By John Loftus

Times Staff Writer

Cops notice things.

In the late morning of July 24, 2nd Police District officers Ned Felici and Richard Holland stopped a man near the 6800 block of Rising Sun Ave. while investigating a report of a person with a weapon.

The man fit the description they'd been given, but there was something else. The officers noticed the man had a splint on one of his fingers, and a man wanted for an aggravated indecent assault on the Frankford El the day before also had a splint on one of his fingers.

Felici and Holland did some checking and after finding that there was a warrant for the man's arrest in another matter, they took him into custody. They then informed the department's special victims unit that they had arrested a person who matched the description of a man wanted in an indecent aggravated assault that took place July 23 on the Frankford El at the Bridge-Pratt station.

About six hours after Felici and Holland arrested the man on an outstanding warrant, his photo was among several shown to the victim of the indecent assault, who positively identified the man as her assailant. The man was then charged in the assault.

Felici and Holland were honored for their solid police work earlier this month at the 2nd Police District Advisory Council meeting as the organization's July Officers of the Month.

"Because of these officers' actions," said 2nd district community relations officer Mark Mroz, "they were able to remove a violent predator off the streets of Philadelphia."

Surrounded by their families at the PDAC's meeting in the auditorium of the Philadelphia Protestant Home on Tabor Avenue on Oct. 13, the officers were all smiles as several citations of tribute from local lawmakers were read.

Later during the meeting, Lt. Lisa Harner told the group's members about crimes being committed in the district. She said there have been a number of robberies, but there were no notable patterns to them. There was a rape on the 7900 block of Bustleton Ave., she said, and an arrest in a shooting at a Cottman Avenue pizza shop.

Twelve officers have been assigned to foot beats on Castor, Rising Sun and Summerdale avenues, and they'll be on the job at least until January, the lieutenant said.

Sgt. Mark Rutizer asked members to spread the word that motorists who have GPS units should not leave the systems in their vehicles and they should also remove any stands or Velcro that holds them in place. Theft of the systems is a problem, he said, and leaving any evidence that they might be in a vehicle, even if they're not in plain sight, could lead to a break-in.

Also, he said, some people leave their home addresses on their systems, which gives thieves information that could lead to even more victimization.