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Archive for “Philadelphia Police” news
Every Step You Take, Every Move You Make, SEPTA’s Watching You
By Joel Mathis 3/06/2013
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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
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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
Now it All Makes Sense: Judge Who Acquitted Jonathan Josey Is Married to a Cop
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 2/28/2013
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What seemed at first like a baffling decision might now make a little more sense. Michael Nutter, Seth Williams, and just about everybody not affiliated with the Philadelphia Police Department couldn't believe their ears when they heard municipal Judge Patrick Dugan had acquitted ex-cop Jonathan Josey of assaulting a woman at last year's Puerto Rican Day parade. (Despite clear-cut video evidence suggesting he did.) For the hard-boiled cynics out there, here's your explanation: Dugan's married to a cop himself. It's impossible to know if that affected his decision. But at the very least, recusing himself from the case wouldn't have
The NRA Picks On Philly, But Ignores The Reality of Crime Here
By Joel Mathis 2/27/2013
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The NRA apparently doesn't like the efforts of Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey to support new laws that might restrict the flow of guns in the United States. Which might be why this Tweet went out this afternoon:
Philadelphia accounts for a disproportionate share of Pennsylvania’s crime.— NRA (@NRA) February 27, 2013
Technically, that's probably true, but here's something else that's also true: A disproportionate share of our crimes are committed with guns!
Mayor Nutter took some heat earlier this week for sounding callous about the fates of Philly's murder victims, but lost in that brief brouhaha was his earlier observation
Does Jonathan Josey’s Acquittal Mean Philly’s Red-Light Cameras Don’t Count?
By Jonathan Valania 2/27/2013
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My cousin is married to a cop who worked out in the 'burbs. He’s a rock solid, salt of the earth kind of guy, straight out of central casting for a Scorsese cop flick: Irish, Catholic, served in Afghanistan. In other words, he doesn’t spend a lot of time reading the Huffington Post.
Philly Cop, Caught on YouTube Punching Woman, Is Acquitted
By Joel Mathis 2/26/2013
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6 ABC reports: "The former Philadelphia Police lieutenant, who was on trial for punching a woman in an incident that was caught on video, has been found not guilty. The verdict was handed down Tuesday morning. It was a bench trial for Jonathan Josey, which means the ruling was solely up to the judge. The judge said the short video clip "didn't tell the whole story." … On the witness stand earlier this month, Josey was near tears while telling the judge he swung at Guzman to knock a beer bottle out of her hand, and he wasn't trying to hurt her
Philly Police Made $64 Million in Overtime Pay Last Year
By Joel Mathis 2/26/2013
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NBC 10 reports that City Controller Alan Butkovitz has found that Philly Police spent $64 million on overtime pay last year—up from $7 million the year before.
According to Butkovitz, the problem stems from a lack of internal control on personnel and payroll procedures.
“There wasn’t even a line on the paper for the lieutenant or the supervisor to say they’ve looked at it and authorized the overtime,” said Butkovitz.
City employee payroll records obtained by NBC10 show at least three police officers with a salary around $68,000 earned as much as $100,000 in overtime last year.
“A difference of $7 million affects how
Corbett’s Son-in-Law Suspended from Police Force Following Sting Operation
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 2/22/2013
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Tom Corbett's son-in-law Gerald Gibson (who appears to be separated from his wife Kate) has been suspended without pay from the Philadelphia Police Department, following news that he's being investigated by the FBI for cribbing clothing and cash during drug busts. He was caught by a sting operation that was then uncovered by the Daily News. Gibson, a narcotics cop, turned in his badge and equipment today. [ABC 6]
Detective Joe Murray’s “Make My Day” Moment With Cabbie Carjackers
By Joel Mathis 2/19/2013
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All it takes is a friendly, informative Twitter account to humanize a person or an institution. Philadelphia Detective Joe Murray's Twitter feed is great—funny, playful, but also deadly serious when it comes to crime—and it's helped convince me that not every cop in this city is waiting to punch a civilian when the cameras stop running.
Still, it was kind of thrilling to run across the latest Tweet from the detective on Monday night:
Congrats cabbie carjackers. You've got our attention. Now enjoy your last few days as free men.— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) February 19, 2013
And suddenly it made police work in
FBI Still Investigating A Half-Dozen Philly Cops
By Joel Mathis 2/19/2013
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NBC 10 reports:
The FBI is now investigating six former Philadelphia narcotics officers, according to police. In December, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams wrote a letter to Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey stating that the testimony of the six officers would no longer be accepted. So far 270 of their drugs cases have been thrown out of court.
“We made the FBI task force, which is made up of FBI and Philadelphia Police, aware of what’s going on,” said Commissioner Ramsey. “That is continuing at this time. We’ve taken them from narcotics pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Just a few weeks ago, Pulitzer
