After a weekend in which more people were shot in Philadelphia than in any other 48-hour stretch in at least three years, Police Commissioner Richard Ross questioned Monday whether gunmen are increasingly carrying illegal firearms because they believe they can avoid being held accountable even if arrested.
During a news conference at Police Headquarters, Ross, backed by three top deputies, said police have nearly doubled the number of gun arrests this year compared with the same point in 2015.
Philly’s top cop wonders if gunmen are emboldened by perception of ‘no consequences’
So, if you have doubled the arrest for illegal possession of firearm and Jose Jamal Jones is not giving a crap if you arrest him or not, where is the problem?
Pressed on whether he was suggesting that District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office was being too light on accused gun criminals, Ross declined to say, adding that he did not know how many gun cases might be ending with a figurative slap on the wrist or if any individual office was responsible.
Krasner — sworn in last year on a pledge to curb mass incarceration — has drawn frequent criticism from the police union. Its leader, John McNesby, has accused him of having “great disdain” for law enforcement and siding with accused criminals over victims.
You know? When addressing a problematic issue as what is going on in Philly, I’d wish the comish would stop with the fake politeness and go to town on what he sees as the problem:
“Hey, don’t look at me. I am not the one who elected a pasty Civil Rights shyster as top prosecutor for the city whose first priority in office was to make such a mess out of his office to the point of issuing a memo to “reduce mass incarceration” and giving a bunch of criminals a pass.”
I like the second screen cap a lot. How many times we had seen complains of cops messing with the stats so it would look like there was a crime reduction? And we see a DA actually making reducing charges for political crap a rule in his office.
But I can see the future and I will promise to the Civil Rights activists of Philadelphia that even the arrests will drop (not the crimes, just the arrests) by the police implementing the very successful F.I.D.O Program.
Fuck It. Drive On.
F.I.D.O has been a total success in a Post Ferguson St. Louis as at least a couple of readers will tell you. Police misconduct and arrests are way down so the goals of the “Civil Rights” cadre have been achieved.
Success!
I’m told F.I.D.O. is very popular in Chiraq, Baltimore and Oakland as well as Philly. Seattle is probably next.
Chicago’s the same way w/ the county non-prosecutor’s office/judges giving “personal recognizance bonds” (aka I-bonds) even to violent, repeat offenders. Basically its a promise by the accused to show up in court.
They’re also doing the ‘no prosecution’ for below felony theft and then only charging felonies if there have been multiple previous felonies.
Basically handing the streets to the gang bangers and drug dealers.
Eventually these idiots are going to realize that the gangbangers and thugs are actually safer in jail than out on the streets shooting each other up over controlling drug corners and being “dissed.” In the mean time, the neighborhoods they prey in are a lot less safe for any normal working people.
Why in the world would anyone aspire to become a police officer in such a city?
To break into the trade as a rookie. 2-3 years experience and then move on to another (hopefully better run) agency.
One might also wonder how extensive the background investigation would be for that agency.
To understand “why didn’t he speak up about the DA” you just need to remind yourself that police commissioners are politicians, not real cops.
Police can arrest violent criminals all day, but nothing will happen if the prosecutor’s office won’t prosecute. So the police commissioner has to walk a fine line, criticizing the prosecutor’s office enough to get the heat off his own department, yet not piss off the prosecutor. He still needs friends in the prosecutor’s office to get things done.