Keystone Cops: Guns, Guns And More Guns

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• At a news conference at City Hall today, the Brady Center unveiled “Shady Dealings: Illegal Gun Trafficking from Licensed Gun Dealers.” It supports prosecution of gun dealers who sell to straw buyers. (Here’s the full report.) And our boy John “Bozo” Street will be in Washington tomorrow, saying that gun violence should stop or something. [Inquirer]

• Since that one man shot by police actually killed himself first, I guess we’re down to only two people shot by cops this year. No, wait, here’s number three. Dude aimed a sawed-off shotgun at police, cops returned fire, etc., etc. Quite a bit different than Charles Kelly, of course. [Daily News]

• The Bristol restaurant owner shot apparently due to his banning of a patron from the restaurant has recovered, but his alleged killer remains at large. The man who allegedly shot him grumbled to friends that he was going shoot the Turkish restaurant owner, but the owner says he “wasn’t paying attention.” [Bucks County Courier Times]

Keystone Cops: Fake Plastic Schoolbags

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• Another stupid kid wrote a stupid threat on a wall at a high school, this time in Lenape, N.J. The school remained open, but banned bookbags and forced the kids to carry their books in clear plastic bags. This is a good idea, mainly because it’ll make the culprit pretty easy to find: It’s the guy or gal who got beat up for forcing everyone to carry their books in fucking plastic bags. [CBS 3]

• The man recently killed by police — not the dude who broke into City Hall and not the guy on New Year’s, the other one — actually killed himself first, the ME’s office says. [Inquirer]

• A man and woman was arrested for robbing a shoe store. Aw, isn’t it nice when couples do things together? [Daily News]

• Cops said the shooting at Sayre High School yesterday was part of a gang turf war over drug territory. Paul Vallas: “The joke around town is that it’s sometimes easier to get a gun instead of a book.” Jesus, his jokes are worse than mine. [Inquirer]

Keystone Cops: Don’t Mess With Dotty

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• A 24-year-old Falls man has accused a township supervisor of grabbing him by the throat for calling her “Dotty.” She admits placing her hand on his chest. “The way she acts is like she can do anything,” the man said. “I can’t touch her. I just can’t. I knew I would get locked up if I did. She’s a retired district justice. I’m 24, she’s 77; that does not look good me hitting her.” Would breaking a 77-year-old’s chokehold be okay? [Bucks County Courier Times]

• A drug gang feud may have led to the shooting of a 17-year-old sophomore at Sayre High School, as well as a man who was shot yesterday a block away but ended up in Sayre’s schoolyard. [Inquirer]

• Kurt Mitman was attending classes at Penn, unsupervised for about 12 hours a day, while on academic release stemming form a March 2005 guilty plea for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old boy. Penn, of course, didn’t know this. Had they known, he would have immediately been hired as a professor. [Inquirer]

• Cigarettes are apparently more addictive now than they ever were. Just in time for the smoking ban. [AP/Camden Courier-Post]

Keystone Cops: Philly PD Gets In On The Homicide Game

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• A female police officer shot and killed a man this morning, the third person gunned down by the popo so far this year. He might also have shot himself at the same time. [Inquirer]

• A woman who edited records to hide the fact a woman’s cat had been accidentally euthanized was sentenced to a year of probation. The cat is doing okay in its second life. [AP/6 ABC]

• Robbers shot a man already paralyzed when he was shot exiting a nightclub two years ago. Some people have all the luck. [Daily News]

Keystone Cops: God Gets Revenge On State Court

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• Crime spree at City Hall! Just a few days after Anna Verna’s office was found broken into — nothing was stolen — there was a break-in at the State Supreme Court office. Papers were strewn about and, KYW 1060’s Mike Dunn reports: “According to officials, several messages referencing God and the Bible were scrawled on numerous papers left strewn around the offices.” [KYW 1060]

• The one girl still in the hospital from Friday’s bus accident at Pennsbury High is being supported by friends through her Myspace page. And this is a news story! [Bucks County Courier Times]

• Someone actually left a baby on a doorstep in the Northeast the other night, which means NE Philly residents are just getting around to watching Three Men and a Baby. Stay away from the sequel, guys. [Daily News, 2nd brief]

• Members of the Philadelphia Police Department shot and killed a man in a suicide by cop at 9th & Market early Sunday morning. Officers first attempted to subdue him with tasers. The Inquirer interviews a former prosecutor: “Frankly I’m surprised to hear the Philadelphia police have Tasers.” A step forward! [Inquirer]

• A 68-year-old patient fell out of the ambulance he was being transported in on I-295. [Inky]

Keystone Cops: Eight Is Great

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• A police officer’s son was shot and killed Wednesday night. Police say 21-year-old Christopher Freeny was shot by Napheace Ballard, 30, after Ballard said he thought Freeny had exchanged numbers with his girlfriend. (He hadn’t.) Ballard is still at-large, but police IDed him after eight witnesses stepped forward. Hey, a victory for snitchin’. [Inky]

