Its Happened Again!

Minn. Officer Killed in Ambush, Sets Off Manhunt

ST. PAUL, Minn. (May 1) -- A suburban St. Paul police officer was killed during an ambush Saturday, setting off a massive manhunt that ended with one suspect dead and another in custody, authorities said.

Maplewood Police Sgt. Joseph Bergeron, 49, was fatally shot while responding to a reported carjacking early Saturday morning.

A jogger on a nearby trail heard the shot that killed Bergeron, a married father of two and a 26-year police veteran, and turned back around to see two suspects fleeing. The jogger used the officer's radio to call for help, and the carjacking victim warned police that at least one of the suspects was armed, police said. (That jogger is a hero)

"We're all grieving," Maplewood Chief David Thomalla said. "He's one of the finest people I know, and he was murdered today senselessly."

The attack set off an hours-long search by more than 100 officers from over a dozen law enforcement agencies. Officers brandished automatic rifles and police helicopters circled overhead as they searched a wooded area and neighborhoods east of Lake Phalen, near the shooting scene.

Nearly four hours after the shooting, a man darted out of the woods holding a toolbox and an officer tried to question him. The two scuffled, and authorities said the officer shot the man multiple times.

Police said the 21-year-old man was one of the shooting suspects, but his name hasn't been released. (Who cares - I hope his wounds eventually become fatal!)

The officer suffered a broken nose and possibly a fractured eye socket, St. Paul police chief John Harrington said. His name hasn't been released, which Harrington said is standard in an officer-involved shooting.

About two hours later, police closed in on the second suspect at a nearby apartment near the border of St. Paul and Maplewood, in a middle class, blue-collar neighborhood dotted with small storefronts and well-established older homes.

The man threatened and tried to commit suicide, but was taken into custody with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said. His name and what charges he faces have not been released. (The police should've allowed the scumbag to off himself and save the state money!)

Bergeron was the 17th officer to die in the line of duty in the state since 2000.

LODD

Pa. state trooper shot, killed in northwestern Pa.
JOE MANDAK

The Associated Press

CRANBERRY, Pa. - A Pennsylvania state trooper was responding to a domestic call at a rural home when he got out of his police cruiser and was shot and killed.

State police say Trooper Paul G. Richey was shot shortly after he got to the home in Venango County on Wednesday morning. Richey had been a state trooper for 16 years.

State Police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski says Richey's sacrifice and service will not be forgotten.

The shooting happened in a rural area where homes are spread far apart and several schools were placed on lockdown as police searched for the gunman.

The area is near Oil City, which is about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Gotcha!!

Suspect in Washington State Police Killings Shot Dead

Seattle police shot and killed the fugitive suspected of gunning down four officers in a suburban coffee shop, a sheriff's spokesman said Tuesday.

Maurice Clemmons was shot to death after a "very alert patrol officer" tracked down a stolen vehicle linked to him, Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County sheriff, told Fox News.

Clemmons, 37, is suspected of murdering the four Lakewood police officers at a cafe Sunday morning in Parkland, a Tacoma suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle.

He was killed in a working-class neighborhood after police found him with the help of information about possible hiding spots, Troyer said.

"Shots were fired," Troyer told "Fox & Friends" Tuesday. "We're very happy that the Seattle police officer is OK. ... This could have turned out a lot worse."


Apparently, being scum runs in the family, too,....

More arrests are coming, Troyer vowed.

"We're also looking at family members who aided and abetted in his escape," he told reporters. "They did everything they could to hamper our investigation. We expect to have six to seven people in custody by day's end."

Now, I'm Getting P**sed!

Is this low-level terrorism on a local scale??

First, this needed to be posted from Wyatt's blog:

Yesterday, a thug was arrested and brought into the division for retail theft. The rocket scientist stole five tubes of toothpaste - a product the man obviously never used in his life.

When the offender was being processed - in the same police station where John Pawlowski worked - the arresting officer asked him for his biographical information. And that’s when it happened.

The man immediately exploded and yelled the one thing you should never yell 12 hours after a police officer is murdered:

“This is why all you f**king white boys are gettin’ shot!”

Think its some local a**hole mouthing off at the wrong moment? Read on,...


Jailhouse Islam Behind
Cop Killing?
Sources: Suspect Said 'Can't Believe
I Shot A Cop'

PHILADELPHIA - The fact that Rasheed Scrugs allegedly announced he was going to kill a cop and then shot Philadelphia Police Officer John Pawlowski with a gun hidden inside his coat pocket has detectives digging deeper on Scrugs.

They're still gathering evidence and trying to unravel why Friday night's senseless murder happened, Fox 29's Dave Schratwieser reported.

"Pawlowski didn't stand a chance," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said Monday, as Philadelphia continued to reel over the killing.

A key witness went public Monday with the chilling words he heard the gunman say before the shooting.

"If you call the cop, I'll kill you and kill the cop," said Manuel Dias, who works in a newsstand at Broad Street and Olney Avenue, repeating what he told detectives.

