Crime in Philadelphia
| Philadelphia | |
| Crime rates (2014) | |
| Crime type | Rate* |
|---|---|
| Homicide: | 15.9 |
| Forcible rape: | 77.4** |
| Robbery: | 447.1 |
| Aggravated assault: | 481.1 |
| Total violent crime: | 1021.4 |
| Burglary: | 621.8 |
| Larceny-theft: | 2398.5 |
| Motor vehicle theft: | 367.4 |
| Arson: | 25.6 |
| Total property crime: | 3387.7 |
| Notes * Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population. ** Revised definition[1] |
|
| Source: FBI 2014 UCR data | |
Charles Ramsey, the police commissioner, has stated his goal to reduce the number of homicides by 100 per year.[2]
The legal entities responsible for maintaining law and order are:
- The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) is the police department.
- The Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County (1st Judicial Circuit) is the state trial court.
- The Philadelphia District Attorney is the district attorney.
- The Defender Association of Philadelphia is the government-funded independent public defender office.
Notable cases and incidents
- The Schuylkill Rangers - (mid-1800s) criminal gang - see Jimmy Haggerty
- Willie Sutton "The Robin Hood of Brooklyn" (1930-50's) - Robbed most Philadelphia Banks, some twice, captured and tunneled out of Eastern State Penitentiary was recaptured and sent to Holmesburg Prison which he subsequently escaped from by ladder.
- Philadelphia Poison Ring (1938) - At least 70 people poisoned with arsenic, several by their wives.
- Marie Noe (1949–1968) - Murdered eight of her children.
- Boy in the Box (1957) - Unidentified five-year-old boy found dead in a cardboard box.
- Dolores Della Penna – 1972 abduction and dismemberment of Tacony teenager remains unsolved.
- Carl Gugasian - "The Friday Night Bank Robber" (1972-2002) - Perhaps the most successful in American history - robbed banks up and down the east coast.
- Ira Einhorn, "The Unicorn Killer" (1977) - Popular counterculture figure killed his girlfriend and hid her body in his closet.
- Ed Savitz (1975-1992) - Sexual predator thought to have abused hundreds of teenage boys.
- Mumia Abu-Jamal (1981) - Convicted for the murder of PPD officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981.
- MOVE (1978,1985) - Activist group which clashed with the PPD.
- Frankford Slasher (1985–1990) - Thought to have killed several women. Never caught, though a prime suspect was known to police.
- Gary M. Heidnik (1986–1987) - Kidnapped, imprisoned, raped, and tortured six women, two of whom he murdered.
- Harrison Graham (1986–1987) - Killed seven women.
- Raymond Carter (convict) (1988) - Convicted of killing Robert "Puppet" Harris; verdict overturned in 1996 due to likelihood of false testimony.
- 39th District corruption scandal (1990s) - Police corruption which led to the overturning of 160-300 cases and release of 100 prisoners.
- Lex Street Massacre (Dec. 28th, 2000)- 7 people were murdered in a crack house.[3]
- Kidnapping and murder of Iriana DeJesus (2000) - Alexis Flores, suspect of the case, was added to FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2007.
- Officer Thomas Bray's possible murder (November 13, 2001) - Bray died in a suspicious on-duty scuba diving incident the day after he testified against Sergeant Shawn Dougherty at a disciplinary hearing.[4][5] Bray's estate and mother, Genevieve, sued the city and federal government in federal court over Bray's death, settling for an amount that could not be determined from a summary Internet search.[6][7]
- City Hall corruption scandal (2003-5) - mayor's office bugged by FBI, several convictions resulting.[8]
- Antonio Rodriguez (late 2010-early 2011). Known as the Kensington Strangler, he murdered three women.
- Fairmount Park Rapist. (2003–2007) Raped at least three women and murdered medical student Rebecca Park. Not caught.
- Philadelphia basement kidnapping, October 2011, an ongoing investigation into alleged kidnapping of four mentally disabled adults, who were held in a Northeast Philadelphia basement.
Homicides
Annual murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
| 2007[9] | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 392 | 331 | 302 | 306 | 324 | 331 | 247 | 248 | 280 |
Riots
- Philadelphia Election Riot (1742)
- Lombard Street Riot (1842) - Three day race riot.
- Philadelphia Nativist Riots (1844)
- Philadelphia 1964 race riot (1964)
Organized crime
- Philadelphia crime family - An Italian American group based in South Philadelphia as well as cities in New Jersey such as Atlantic City and Newark; largest organized crime unit in the area.
- Irish Mob - K&A Gang - Based in Kensington, Philadelphia. One of the largest Irish American gangs in the country.
- Jewish Mafia - See Nig Rosen.
- Greek Mob
- Russian Mob - See Semion Mogilevich & YBM Magnex International Inc.
- Kielbasa Posse - A Polish group based in Port Richmond, Philadelphia.
- Jamaican Posse
- Black Mafia and Junior Black Mafia - An African-American group based in West Philadelphia.
- Latin Kings - Hispanic gang originating in Chicago.
- Warlocks Motorcycle Club - A motorcycle club involved in drug dealing
- Pagans MC - A motorcycle club involved in drug dealing.
- The Breed Motorcycle Club - A motorcycle club involved in drug dealing.
- Sex Money Murda
Documentaries
See also
- Crime in Pennsylvania
- Crime in the United States
- H. H. Holmes - Early American serial killer, brought to justice by a Philadelphia detective.
- On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City - non-fiction book by sociologist Alice Goffman
- Vidocq Society - Local crime-solving club
References
- ↑ "FBI".
- ↑ Ramsey’s goal: 100 fewer murders a year
- ↑ http://www.southphillyreview.com/news/lifestyles/79678342.html
- ↑ Boyer, Barbara. "Police diver dies retrieving buoy in Delaware River". philly.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2001-11-14.
- ↑ Soteropoulos, Jacqueline. "Sergeant charged in theft at Pier 34 Shawn Dougherty is accused of taking empty beer kegs from the collapse site and selling them to a distributor for $80.". philly.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2002-01-17.
- ↑ "BRAY V. U.S. CIVIL ACTION NO. 03-5150. (E.D. PA. MAR. 14, 2005)". casetext.com. Casetext. Retrieved 2005-03-14.
- ↑ "ODMP Remembers Thomas M. Bray". odmp.org. Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 2001-11-13.
- ↑ U.S. Bug in Mayor's Office Roils Philadelphia Race
- ↑ Phialdelphia Police official web site accessed 31 December 2014
External links
- Down With Crime a project of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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