This is an image that we're getting all too accustomed to seeing -- scores of motorcycle cops escorting a hearse carrying a body of a fallen Philadelphia police officer.
Like everyone else in the city, our thoughts tonight are with the family of Highway Patrol Officer Patrick McDonald.
The mayor can't pretend that he can keep things the same as Street. 10,000 jail slots are not enough when there are 68,000 outstanding warrants in a city. It's not enough if you were to only have the violent offender warrants, 30,000 total, picked up. There's nowhere to house them all. We need the jail space to process the mass violent offender warrant round up that's needed. The good news is we really do have the money -- $568 million in overdue property taxes is right there, waiting to be cashed in. Upgraded and updated assessments fill the rest of the gap. Putting city and agency held properties back in the private ownership, property tax paying roles fills in the rest of the gap. Tough times call for tough leadership. We have the means, all we lack are the leadership's decision to bring Philly into times we live in.— CleanupPhilly- Well, I agree with Pathways that it is indeed time for the citizens of Philly to wake up to the fact that Philly is an incredibly dangerous city! Arm yourselves people with a self defense handgun and training in its use. Unfortunately, there are plenty of thugs to take Giddings place and somehow I doubt that they are going to stay in N. Philly forever.— pbr46
- Wo cannot believe I read you right there Pathways..The truth of the matter is that this what the 4th white cop killed by yet another black thug. No wonder we in the white community are basically fed up with your community. You folk want to be treated with respect, but how can we not in your community respect it when all we read and see is the savagery of that community. The basic problem with the black community is it is full of hate and distrust not only of whites, but of each other, that was apparent with jessie jacksons comments about Barrack. When a community hates life as yours does and continues too play the victim card, but is really the victimizer, no respect and sympathy will be long in comming...May God bless this hero's family and co-workers...— TypicalWhiteBill
Dana DiFilippo has covered murder, mayhem and miscellany at the Daily News since 2000. She grew up in Delaware County and studied journalism and photography at Penn State University. E-mail tips to difilid@phillynews.com.
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Stephanie Farr has been reporting for the Daily News since 2007, covering everything from gay porn stars who entered the burglary business to moon trees, skinheads, murders and naked bike rides. She covers crime, both in the city and suburbs, and keeps clippings of bizarre Associated Press articles. Her favorite this year was the story about the drunk in Punxsutawney who gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dead opossum. E-mail tips to farrs@phillynews.com.
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Phillip Lucas joined the Daily News crime team in 2011. He grew up on the mean streets of Seattle and studied journalism and psychology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Before landing in the City of Brotherly Love, Phillip was a reporter for The News Journal in Wilmington, Del. Email tips to lucasp@phillynews.com.
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Morgan Zalot is the newest crime reporter at the Daily News, starting in 2011 after interning at the paper twice as a Temple University journalism student. In her past stints at the DN, she covered just about everything, from drunken Phillies fans to a barber shop in a high school to a grisly murder-suicide. She’s a born-and-raised Philly girl who grew up in the Northeast. E-mail tips to zalotm@philly.com.
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