Police believe Scrugs planned to shoot officers when they answered a 911 call about a fight on the highway at Broad and Olney at 8:20 p.m.

"This individual was very violent and was bent on killing someone," Ramsey said.

Scrugs was shot by Pawlowski's partner and another officer. He's now awake and talking, but he refused to be interviewed by homicide detectives.

Sources say Scrugs told a hospital staffer he was high on drugs at the time of the shooting and allegedly said, "I can't believe I shot a cop."

"Well, he's a cold blooded killer is what he is, and he knew exactly what it is he wanted to do," Ramsey said.

Ramsey told Fox 29 News that police are now trying to determine if Scrugs -- who also goes by the alias Rasheed Abdulghaffer -- may have converted to a radical form of "jailhouse Islam" during his years in prison.

Ironically, Ramsey said he was briefed by FBI agents on Friday about this radical form of Islam. That was just hours before Pawlowski was shot.

Ramsey said there's a growing concern among law enforcement.

"This is a radical form where certainly committing crime and killing police officers and so forth is part of it," Ramsey said.

Police experts and the FBI are now researching whether Scrugs and Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski' accused killers -- Howard Cain and Levon Warner, who are accused of wearing Muslim clothing during that murder -- were schooled in jailhouse Islam.

"Since Steve Liczbinski got killed, this issue has really been something that has struck home here in Philadelphia," Ramsey said.

Police sources said the .357 Magnum that Scrugs allegedly used was from out of state. Federal ATF agents are tracking the gun's owner down. Ramsey said whoever sold or gave the gun to Scrugs may be prosecuted.

Police said Scrugs had 19 packets of crack and 19 extra bullets in his pockets at the time.

Dias said he was watching Friday night when Scrugs carried through on his violent threat.

"As soon as the cop asked him to take his hand out of his pocket to give him something else, he just pulled the gun and shot the cop for no specific reason," Dias said. "Some screamed 'Help! Help!' right here, and they tried to put him on the car. … I was afraid to die because this is serious."

Dias hid on the floor of his newsstand, fearing for his own life, as police shot and wounded Scruggs.


The Bitter American seethes:

Ok,..its time to start asking the tough questions about what the hell is going on in Philadelphia! It could be terrorism at some low level. Or it could simply be what has become of our society. If Brian Tierney wasn't such a gutless pussy, I'd like to see him line up the pictures of the seven slain officers on one side and the pictures of their assailants on the other side. Absent Ofc. Isabel Nazario, the obvious would be a simple as black and white.

That's right, I said it! Google can cancel my blog now. The NAACP, instead of "advancing colored people," can start chasing after me and protesting in front of my house. (Jerry Mondesire - Call me, I'll give you the address!) No, instead, they've been eerily silent on the subject. Seems advancing colored people these days primarily involves throwing Oreo cookies at Michael Steele and discrediting the likes of Bill Cosby for telling them what they don't want to hear.

But wait until some white officer finally cracks from the stress of being a target and cracks his nightstick over the head of one of these jokers. then we'll here from the NAACP.

Its a disgrace and a dishonor to the men and women who put themselves in harm's way every day to protect ALL of the citizens of Philadelphia and its SICK!

Oh, No,....Not Again!

Police officer shot in Olney has died - Philadelphia News

OLNEY - February 13, 2009 (WPVI) -- A Philadlephia Police Officer has been shot and killed in the Olney section of the city.

The officer was shot at Broad Street and Olney during an exchange of gunfire with a suspect just after 8:00 p.m.

Both the officer and the suspect were wounded.

Both are being taken to Einstein Medical Center.

The officer was confirmed dead after 9:00 p.m.

Reports indicate he is an officer from the 35th District.

The suspect's weapon was recovered at the scene.


THIS IS AN ON-GOING STORY AND I'LL UPDATE AS INFORMATION PRESENTS

More Today (2/14/09) on this tragedy:

Shooter had death wish, police say

By Barbara Boyer
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Officer John Pawlowski never had chance last night when he approached the man authorities say had a "death wish" and fired .357 Magnum at the policeman.

The suspect, identified by police as Rasheed Scrugs, 33, of West Philadelphia, started firing through his coat, striking the five-year veteran at least twice in the chest as he fell to the ground on Broad Street, near Olney Avenue, police said.

Scrugs was charged with Officer Pawlowski's murder this afternoon.

Police sources have said the gunman was "crazy" and appeared to have a "death wish" as he tried to shoot his way through police.

It Can Happen to Us, Too!

Sickening,...

State Police: EMS Volunteer Shot and Killed in Cape Vincent

January 31, 2009, Last Updated 11:00 a.m.
ALEXANDRIA BAY, N.Y. — The New York State Police at Alexandria Bay are investigating a homicide that occurred at approximately 11:58 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, at 114 South Esseltyne St. in Cape Vincent.

