Cops Fire Guns To Stop Gunfire

Every year, around New Year’s, the district attorney or something trots out a kid who was injured by a stray bullet shot into the air to celebrate the New Year. And, every year, the DA tells everyone not to fire guns into the air. The citizens of Philadelphia promptly don’t listen to the teevee telling them not to shoot into the air in celebration, of course. The Inquirer reports today there were 257 incidents of gunfire at midnight reported on 911 calls.

The only way for the police to stop all the shooting, of course, was to apparently fire into a house and arrest the wrong guy. The Inky reports:

“As soon as everyone said ‘Happy New Year!,’ bullets were flying through the house,” said Clinton Rogers, 30, who lives in the 5600 block of Boyer Street, where the party turned to chaos. He said he was near the front door holding his 3-year-old daughter, Camirah, when the gunfire erupted and door fragments struck him in the face.

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Musicians: Let Us Keep Rittenhouse Square Vibrant

As you may remember, back in March 20-year-old Anthony Riley was arrested for singing in Rittenhouse Square.

And, since then, nobody’s been singing in Rittenhouse. The cops claim they’re actually doing everyone a favor. And by “everyone” I mean “rich people who moved in around a two-block public park and thought there wouldn’t be any noise.”

“People are happy as can be that police are keeping the musicians from disturbing the peace,” police spokesman Capt. Ben Naish said yesterday.

Those damn street musicians! Always playing their entertaining jingles and making Rittenhouse Square vibrant for free!

(A little bit after Riley was arrested, he also appeared on the Fox 5 o’clock news — aka the Kerri-Lee Halkett news — and explained his plight. The story’s not on Fox’s website, but City Councilman Frank Rizzo said on the report he was starting a program to get permits for people to play in the park if they — of course — pay a fee! This is what I remember; I could be wrong. That seems to also be the rule now, so maybe Rizzo would let them play for cheaper, or for free or something.)

And so, yesterday, to protest the permit one has to obtain to legally play music in Rittenhouse Square, a group of musicians got a permit and raised hell in RIttenhouse Square! And by “raised hell,” I mean, “played music to the enjoyment of all.”

The protest, of course, included on Larry West, the mohawked 22-year-old candidate for mayor who legally can’t even run for mayor. (You have to be 25.) While I was writing this update, of course, Larry West actually called me randomly. But of course!

“It’s about a right to perform in a public place,” said Larry West, the mohawked 22-year-old who made headlines two months ago when he announced he was running for mayor. “I really support this because I’m a musician myself, albeit a bad one.”

Wow! Musician, ineligible mayoral candidate, activist… is there anything Larry West can’t do? Do you think the Philadelphia Soul could use another defensive back?

Music fills Rittenhouse in a show of solidarity [Metro]
Rittenhouse Square … Where only birds can sing [Metro]
[Photo also via Metro, taken by Brian X-Ray McCrone]

Smile, You’re On Candid Camera (Maybe)

Hey, kiddies! You like being on television? Well, you’re going to get a lot more chances soon, since apparently the entire City of Philadelphia will eventually be blanketed with 24/7/365 coverage.

Fortunately for the city’s more paranoid residents, there’s a good chance they won’t work at all. So, really, that sort of means the city is going to put up lots of non-functioning cameras, which is even better.

Philadelphia police say a pilot program that has located cameras as various locations in the city is having an impact on crime and police say they eventually hope to have the ability to place cameras anywhere around the city. [...]

“We want to establish a city-wide wireless network that will give us the ability to put a camera virtually anywhere in the city we need to; whether it’s for major events, homeland security, crime issues, or quality of life issues.”

Experts predict the city-wide wireless network to be finished in time a few weeks before the city-wide Wi-Fi network is complete, i.e. 2034.

Police Crime Cameras to be Used Across Phila. [KYW 1060]
March 26: Get Ready For More Of This In The Coming Weeks

Well, That’s One Way To Get Out Of A Ticket

Sources told NBC 10 yesterday a Philadelphia police officer is under investigation for sexually assaulting a man he stopped for a traffic violation.

This news came just a day after police officer Thomas Gitto was arrested for rape for allegedly having sex with a teenage girl for a year and and a half. The other police officer is simply being investigated, but police sources say the man is in the 92nd district and engaged in a sex act sometime after pulling a man over.

