible to let them know what is occurring in the neighborhood. Like if there is a particular alcohol establishment or a nuisance property.
“We are not just a point of contact, we’re also looked at as people of trust. People come to us and report there is a streetlamp out, or sanitation issues, or if a tree fell. We work with other city agencies to try to solve the issue, because I think the best way to handle a lot of community issues is to try to get other city agencies involved as they may know what we may not know. Anything that has to do with crime, we do know.”
I asked about what other type of special events he puts on.
“We do our ‘Balls and Bubbles’ event. We went to several playgrounds on July 17 and gave out free water ice and provided footballs, basketballs and soccer balls for games. It was a pretty good day. We also do several things for Christmas. We host Christmas here with hot chocolate and we give out toys and stuff to the kids.”
I asked about what major crimes he saw in the 3rd District.
“There is some drug activity in certain areas of the district, but we don’t see many major crimes in the 3rd. Our largest crime is breaking into vehicles.”
I then asked about quality-of-life crimes.
“We have packages that are taken from the front of people’s houses, so we give out prevention information on that. One of the issues in South Philadelphia is parking. We may go out to kind of put out a warning about saving spaces with a cone. Then we issue a citation. We handle abandoned vehicles. Just give me information on a vehicle and if they’re not registered or they’re leaking some type of liquid, or have flat tires, or have been broken into, it’s been an eyesore, so we’ll tow it.”
What can be done to prevent car break-ins?
“We pass out handouts and try to tell people to park under lighted areas and be sure not to keep any items in the front seat or back seat where people can see what you left in the car. If someone sees something in the front seat like a package, they may break the window and take the items. And make sure your door is locked.”
Delgado said that South Philadelphians should get to know their district community relations officers and their district captains. To contact Delgado, you can email him at police.co_03@phila.gov ••
Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here weekly. He can be reached via pauldaviosncrime.com.