The victim, Mark B. Davis, 25 of 172 James St., Cape Vincent, was serving as a volunteer EMT for the Cape Vincent Volunteer Fire Department, when they responded to the address for a medical emergency.

The victim and two other EMTs were at the residence treating Christopher G. Burke, age 25, formerly of Sherrill, N.Y., who now resides at the Esseltyne Street address.

Mr. Burke became agitated and retrieved a high powered rifle from the bedroom of the residence, police said. As the EMT’s were retreating from the residence, it is alleged that Burke fired two rounds, one at the victim striking and killing him, they said.

The suspect then ran from the residence and was tackled and held down by another EMT who was also at the residence, police said.

Clayton Police Department Officer Robin Pearce was first on the scene and took the suspect into custody with the assistance of Alexandria Bay Officer Jerry Delosh.

EMTs at the scene fervently attempted life saving measures, and continued these efforts during the ambulance transport to the Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown, where he was pronounced deceased.

After consultation with District Attorney Cindy F. Intschert and Chief Assistant District Attorney Kristyna Mills, the suspect is being arraigned this morning on charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

In addition to Clayton and Alexandria Bay Police Departments, Clayton Volunteer Fire Department, Guilfoyle Ambulance Service and TIERS Ambulance Service assisted at the scene, and Cape Vincent Police Department is assisting in the ensuing investigation..

Why? Why?? WHY???

Tracing career criminal through system to Phila. officer's death
By Larry King

Inquirer Staff Writer

By Nov. 10, Bucks County Court Judge David W. Heckler had endured enough of William Allan Foster, a junkie, career thief and scofflaw from Levittown.
Foster had failed to show in Doylestown that day for a series of probation violations that almost certainly would have landed him back in jail. Have him arrested, Heckler told Foster's probation officer, Ventura Vazquez-Acosta, an order reinforced by the officer's supervisor.

The arrest never happened. Seven days passed with no action taken, according to an investigative report compiled by county probation officials and released last week.

"According to Officer Vazquez-Acosta, a variety of issues including a holiday, training and miscellaneous duties prevented him from coordinating the arrest of William Foster over the next week," the report says.

By then, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Timothy Simpson was dead.

On the night of Nov. 17, police say, Foster, 41, was drunk and had just scored some heroin. Police were chasing him in the city's Juniata Park section when his speeding car broadsided Simpson's cruiser, killing the 20-year veteran.

Foster was wanted at the time on a New Jersey fugitive warrant for jumping parole, as well as on multiple warrants in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia police officials have angrily questioned why Foster was free at all.

Some answers are in a four-page timeline created at the behest of Heckler and Sean R. Ryan, Bucks County's chief adult probation and parole officer. It tracks the county's involvement with Foster from August 2007, when Hecker put him on probation.

Foster was arrested at least three times in recent months - twice in Bucks County, and at least once in Philadelphia - and released each time, the report says.

Two mistakes led to Foster's Aug. 11 release from the Bucks County prison, where he had spent four days after an arrest on theft charges in New Britain.

First, Vazquez-Acosta and his supervisor, Edward Chromiec, failed to review his file after being told Foster was in prison, the report says. Had they done so, a violation hearing before Heckler could have been scheduled.

Second, Magisterial District Justice Robert Gaffney erred by allowing bail on the New Jersey parole violation after Foster's Aug. 7 arrest, Heckler said in an interview.

A policy directive circulated to Bucks district justices in February 2007 instructs that out-of-state fugitives facing local charges be allowed bail on the local charges only. Once the local charges are addressed, the sheriff's department should start extradition proceedings, the policy says.

"I'm disappointed that we let this fellow slip through our fingers when we had him," Heckler said. "Bail should not have been set on the detainer, and our probation office should have picked up on the proposition that he was in the prison."

Ryan called his officers' errors "sloppy work." He said he has taken steps to ensure that when a probationer or parolee is jailed, his officers act immediately and document their actions by midday.

Heckler and Ryan were less critical of the failure to quickly arrest Foster last month for parole violations. Both said the lag was not unusual, given the massive workload of probation officers and Foster's reputation as a petty, nonviolent criminal.

"Given the low level of this offender . . . I was authorizing them to take him into custody," Heckler said. "It was not a direction for them to go out and find him immediately."

Ryan said that Bucks County's 46 probation officers are assigned to oversee more than 8,200 offenders. Vazquez-Acosta, he said, is one of just six intake officers required to interview every offender entering the system, as well as to prepare presentencing and pre-parole reports.

Rounding up nonviolent probation violators often is trumped by more pressing duties, Ryan said.

"We don't have an arrest unit waiting to detain people," Ryan said. "In a perfect world, this is sloppy work. But in the context of the workload, it is not unusual for these things to happen."

The TrekMedic seethes:

So, "business as usual" in a podunk, suburban county led to another senseless LODD??

Good Lord! When Will it Stop??

Officer killed in grinding car crash
Rescuers had to extricate victims from both autos after the accident at a Port Richmond intersection.

