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Butkovitz announces L&I probe

CITY CONTROLLER Alan Butkovitz notified the Department of Licenses and Inspections yesterday that he plans to probe the agency's demolition practices after a Center City building collapse killed six people in June.

City Controller Alan Butkovitz testifies during a public hearing into the building collapse that killed six people and injured 13, Wednesday, June 19, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
City Controller Alan Butkovitz testifies during a public hearing into the building collapse that killed six people and injured 13, Wednesday, June 19, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Read more
    by BY JAN RANSOM, Daily News Staff Writer <a href="mailto:ransomj@phillynews.com">ransomj@phillynews.com</a>, 215-854-5218
    Published 

CITY CONTROLLER Alan Butkovitz notified the Department of Licenses and Inspections yesterday that he plans to probe the agency's demolition practices after a Center City building collapse killed six people in June.

In a letter sent to L&I Commissioner Carlton Williams, Deputy City Controller Gerald Micciulla wrote, "The objective of this audit will be to evaluate the adequacy of the inspection and enforcement procedures pertaining to building demolitions," including 300 demolitions the city inspected after the collapse.

Butkovitz raised doubt about the city's ability to inspect so many sites so quickly.

"We want to see the documents and how it's possible to conduct so many inspections in one week when the policy wasn't to do it at all," he said.

This will at least be the fourth investigation into the circumstances of the collapse of a four-story building onto a neighboring Salvation Army store.

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