This is a topic we've visited before -- and will no doubt visit again in the future.
Just a day after Sgt. Timmy Simpson was laid to rest, FOP and police officials found out that a suspect who took aim at another police officer is already back on the streets:
Amado Lopez aimed a .40-caliber gun at Officer Sean McGinnis in West Kensington Saturday night and ended up taking a bullet to the arm for his brazen act, police said.
Today he walked out of jail.
Members of the police community — still reeling from the death of Sgt. Timmy Simpson on Nov. 17 — were outraged when they learned that Lopez, 20, needed to pony up only $800 to get back on the streets.
Union officials directed their ire at bail commissioner Abraham Polokoff, who set Lopez’s bail at $8,000.
It’s mind-boggling,” said FOP vice president John McGrody. “Here’s an individual who tried to use a firearm against a Philadelphia police officer, and someone in our judicial system gave him a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
Chris Werner, the commander of the 25th District, where McGinnis works, sounded off as well.
“It’s disgraceful,” Werner said of Lopez’s perceived low bail.
“Is he [Polokoff] protecting the city of Philadelphia with decisions like this?”
Polokoff could not be reached for comment.
Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said McGinnis responded to a radio call at about 8:40 p.m. Saturday for a man with a gun near 5th and Somerset streets.
When McGinnis arrived at the scene, he chased after Lopez, who fit the description of the man with the gun.
During the chase, Lopez turned and pointed the gun at McGinnis, Vanore said. McGinnis fired once, striking Lopez in the right arm. Lopez was treated at Temple University Hospital and later released into police custody.
Lopez was arrested in June 2007 on charges that included attempted murder and aggravated assault, according to court records. Those charges were withdrawn in February. Records show Lopez, of Lawrence Street near Somerset, has been arrested in the past on drug charges as well.
“He’s not someone we want out on the streets,” Vanore said. “He poses a harm to police and civilians.”
The outcry over the bail Lopez received comes at a particularly difficult time for the Police Department.
Six officers have died in the line of duty since 2006. When Sgt. Patrick McDonald was shot to death in North Philadelphia on Sept. 23 by convicted felon Daniel Giddings, FOP leaders vowed to turn up the heat on members of the judicial system they deemed too lax on violent criminals.
A month ago, Gov. Rendell signed into law a bill that mandates a minimum 20-year sentence for anyone who shoots at a law enforcement officer.
“We do know that four times in the last year, police officers have lost their lives because of people who should not have been out on the street,” McGrody said.
“In light of that, on the same week we buried another police officer, we’re shocked to see a judicial authority making it so easy for someone like this to get out again.”
Lopez will have preliminary hearing Dec. 1 at the 25th District’s headquarters on Whitaker Avenue near Erie. He’ll face charges of aggravated assault, carry firearms in public, recklessly endangering another person and related offenses from Saturday’s incident.
This speaks volumes: "Polokoff could not be reached for comment." For shame. Of course, Polokoff, and the rotten system, have none. They love seeing blood running in the streets caused by the evil criminals they let out. IF he weren't such a coward, he would defend this decision. Oh well, so what, eh "commissioner"?— Paul B
Comment removed.- How does a bail commissioner get the job?— viragophilly
- Why is it so surprising? This stuff has been going on for years. Police arrest ,Judges release,Oh but if a Judge gets shot or robbed than you see action. Lets face it the Police are throw a ways.As a former Officer for 241/2 years in the city of brotherly love I know first hand about the courts and our court system.— Jumper
- If polokoff give a bail that low is for a reason... He must know how everthing happen... If my brother pointed a gun at Officer Sean McGinnis why Officer Sean McGinnis shot him in his elbow from behind... Its cause my brother never was going to shoot him...— lopezsister
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Stew11, the proper training is to aim at center mass, you don't go for head shots.
- lopezsister, I hope you are an organ donor so that you can leave whatever is left of your drug-addled brain to science. Maybe someone will use it to come up with a cure for stupidity, a very serious life threatening condition which you seem to share with your scumbag brother.— rizzocrat
- Lopez is one of the people at high risk for being a statistic either as a murderer or a victim of murder. Bail is not an automatic right but in Philly, the judges seem to think that it is. It is a privilege to be bestowed using discretion. That's why judges have to grant it. How has that system put in place to protect the public become so corrupted? I recommend that people look at the laws in Harrisburg now that change the base laws and permissiveness that has resulted from poor interpretations. We need to clarify the laws on bail as well. Support these measures today: http://www.johnperzel.com/?sectionid=268§iontree=268&itemid=1150— CleanupPhilly
- Polokoff needs to be fired and a better judge who will do the job put in.— CleanupPhilly
- In Chester Co., if you shoot a cop, your bail is revoked. So it's not just that the law of the state on bail is too permissive, it's that Philly judges bail out everyone no matter what unless they make the front page, above the fold.— CleanupPhilly
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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