By Bonnie L. Cook

Inquirer Staff Writer

A Philadelphia police officer died last night following a dramatic two-vehicle crash - involving a suspected drunk driver - in the city's Port Richmond section.

Sgt. Timothy Simpson, a 20-year veteran, is the fourth member of the force to die on the job this year.

Simpson died at Temple University Hospital, where he had been rushed in critical condition following the 10:30 p.m. collision at Aramingo and Allegheny Avenues.

Police early this morning said the officer was responding to a robbery report when his vehicle collided with a car driven by a suspected drunk driver.

The collision was so violent that it thrust the cruiser into the wall of a nearby building and slammed the other car into a light stand.

The two vehicles were demolished, and it took furious efforts by rescuers to pull the officer from his squad car, and two civilians from the other vehicle.

Simpson died about a half-hour later. The status of the two civilians was not available.

Almost immediately after word of the collision surfaced, scores of officers, police brass and city officials - including Mayor Nutter - made their way to Temple to grieve, to comfort themselves and the officer's family, and to brief reporters.

The crash came a little more than two months after Officer Isabel Nazario was fatally injured in a crash with a stolen sports-utility vehicle in West Philadelphia. The SUV was driven by a 16-year-old boy who was later charged with third-degree murder.

That crash, at 39th and Wallace Streets on Sept. 5, produced a similar outpouring by police, officials and reporters, but on that occasion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

This year has been one of the deadliest on record for the department.

It began with the shooting of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski on May 3. He was gunned down May 3 at Almond and Schiller Streets while confronting suspects who had just held up a bank.

That murder was followed by the Nazario's death, and the Sept. 23 point-blank shooting of Officer Patrick McDonald while going after a suspect near 17th and Dauphin Streets in North Philadelphia.

Another Win for the Thin Blue Line!

Top court rejects Abu-Jamal appeal for new trial ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal for a new trial for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted in the 1981 killing of a Philadelphia police officer.

The justices did not comment on their action today, which leaves in place a federal appeals court ruling that upholds Abu-Jamal's murder conviction, but orders a new sentencing hearing.

Officer Daniel Faulkner was shot to death after pulling over Abu-Jamal's brother in an overnight traffic stop.

The case has drawn worldwide attention.

Prosecutors say Faulkner, 25, managed to shoot Abu-Jamal during the confrontation. A wounded Abu-Jamal, his own gun lying nearby, was still at the scene when police arrived, and authorities consider the evidence against him overwhelming.

Abu-Jamal, born Wesley Cook, has argued in numerous appeals that racism by the judge and prosecutors corrupted his 1982 conviction at the hands of a mostly white jury. Prosecutors, meanwhile, had appealed a federal judge's 2001 decision to grant Abu-Jamal a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions.

The Trekmedic ponders: I wonder if this will get Leftywood to stop drooling over the Obamessiah long enough to mount more useless court time?

Another Philly PD LODD,....

Female Phila. police officer dies in car crash

By Susan Snyder
Inquirer Staff Writer

A Philadelphia police officer died last night after her cruiser collided with a sport-utility vehicle - allegedly driven by a drunken teenager - in the Mantua section of West Philadelphia.

According to initial reports, the officer and her male partner were trapped in their vehicle after the two-vehicle crash, which happened about 9 p.m. at 39th and Wallace Streets.

The crash was so severe - the SUV hit the passenger's side of the police vehicle at a high rate of speed - that the side at the point of impact was completely crushed in. The two officers had to be cut out with a Jaws of Life device.

Both officers were transferred to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where one died of massive head trauma and the other was listed in critical condition.

The dead officer was identified by police as Isabel Nazario, an 18-year veteran of the force. Her partner's name was not released.

Complete details of the crash were not available early this morning, but initial reports were that the driver of the SUV was an unlicensed teenager who fled after the crash. That driver, described by one official as 16-year-old boy with a record, was arrested after a short foot pursuit.

He was taken to an undisclosed hospital with what was described as non-life-threatening injuries.

When the magnitude of the crash became clear, Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, police brass and other high-ranking city officials made their way to HUP, and the families of the two officers were summoned.

Also at HUP early this morning was a host of news media waiting for the commissioner to brief reporters with details of what happened. No further information was available.

The Homicide Unit will investigate the accident because it involves the death of an officer in the line of duty.

Last night's death was the second this year involving an officer killed in the line of duty.

On May 3, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was killed in Port Richmond while trying to arrest three suspects who had held up a Bank of America branch at gunpoint.

A 12-year veteran and a married father of three, Liczbinski was gunned down days before what would have been his 40th birthday by a desperate suspect wielding a Chinese-made SKS carbine.


The TrekMedic mourns:

This is becoming an all-too-frequent posting. Please head over to Wyatt's page and offer your condolences.

Gotcha!!

