1 to 10 of 239
Archive for “Philadelphia Police” news
Philly Cops Are Also Committing More Gun Violence
By Joel Mathis 5/14/2013
Comments 0
Philly.com looks at the number of police shootings in the city, and comes away with a few questions:
The number of shootings by police in 2012 resulting in death or injury climbed to the highest level it’s been in 10 years. Philadelphia police shot 52 suspects last year while responding to calls for reported crimes. Of those shot, 15 people died.
And the city's own police watchdog says the department hasn't provided a reason for the increase. The Police Advisory Commission has been repeatedly blocked in its efforts to review shootings and, according to the executive director of the Police Advisory Commission, Internal
Tasered Man Who Caught Fire Can Sue PA Trooper
By Joel Mathis 4/09/2013
Comments 0
How to explain this story? The short rundown is this:
Back in 2008, Allen Brown took a ride on the Schuylkill Expressway on a lil' motor scooter, with no plates, and with no protective headgear. Pennsylvania troopers gave chase; Brown fell off the scooter, which then skidded ahead and began leaking gasoline—which soaked Brown. Brown tried to get back on the scooter, despite the fact that Pennsylvania State Tropers had taken note of the situtation and were trying to prevent him from taking his riteful place atop the miniature, motorizedsteed.
During the struggle, several troopers tried using a Taser on Brown. The
Letter From MLK To Philly Officer Now For Sale
By Joel Mathis 4/03/2013
Comments 0
AP reports that a letter from Martin Luther King Jr. to Philadelphia Police Sgt. James Adair is on the auction block. In the letter, King thanks Adair for being part of his security detail during a 1965 visit to the Penn campus. "While I hardly feel this necessary most of the time," King wrote, "it is both comforting and humbling to know that there are persons who are so concerned about my welfare." The Philly-based Raab Collection is offering the letter for sale, with an initial asking price of $10,500.
Pro Tip: Do Not Use Weed To Pay For Your Cab Fare
By Joel Mathis 4/02/2013
Comments 1
Philly.com reports on the case of a young man who tried to offer a cabbie pot instead of cash for his Old City ride Friday night. The 23-year-old left his phone in the cab to go get cash to pay for his ride—when he returned, he still didn't have money. He tried to slip the pot to the driver instead.
The problem? Police were on the scene, wondering why the cab was double-parked while the young man when to get cash. "He just tries to slip him, out of view of the officers, you know, a bag of marijuana to pay
Suit Alleges Philly Police Brutalized, Robbed Auto Mechanic: “This Is A .40 Caliber Glock And I Will Blow Your Head Off With It”
By Joel Mathis 3/27/2013
Comments 0
Courthouse News Service reports on a federal lawsuit filed by Warren Layre and Michael Tierney, co-owners of a Philly auto shop, who say police knocked in Layre's teeth and robbed him of $34,000 during a 2011 raid. The defendants include the City of Philadelphia and five officers: Thomas Liciardello, Brian Reynolds, Brian Speiser, Michael Spicer, and Lt. Robert Otto—a group of officers also named as unreliable witnesses in a series of drug cases recently dismissed by city prosecutors.
The suit—filed last Thursday, but which didn't come to light until today—says the officers entered the shop without a warrant on June 23, 2011 using
Police Release Video Of Convenience Store Robbery
By Joel Mathis 3/26/2013
Comments 0
Do You Have What It Takes To Join The Philly Police?
By Joel Mathis 3/26/2013
Comments 0
Charles Ramsey wants you:
And the video itself:
We are hiring! Accept the challenge, become an @phillypolice Officer. bit.ly/ZfEsgORecruitment youtube.com/watch?v=FjBsXD… via @youtube
— P/O Michael Duffy (@PPDMikeDuffy) March 26, 2013
While You Weren’t Looking, Philly’s Homicide Rate Started Dropping
By Joel Mathis 3/18/2013
Comments 2
Somebody should tell the district attorney this is like pitching a no-hitter: You don't want to talk about this stuff just in case you end up jinxing yourself:
In Philadelphia our homicide total is 42% lower than this date last year.We are making progress but still have lots of work ahead.
— Seth Williams (@DASethWilliams) March 18, 2013
Indeed, here are a pair of informative graphics from the Philadelphia Police Department. The murder rate really has fallen behind last year's rate.
And, of course, last year was a bit more of a nightmare than usual:
So what's different? Better law enforcing? Plain old luck? The
Every Step You Take, Every Move You Make, SEPTA’s Watching You
By Joel Mathis 3/06/2013
Comments 2
Forget Big Brother. You know who really keeps an eye on Philly? SEPTA, that's who. (Or, as we'll be referring to it from now on: "Big Busser.") According to a report from Technically Philly: "The Police Department‘s 24-hour Real Time Crime Center has access to 1,798 surveillance camera feeds, nearly 90 percent of which are SEPTA cameras at subway stations, bus stops and regional rail lines, said Mike Vidro, the city’sOffice of Innovation and Technology staffer who oversees the Police Department’s surveillance camera efforts. The Police Department has had this level of access to SEPTA’s cameras for nine months, Vidro said."
The story adds:
No “Philly Shrug” at City Hall Protest of Josey Verdict
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 3/01/2013
Comments 0
Freshman Daily News columnist Helen Ubinas coined a phrase last month: The Philly Shrug. "Litter? Disgraceful! But - shrug - whadya-gonna-do?" That sort of thing. A lot of jaded media types likely exhibited something akin to the Philly Shrug yesterday when they learned the judge who acquitted former Philly Lt. Jonathan Josey of assault is himself married to a city police officer. (E.g., Philebrity, whose headline read "The Judge That Acquitted Jonathan Josey Is Married To A Cop, Because Of Course He Is.")
No shrugs outside City Hall today, where 60 or so protesters from the city's Puerto Rican community (Josey
