On any given day, you’ll find Officer Michelle McMillian patrolling the streets of the Northeast. She’s not a police officer, or a parking authority employee, though she’s been mistaken as both.

McMillian is an officer with SWEEP, the Department of Streets’ Streets & Walkways Education and Enforcement Program. The 30-year city employee was at last night’s Upper Holmesburg Civic Association meeting to talk about recycling.

“This area is not doing that well,” McMillian told the 20 or so residents in attendance about their trash and recycling habits. She cited some of the main problems she and her colleagues see as they patrol the streets: continue reading »

Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla updated Upper Holmesburg residents on rennovation plans for the area at last night's civic association meeting.

The prison system shouldn’t be the third-largest department in a city as sophisticated as Philadelphia, Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla told the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association last night.

And that’s one of the reasons why Giorla attended the group’s January meeting — to update residents on what’s happening at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and Holmesburg Prison. continue reading »