Police Officer Killing Suspect Eric Floyd Arrested

Last Edited: Thursday, 08 May 2008, 4:10 PM EDT
Created: Thursday, 08 May 2008, 6:39 AM EDT


The third and final suspect wanted in connection with a bank robbery that led to the killing of Philadelphia police sergeant Steven Liczbinski goes before a judge Thursday afternoon to hear the charges against him.

33-year-old Eric Floyd was found asleep with his girlfriend just after 11:00 p.m. in an abandoned row home in the 5400-block of Windsor Street in the Kingsessing section of southwest Philadelphia Wednesday night.

Police say the two had been in contact daily since the killing, but don't know if they had been staying together or hooked up afterwards.

Police have identified Floyd's girlfriend as 37-year-old Tonya Lynne Stephens. She's charged with obstructing justice, hindering apprehension, and conspiracy.

Investigators credit the public's help and good police work for hemming Floyd in. Sources tell Fox Philadelphia that police received a tip from a drug dealer on the same street who told them where they might find Floyd. Police chose not to go to the caller's house first. Had they done so, that may have tipped off Floyd, allowing him time to escape.

Instead, a squad of officers stealthily rolled into the neighborhood and took up positions around the house for the takedown. Residents knew something was up.

"About six or seven vans pull up and the officers jumped out the vans and grabbed their guns and rifles and were running up and down the street," said one witness.

Floyd gave himself up without resistance and was taken to police headquarters in a 24th Police District van, wearing the handcuffs of slain officer Sgt. Liczbinski. (Sgt. Liczbinksi was assigned to the 24th Police District). His girlfriend was also brought in a short time later.

Mayor Michael Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, FBI agents and Philadelphia police officers were all present as Floyd was unloaded from the van.



"I had to look in the face of a guy who would do something like that. Quite frankly, as one African American male to another… how disappointed I was in what he had done," said Nutter. "You just wonder- for what? Why did you do that? There's no explanation. He will pay a heavy debt, but no where near as heavy as the rest of the Liczbinski family."

Commissioner Ramsey called the widow of Sgt. Liczbinski to let her know Floyd was in custody. During that call, he says she thanked him and passed the word to other family members, then heard a loud cheer in the background.

Authorities received more than 100 tips, aided by a reward that swelled to more than $150,000.

His other alleged accomplice, Levon Warner, is in custody. The third man believed involved, Howard Cain, was killed by police Saturday.

On Tuesday, police arrested and charged 19-year-old Levi Swigart of Duncannon, Perry County. They say he provided a stolen handgun used by one of the suspects in the bank robbery.

Officers tell Fox Philadelphia they are extremely relieved to have all of the suspects in custody in advance of the slain officer's funeral Friday.

WANTED! DEAD (or alive)!

HT to Captain America:

WANTED FOR THE MURDER OF A PHILADELPHIA POLICE OFFICER. ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. ERIC FLOYD, 34-YEAR OLD BLACK MALE. ENOUGH SAID.

Because Other Things Are More Important,...

The TrekMedic was going to blog abouthis latest diet follow-up and the Philly sports scene.

Instead, this post will be a moment of silence for LODD Sgt. Liczbinski.













































Wyatt has updates here.

The Thin Blue Line Gets Thinner,....

Philadelphia Officer Shot, Killed By Bank Robbers
Fallen Police Sergeant Identified, Extensive Manhunt Underway

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― A Philadelphia Police officer has died after being shot by alleged bank robbery suspects in the city's Port Richmond section Saturday morning.

Authorities said at least two armed men held up the Bank of America inside a Shop Rite located at Aramingo and Castor Avenues at 11:26 a.m.

A 24th District Police Sergeant and 12-year veteran, 40-year-old Stephen Liczbinski, was ambushed by the fleeing gunmen in the 2600 block of Schiller Street. Sergeant Liczbinski was taken to Temple University Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries early Saturday afternoon.

"At least one of the males fired shots striking and fatally wounding Sgt. Liczbinski," Police Commission Charles Ramsey said.

A police pursuit ensued following the officer's shooting and one of the suspects was shot by police in the 500 block of E. Louden Street in the Feltonville section. The unidentified suspect was taken to Temple University Hospital where he died.

"The second individual and possibly a third individual is still at large. They are now part of an extensive search," Ramsey said.

Members of law enforcement from the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania and Delaware State Police have been involved in a city-wide manhunt for two other suspects, including a possible female accomplice. The suspects are considered armed and dangerous and anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to contact Philadelphia police.

During an afternoon news conference, Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Ramsey told the city of Philadelphia to wrap their arms around the fallen officer's family and offer support in this time of tragedy.

"I ask that we rally around this family wrap our arms around them, keep them in our prayers. They will need ongoing help and support as we grapple with what has happened here today and I just want to express my own personal sympathies to this family and thank the officer for his long hard work for the Philadelphia Police Department," Mayor Nutter said.

Sergeant Liczbinski, who was promoted to Sergeant in October of 2007, leaves behind a wife, two sons and a daughter.