• Meanwhile, homicide victim No. 16 was shot yesterday in Northeast Philadelphia [Inky]

• The family of Bryan Jones, the man who was shot and killed by police just after midnight on Jan. 1, has filed a complaint with the police department. Bryan’s brother thinks he was shot in the back of the head. Geeze, isn’t there any funny crime news today? [Inky]

• Nothing funny, really, but here’s a little better news: Some people in Congress are allegedly standing up to President Bush. Huzzah. [Bucks County Courier Times]

• Oh, and stupid kids keep writing threats on bathroom walls, making the police come in and really just inconveniencing everyone. [Camden Courier-Post]

Keystone Cops: Druggies And Drug Dealers

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Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• It is suspected that drug dealers beat a 79-year-old Fairhill man to death after he attempted to get them off his streetcorner. (Inquirer link.) The Daily News asks in a headline if his “war on druggies” was to blame. Wait, wasn’t he after drug dealers, not users? [DN]

• I suppose war news should go in here as well, and so, let’s begin with this: George Bush said he consulted with members of Congress before his new strategy for Iraq. Patrick Murphy, the only Iraq war veteran in the House, was not consulted. Take this however you want to. [Bucks County Courier Times]

• An alleged member of the Breed motorcycle gang., Christopher “Slam” Quattrocchi was arrested Dec. 21 and released on bail. Yesterday, he was arrested again after not even being out for a day. He didn’t even do anything new: The cops just filed weapons charges they didn’t file when he was arrested back in July.

Keystone Cops: Kids Begin R&D For New Gang

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news. Homicide totals are unofficial.

• A Sept. 11 memorial playground (makes sense) in Cumberland County, N.J., has been vandalized by punk kids, say police. Key sentence: “Investigators said they think the scrawled letters and numbers refer to gangs they’re in or want to start.” I think that’s how the Bloods started. [NBC 10]

• One former student and one current student from Cherry Hill East have been charged with computer theft stemming from a grade-changing scandal. The men didn’t hack in to any computers, they “gained access through the unauthorized use of passwords.” Right: That means the football coach’s password was “football” or something. [Camden Courier-Post]

• The Inquirer’s Alfred Lubrano asks why we were all fascinated with Saddam Hussein’s death. John Keuhn, an Ohio psych professor: “Little children are very interested in anything morbid. Most people grow up and get a life, though.” Yeah, most of us don’t live in Ohio, either, you don’t hear us making fun of you, professor. [Inky]

• Update: 79-year-old Fairhill man’s death is likely city’s 14th homicide this year. [Inquirer]

Keystone Cops: Rowdy Rock Lobster Patrons To Start Receiving Nightly Beatdowns Any Day Now

Keystone Cops is a daily look at crime, police, public safety and drug news.

• Police commissioner Sly Johnson wants 100 more “entertainment” cops to patrol anticipated criminals down on the waterfront, writes the Daily News‘ Mark McDonald writes. Yes, although the casinos are possibly years away from opening and Baja hasn’t really been pulling in the crowds lately, we need 100 cops to patrol the street and stop people racing in Type-R Honda Civics. [Daily News]

• Meanwhile, mayoral hopeful Chaka Fattah has his own plan focusing on gun violence, including 1,000 surveillance cameras and incentive programs for people to turn in firearms or give tips to police or something. The Daily News‘ Catherine Lucey and Bob Warner talk to Patrick Carr, assistant professor of sociology at Rutgers, who says about incentive programs: “The evidence elsewhere, to be charitable, it’s mixed. It looks great for a photo op. What has it done? Absolutely nothing.” Oh snap! [DN]

• Meanwhile, in Bensalem, a new law allows the township government to bill companies or people who cause a disaster or an industrial accident, the Courier’s James McGinnis writes. The public safety director of Bensalem said: “One of the things we learned from New Orleans and Sept. 11th was that people need to be responsible for [events] to some degree. People need to be prepared.” Hear that, Osama? You attack Bensalem, you get a bill! [BCCT]

• Although the Atlantic City Council has not passed it yet, casinos in AC are expecting a smoking ban by the end of the month, and so all their filtration systems will just be a waste of money. Aww, boo hoo the poor casinos losing a little money! I feel so bad. [Press of Atlantic City]

• And your daily homicide update: A limo driver in Logan and two others were all fatally shot from Sunday night to yesterday morning. The year’s homicide total stands at 11. [DN]

City Residents Doing Bang-Up Job So Far This Year

Well, we’re only about three-and-a-half days into 2007 so far, and already the city is continuing to attempt to increase its homicide total.

The Inquirer’s Lloylita Prout writes that four homicides last night and this morning moves the total to five already this year.

The four men were ages 18, 21, 25 and 25. The killings happened in SW Philly, North Philly and Port Richmond.

And Jan. 4 just started! Sigh.

4 young men dead in separate city shootings [Inquirer]