The male occupant of the car told the police later after the incident and gave them some type of evidence. I don’t think anybody wants to know what that evidence was.

Police Sources: Traffic Stop Turns To Sex Assault {NBC 10]

Milton Street’s Dream One Step Closer To Reality

In order to combat the city’s rising murder rate, Police commish Sylvester Johnson and other police brass will be patrolling high-crime areas for four hours a week.

The Daily News article notes there will be 300 police officers on the street attempting to stop homicides. Perhaps it will work. But I’m in favor of the plan because it’s getting us one step closer to making elected officials walk the beat, which then would make us one step closer to Milton Street’s plan to deputize the entire city. Citizens on Patrol here we come!

Top cop, captains, others to patrol streets [Daily News]

Bratz Dolls Prove Too Tempting For One Officer

I really can’t improve on the lead here, so let’s just go with the first sentence of this NBC 10 report:

As if Philadelphia police don’t have enough problems with crime and the criticism they’ve taken for the increasing number of homicides, now they seem to have a problem with allegations of a shoplifting police officer.

Yes, the station reported a police officer — in uniform — allegedly stole several things from a West Kensington Rite Aid. And what important items was he taking? Baby formula? Important medicine?

Pfft. Of course not. The cop was allegedly stealing (1) small action figures and (2) matchbox cars. Most likely, he was taking “Homies,” or maybe a toy from the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The 26th district officer wasn’t charged with anything, because all he took was matchbox cars and action figures and also he’s a police officer. Apparently it’s also on tape.

But, really: Matchbox cars? Geeze, at least go to a gas station and take a Hess truck or something.

Source: Video Catches Philadelphia Officer Shoplifting [NBC 10]

Heineken: The Choice Of Criminals

The police caught a man who allegedly robbed fast food joints and convenience stores in Philly, Upper Darby and Yeadon yesterday after a rooftop chase.

Police closed in on the man, 22-year-old Christopher Sanders, on Hazel Ave. near 52nd Street. Sanders fled onto the roof. After getting lucky — an officer climbing up the fire escape had it drop out on him (he’ll be okay) — he starting running away on the rooftops, “clearing gaps of 10 feet or more in some spots,” as the Daily News‘ David Gambacorta helpfully noted.

Sanders eventually broke into a house via the roof, although police caught up and closed in.

Police followed the trail of blood and ultimately cornered Sanders in the basement of Kidd’s home, Walker said.

Sanders had knocked out a circuit breaker, enveloping the home in darkness. But he confessed to cops that he was unarmed — and in fact, he was sitting in a corner of the basement, drinking two of his neighbor’s Heinekens.

Geeze. Clearly our city’s criminals haven’t caught up to the local beer craze just yet. Take the Yards, man. The Yards!

Fleet-footed suspect in string of heists can’t elude the law [Daily News]

Ellen Green-Ceisler Continues To Fix City

A few weeks ago, I noticed lawyer (and, naturally, judicial candidate) Ellen Green-Ceisler attempting to fix the city with her own two hands and a bunch of task forces. (Well, a friend noticed it, actually, but I was the one who wrote about it, dammit!)

Well, Green-Ceisler is back at it again, this time back working on the cops. Yesterday, Internal Affairs released a report saying two officers improperly forced two females locked up to perform a lesbian sex show in order to be released. Yes, that would be a bit improper. (The Inquirer headline uses “coerced,” though I think that’s sort of putting it a bit likely, as if the cops were going, “C’mon! Do a lesbian sex show. I’ll be your best friend!”)

Anyway, in the wake of the horrible report, the Inquirer called up Ms. Green-Ceisler for a quote.

Ellen Green-Ceisler, an expert on police discipline, said the case never should have dragged on for more than three years. The delay, she said, was unfair to the innocent and guilty alike. “This is a shocking story: the behavior of the accused officers, the failure of the investigatory system,” said Green-Ceisler, who once headed a city office that monitored police discipline. “It’s just a failure on so many different levels.”

I don’t doubt Green-Ceisler’s credentials. But do you really need to be an expert on police discipline to know this case shouldn’t have dragged on for over three years?

Report: Jail-cell sex show coerced [Inquirer]
March 2: Ellen Green-Ceisler Will Attempt To Reform City’s Institutions One-By-One If She Has To