"This loss of life from a fine Philadelphia Police Officer is just one more example of the senseless violence that takes place here in our city. Our hearts and our prayers go out to his wife Michelle, his sons; Matt, Steven, and his daughter Amber. We are all affected by what has happened here," Mayor Nutter said.

There is an active manhunt for the other two suspects who were last seen near F Street and Roosevelt Boulevard near a wooded area just south of Friends Hospital. Police describe them as:

Suspect #1:
Tall black male
Medium build
Dressed in full robe

Wearing sunglasses during the robbery
Had a shoulder type bag over his right shoulder

Suspect #2:

Possibly a female
Unknown race
Standing 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7

Wearing light brown robe from head to toe

Suspect #3:

Stalky build
Standing 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-3
Medium brown complexion
Shoulder length dreadlocks type hair that could have possibly been a wig
Blue jeans and a light colored shirt that may have been a flannel shirt
Wearing a white mask possibly a hospital or construction-type mask over his mouth

Anyone with information should immediately notify police as they are considered armed and dangerous.

No Liberal Bias in Our Halls of Higher Education?

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the first, fatal Philadelphia vs MOVE confrontation, comes word from the Anti-Move blog that a Drexel University professor is circulating a petition to free the murdering scum who killed P/O James Ramp in August 1978 and set the stage for an even bigger confrontation years later.


One name stuck out to me on the "Free The MOVE 9" petition, not only because of the geographical location of the signer, but because of the absolutism of his inaccurate comment.
His name is Dr. Robert Zaller and he may be teaching your kids History at Drexel University.
I find this interesting as Drexel University is very near the location where MOVE killed Officer James Ramp and nearly killed several other Police Officers and Firefighters as it is rare that anyone in Philadelphia is ignorant enough to support MOVE, but that an actual teacher of History makes the mistake to support killers is particularly notable. If that is what this man, who makes the point of being a Professor, and also name drops the University is doing online, one has to wonder what kind of teaching is going on in his class room.

And for the record, these are the comments of Dr. Zaller:


"270 years of collective punishment for the single shot that killed Officer James Ramp is surely sufficient by any yardstick of justice. No one was ever indicted, let alone punished, in the death of eleven MOVE members in 1985. I am not a member of MOVE, but a citizen seeking fairness and equity in the administration of justice. I hope that the Board of Probation and Parole will act favorably in this case, and help all Philadelphians begin a process of healing and reconciliation.
Sincerely, Dr. Robert Zaller Professor of History Drexel University"

I find the above comment repellant not just in it’s inaccuracies, but with the arrogance with which they are presented.

It is a fact that MOVE members are in prison for much more than the killing of James Ramp, something that the Professor either doesn’t know or pretends not to. And as un-important as these other ignored victims of MOVE are to people like Dr. Zaller, what is clearly important is to regurgitate MOVE’s tale of victimization while making the point that he isn’t a member of MOVE, as if that fact in and of itself is a mark of credibility.

He ends his plea for the release of un-repentant murderers on parole by arguing that in doing so there will "begin a process of healing and reconciliation" This of course, is one of those "feel good" platitudes employed by the herbivore left that echoes well through the halls of academia and allows for those inhabiting ivory towers to rest easier at night as they suffer through the delusion that everyone does indeed just want to get along.

However, Dr. Zaller fails to recognize that Philadelphians are hardly clamoring for such a process with MOVE, especially considering the fact that the MOVE members in jail remain defiantly absent of any sense of remorse or responsibility for their actions. Certainly, in terms of offensiveness, Dr. Zaller’s lack of empathy for MOVE’s victims are more egregious than those deluded children who are ready made fodder for MOVE propaganda. As a Professor, one would think that Zaller would at least feign intellectual curiosity, but it appears he has willingly abandoned his critical faculties in the name of ideology and a desire to make a political point in signing a petition in support of a reactionary, violent, and anti-intellectual, death cult that abuses the children in it’s midst.

Dr. Zaller does have a background in fighting against the death penalty, and I have no quarrel with him there, as I too, like an ever growing segment of the American populace, have an issue with murder by the state. Unlike the death penalty, where there are plenty of shades of grey, enough to keep the debate going on for years to come, the MOVE case is rather clear, that is of course, if you bother to do your homework. Dr. Zaller has failed to do his, and in doing so has made the mistake of blindly supporting the release of un-repentant cop-killers. Shame on him.
His action in support of those who killed a servant of the people of Philadelphia are a blight upon his profession and disgrace the University where he teaches.

Please send Professor Zaller an email and help educate him about the reality of MOVE.
He can be reached at robert.michael.zaller@drexel.edu and it is he who is in need of an education.

The TrekMedic adds:

The anti-Move 9 petition can be found here.

In the early days after this fracas, there was one "journalist" who supported the Move 9 in the press.

His name? Mumia Abu Jamal!

(Second link here)


Go figure,.......

LODD - Delaware County

LOWER CHICHESTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. - March 5, 2008 (WPVI) -- One of the firefighters who was trapped in a blaze Wednesday morning in Delaware County has died.

