When violent crime decreases, you would think police would have an easier time of it. You would think that fewer violent offenses would mean fewer violent interactions between cops and citizens. Well, as numbers show in Philadelphia, that isn’t necessarily the case. Continue reading
In the last three years, Philly police are exercising their ability to “stop and frisk” citizens less frequently. But according to the ACLU, they are still doing it without just cause. According to Philly.com, the department says the stops aren’t illegal or even a problem, but the documentation after the fact may be. Continue reading
The police department in Upper Gwynedd township are very enthusiastic about their new high-tech police surveillance device: an automated licence plate reader, or ALPR, with it’s ability to scan and identify 3,600 plates per minute. But what happens with all the data for which there are no “hits”. That data still lives somewhere. Continue reading
Nine judges have been charged in a ticket-fixing scheme that overran the Philadelphia Traffic Court. Just two weeks ago, two of those judges pleaded guilty in federal court. While the criminal justice system is handling the judges, state lawmakers have decided to rid the city of the court altogether. State Senators voted to abolish the Philly Traffic Court and now the bill goes before the House. Continue reading
In a just world, cops don’t beat innocent civilians. Even in a somewhat-fair world, cops who beat civilians are held accountable, through firing or even criminal charges. But, if this is the case then Philadelphia is neither just nor even fair. Officers there, accused and even proven to have beaten citizens to a bloody pulp are still on the force, reprimanded with a verbal warning and sometimes not reprimanded at all. Continue reading
If the head of a large city’s police department issues a memo to both his officers and the people they protect, you would think the memo’s contents would be adhered to. Not so in the case of Philadelphians right to video-record police officers. Despite a memo issued in 2011 by Commissioner Charles Ramsey, cops in Philly continued to arrest people for recording them. And now, the ACLU is involved. Continue reading
When the media uses the word “drug kingpin”, most people envision a seedy and scary person working in the underbelly of society. Perhaps that’s why they aren’t calling Dr. Oliver Herndon a kingpin, because if the term were applied to those who supplied thousands of addicts with their drug of choice, he would certainly fit the bill. Continue reading
In 2007, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter promised the people of Philadelphia he would use a “stop and frisk” method to crack down on crime. He followed through on that promise, with the city’s police making 136,711 such stops that year. In 2009, they made 253,276, more per capita than the 685,725 NYPD made last year. Continue reading
Throughout the city of Pittsburgh, burglaries are on the rise and officials are cautioning citizens to be “vigilant”. According to the Post-Gazette, 100 more burglaries were reported between January and May of this year than last. Continue reading
He was beaten to a pulp after a “low speed” police chase. The video of his beating went viral. Now Robert Leone is serving a prison sentence for the events of that night and has most recently filed a federal lawsuit. Continue reading
