Posted on 07/26/2006 2:55:17 PM PDT by Graybeard58
PHILADELPHIA -- Less than two-thirds of the way through the year, Philadelphia police officers have shot and killed 16 people -- already the highest annual total in the city in at least a quarter-century.
Department officials said that gun violence in Philadelphia is up and that criminals seem to be quicker these days to threaten police and others with a weapon, forcing officers to defend themselves.
"It's not an issue of people not following policy," said Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross, who added that the department was not seeing any repeat shooters in is ranks.
In all of last year, officers shot seven suspects to death. Since 1980, FBI figures shows the worst year for justified homicides by Philadelphia police officers was 2004, when there were 15.
Neither the FBI nor the department had data for the years before 1980.
Authorities said most, if not all, of the shootings involved officers who were threatened or feared for their safety. No charges have been brought against any officers.
The latest shooting came early Sunday, when an officer killed a suspect during a chase. Authorities said the officer told them that the suspect had pointed a weapon at him, and that a gun was found at the scene.
In June, a man crashed a stolen car while fleeing police, pulled a gun and was shot.
to death, authorities said. In April, two home-invasion suspects were killed in an exchange of gunfire.
Philadelphia had 220 homicides this year through Monday, an increase of more than 7 percent over the same period last year.
In May, Gary Skerski became the first city officer killed in the line of duty in a decade. Skerski and his partner were responding to a 911 call at a bar when a robber hit Skerski in the neck with a shotgun blast as the officer was about to enter through the back door.
Experts outside the department said that the number of police shootings is alarming and needs to be monitored. But they emphasized that the statistics alone cannot tell the story.
"If the streets are becoming more deadly for the officers ... well, then they have to shoot or be killed," said Ellen Green-Ceisler, who in 2005 completed a report on officer-involved shootings in Philadelphia while head of a court-approved podice acaountability unit. "You have to be so careful of 20-20 hindsight."
Mayor John Street also has emphasized that officers have a right to defend themselves and should not be automatically second-guessed.
In Miami, police said there have been no fatal shootings by officers in 2006. In Los Angeles, six suspects had been killed in officer-involved shootings through July 5, similar to the pace in 2005 and down from 2004, spokeswoman April Harding said.
It's a start.
Cleaning up the vermin...
16 fewer scumbags
16 poorer lawyers.
win/win
How many illegals? They should NOT be allowed to have guns. . . not that they care about the law but I understand that nationally 12% of prisoners are illegals.
Police finally learned "Gun Control"?
Semper Fi
Time at the pistol range does pay off.
LOL!
Yeah, when "gun control" means hitting your target.
The Phoenix area and surrounding cities have seen a lot of police shootings this year too. Must be something in the water. I wonder how many were illegals.
I think cops should be allowed to record kills the fighter pilots do. Mark them along the hood. When a cruiser pulls up with a half dozen little perp silhouettes painted on the hood, he'll know better than to pull a weapon.
And everybody was arrested who was supposed to be.
The difference between a mayor who knows what he is doing and one who doesn't.
Frank Rizzo's fault!!!!
No, wait, it's Dick Cheney's fault - he's inspired them.....
Cincinnati has had thugs and derelicts killed by police, and then that crap started and all of a sudden we had riots.
Following the riots we had federal klintoon appointed judges declaring that the city had to get overloaded with process and regulation and it hampered the Police from doing their jobs.
Bottom line is that the Police's hands are now tied and the thugs are killing each other at record rates.
We broke a 28 year record of homicides in Cincinnati last year and we're on pace to break that record again.
Of course, if thats the way they want to act, then one in the ground and one in prison at least gets two of them off the streets, so it's all good.
I wonder if this rate is sustainable?
At an October 2004 event, 11 Christians from Repent America were preaching to a crowd and displaying banners with biblical messages.
After a confrontation with a group called the Pink Angels – described by protesters as "a militant mob of homosexuals" – the Christians were arrested and spent a night in jail.
None of the Pink Angels was cited or arrested, but four of Repent America members individually were charged with three felonies and five misdemeanors and faced up to 47 years in prison and $90,000 in fines each.
In February 2005, after national publicity led to widespread criticism of the arrests and particularly the excessive penalties being threatened, a judge dismissed all criminal charges.
According to Repent America's statement on Friday's judicial ruling:
During the criminal proceedings, Chief Inspector James Tiano, who is the Philadelphia Police Department's "liaison to the gay and lesbian community," testified that police met with the "OutFest" organizers three or four times before the event and discussed, among other things, tactics to prevent Repent America from having access to the event. Additionally, police video shows Chief Inspector Tiano addressing a group of officers to inform them that the "religious right" was coming, and that the "Pink Angels" would be interfering with them.
"Chief Inspector Tiano's comments seem to make it clear that the City conspired with the organizers of 'OutFest' to ensure that Repent America would not have access to the event to exercise their protected rights under both our state and federal Constitutions," stated Ted Hoppe, attorney for the Philadelphia Eleven.
The City of Brother Love...................
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