Action News confirmed the fatality just before 11:30 a.m. The firefighter who died was in his 30s.
The fire hit in Aston Township on the 100 block of Moser


Several firefighters rushed into the building when they learned there was a dog inside. That's when the floor collapsed underneath them and they ended up in the basement.
Three firefighters made it out, one of them died at the scene. There is no official word on the conditions of the other firefighters, who were taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
Firefighters were still on the scene at noon, mopping up the situation.
Investigators are looking at a tree that was blown down during storms early Wednesday morning and took down some electrical lines. A neighbor told Action News that others had reported witnessing power lines sparking, and as she was on the phone with PECO she was told to call 911.
Stay with Action News on 6abc.com for the latest developments.

(Copyright ©2008 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)


The TrekMedic adds:

This is a very sad story. I can confirm, through sources at the scene and close to me, that this was a lieutenant from Lower Chichester Twp's FD.

Rest easy, brother,.....

The Liberal List from Hell

HT to ALa at Blonde Sagacity for this one:

Celebrities rush to embrace Abu-Jamal

Maureen Faulkner is the widow of Daniel Faulkner, a Philadelphia police officer who died in the line of duty in 1981.

Michael Smerconish is a radio talk-show host and columnist for the Inquirer's Sunday Currents section.

The following are excerpts from a forthcoming book by Maureen Faulkner and Michael Smerconish titled "Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Pain, Loss and Injustice." In it, Maureen Faulkner retells the death of her husband, Daniel; the trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal, accused and later convicted of his murder; and the long succession of trials and hearings in the years since. She also recounts her horrified reaction to the rise of the international "Free Mumia" movement.

Chapter 18 Hollywood and the New York Times

Abu-Jamal's celebrity supporters were not content to allow the legal process to run its course unfettered by their onerous influence. Their ranks were growing and they demanded attention. On August 9, 1995, just as the Post-Conviction Relief Act hearing was in full stride in Philadelphia's City Hall, a full-page advertisement appeared on Abu-Jamal's behalf - not in the Philadelphia Inquirer, mind you, but in the New York Times. It prominently featured the A-list of Abu-Jamal Hollywood supporters: Alec Baldwin, Mike Farrell, Spike Lee, Susan Sarandon, Oliver Stone. It was a veritable Who's Who of left-wingers and all were willing to lend their names to a man whom a jury concluded had murdered a law enforcement officer.

One month prior to the New York Times ad, on July 14, 1995, E.L. Doctorow, a longtime Abu-Jamal supporter, had penned a column of support that also ran in the New York Times. Doctorow's Op-Ed read like the Team Mumia Mission Statement. He put forth the usual hackneyed arguments discrediting Abu-Jamal's conviction and disparaging the eyewitnesses. To the well-informed, the piece was easily dismissed, but to the uninitiated I suppose it presented a rather compelling portrayal of an innocent man on death row. Doctorow ended the piece by questioning: "Will the pain of Officer Faulkner's widow, who supports Mr. Jamal's execution, be resolved if it turns out that the wrong man has been executed and her husband's killer still walks the streets?"

Doctorow's article was clearly a clever ruse to try to sway the court and manipulate public opinion. Adding salt to my wounds, at this time I had to sit and listen to the Abu-Jamal witnesses tell endless lies in the PCRA hearings and hear so-called character witnesses say what a wonderful man Abu-Jamal was - without any regard for Danny.

The Internet was taking hold about that time and also fueling my fury (at this point we still called it the "World Wide Web"). I remember a reporter once telling me Abu-Jamal was a hero in "cyberspace." I had never even heard the word, and needless to say, I had not yet taken advantage of the Internet as a resource for Danny's cause; however, the Abu-Jamal defenders wasted no time in establishing sites in several languages. As if international celebrity was not enough for the convicted cop killer, he was now also quickly becoming the downtrodden darling of cyberspace, too. . . .

And, just when I thought it could not get any worse, there came a full-page ad in the New York Times, with these words gracing the top of page A-13 on August 9, 1995: "MUMIA ABU-JAMAL MUST HAVE A NEW TRIAL."

The copy continued with an opening sentence that many such writings on Abu-Jamal have replicated. Take a look at the text of the ad:

Award winning journalist, talk show host, former Black Panther and MOVE supporter Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted in 1982 of killing a Philadelphia police officer and sentenced to death. As E.L. Doctorow details below, Abu-Jamal's trial was full of gross procedural errors and judicial misconduct. There is strong reason to believe that, as an outspoken critic of the Philadelphia police and the judicial and prison systems, Mumia Abu-Jamal has been sentenced to death because of his political beliefs. Human Rights Watch gave him one of its 1995 awards for authors under political persecution, and Amnesty International stated that the government: "appears to have overtly used Mumia Abu-Jamal's past political beliefs and affiliations . . . to impose the death penalty." Seven days after his death warrant was signed and two months before his scheduled execution, Abu-Jamal's access to family, legal counsel, and reading and writing materials was restricted in punishment for publication of his book, Live From Death Row. As Abu-Jamal, known as the "voice of the voiceless," put it, "They don't just want my death, they want my silence."

