Drop in Murder Rate to Greet New Mayor,...

Something outgoing Mayor John "The Department of" Street will no doubt crow about, the murder rate in Philadelphia took a small drop in 2007 from 406 to 394. MalcolmXPark has a great breakdown and analysis of the murder rates for the last two years.

Unfortunately, in the mix with all of those homicides, comes a disturbing statistic:

In a city plagued by homicides and officers increasingly under fire - including six shot, one killed, and 75 fired upon last year.

Additionally, incoming mayor and wearer of the newly-tailored Teflon suit, Michael Nutter, made a disastrous appointment today by naming Everett A. Gillison to a newly-created cabinet position coordinating the efforts of the police department and the office of the District Attorney.

Gillison's faux pas? He defended the murderer of Philadelphia Police Officer Gary Skerski in a case that lead to the defendant pleading out to life imprisonment in return for dropping all death-sentence appeals.