But even after unveiling an exhaustive list of proposals that touched on everything from acoustic gunshot-detection software to cell phones for Town Watch groups, the Democratic mayoral hopeful focused anew on the economic issues that have been the centerpiece of his campaign.
"The most important thing a next mayor has to do is create a city of opportunity," Fattah said. "It is not illegal guns, it is the absence of opportunity which is at the heart of" Philadelphia's crime problems.
He did not put a price tag on his anticrime plan, which includes promises to:
Invest in new technology such as 1,000 additional street-surveillance cameras and an audio-software system that will help police pinpoint the location of gunshots, and study the use of imaging software that could help cameras spot people carrying guns.
Increase the police force by whatever number a commission deems necessary to make Philadelphia "the safest city in the world," while designating more officers to go after illegal guns and catch killers.
Provide more incentives to get guns off the streets, including rewards for tips about illegal guns and grocery vouchers for those who turn in guns.
Provide new tools to Town Watch groups and work with prosecutors on cracking down on straw purchases of guns, using plea-bargain-like negotiations to reward informants who would "drop a dime" on traffickers of illegal guns.
Invest in programs that help at-risk youths while maximizing the monitoring of those who have engaged in past gun crimes.
Fattah said his campaign had leaned on advice from University of Pennsylvania criminologist Lawrence Sherman in crafting its proposals. A proponent of devoting resources to seizing illegal guns, Sherman is known for a seminal 1992 project in which Kansas City police went after such guns with some of the tactics Fattah is touting.
A former Camden County prosecutor who has advised one of Fattah's rivals said the key to any such plan was police leadership.