There you have it. Not one iota of factual information. The ad is awash with speculation and cites a fraudulent tome written by one of their own (Doctorow) as the factual support for its case. I concede that it might sound somewhat compelling to some, especially with the ad's reference to the Human Rights Watch Award and Amnesty International's opinion of his case. Nevertheless, I'm equally sure that none of those who then affixed their names to the above message have ever spent the time to read the five thousand pages of transcript from Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial. I think it is important that I name names. I want there to be a book record of every single person who allowed their name to be set in newsprint on behalf of the man who murdered my husband. Thus, I hereby present you with the official wall of shame:

Adjoa A. Aiyetoro, Shana Alexander, Laurie Anderson, Maya Angelou, Paul Auster, Alec Baldwin, Russell Banks, John Perry Barlow, Richard J. Barnet, Derrick Bell, Dennis Brutus, David Byrne, Naomi Campbell, Robbie Conal, Denise Caruso, Noam Chomsky, Richard A. Cloward, Ben Cohen , Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, Ron Daniels, U.S. Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, Dominique de Menil, Jacques Derrida, David Dinkins, E. L. Doctorow , Roger Ebert, Jason Epstein, Susan Faludi, Mike Farrell, Timothy Ferris, Eileen Fisher, Henry Louis Gates, Terry Gilliam, Danny Glover, Leon Golub, Nadine Gordimer, Stephen Jay Gould, Günter Grass, Herbert Chao Gunther, Jack Healey, Edward S. Herman, Jim Hightower, James Hillman, bell hooks, Molly Ivins, Bill T. Jones, June Jordan, Mitchell Kapor, Casey Kasem, C. Clark Kissinger, Herbert Kohl, Jonathan Kozol, Tony Kushner, John Landis, Spike Lee, Edward Lewis, Maya Lin, Norman Mailer, Frederick Marx, Nion McEvoy, Bobby McFerrin, Susan Meiselas, Nancy Meyer, Pedro Meyer, Jessica Mitford, Michael Moore, Frank Moretti, James Parks Morton, Paul Newman, Peter Norton, Joyce Carol Oates, Dean Ornish, MD, Grace Paley, Alan Patricof, Martin D. Payson, Frances Fox Piven, Katha Pollit, Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, Charles B. Rangel, Adrienne Rich, Tim Robbins, David A. Ross, Salman Rushdie, Susan Sarandon, Charles C. Savitt, André Schiffrin, Peter Sellers, Nancy Spero, Art Spiegelman, Bob Stein, Gloria Steinem, Sting, Michael Stipe, Oliver Stone, Brian Stonehill, Nadine Strossen, Trudie Styler, William Styron, Edith Tiger, Edward R. Tufte, Eric Utne, Bill Viola, Alice Walker, Cornel West, Marc Weiss, John Edgar Wideman, Garry Wills, Joanne Woodward, and Peter Yarrow.

I bitterly remember and resent each and every celebrity who has proclaimed support for Abu-Jamal. When, in 1996, Bill Clinton invited Whoopi to host his fiftieth birthday party, I was appalled. I fired off a telegram to the White House saying so. I wrote: "My husband, Officer Daniel Faulkner, was killed in the line of duty. His convicted murderer is Mumia Abu-Jamal. Whoopi Goldberg is on the Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. Do you want someone who supports a convicted cop killer to host your 50th birthday? I know the law enforcement across this country will be appalled." I signed it: "Widow of Officer." Leon Panetta, the President's Chief of Staff, responded this way: "Let me assure you that Ms. Goldberg's participation in the President's birthday does not imply that he endorses her view on this particular matter. . . ." I am just glad that there were no memoirs read at the gala.

When a public figure chooses to support a murderer . . . it is a serious political position that threatens undue meddling in the affairs of other people's lives. Given the importance of this stance, it is therefore shocking to realize how willing people have been to overlook celebrities' support for my husband's murderer and celebrate their stardom without any consideration for their publicly proclaimed principles.

With notable exceptions, this has been the case even in Philadelphia. The most glaring manifestation of this tendency was in 2005 when Philadelphia's elite gathered at the newly minted Kimmel Center to fete Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee with the Marian Anderson Award. It was during this ceremony that Mayor John Street, the very face of Philadelphia, exalted Ossie and Ruby, proclaiming that "they exemplify the power of the artist to change the world. They were among the most vocal Americans in support of the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. They used the power of their roles as critically acclaimed artists to effect change in society in areas where change was most needed."

Shame on you, Mr. Street. Ossie and Ruby were indeed vocal Americans, I do concede. However, short of changing the world for effecting positive change, I only remember Ossie's loud bark as he protested alongside Jesse Jackson in support of Abu-Jamal. I remember his booming assertions as he spoke on Abu-Jamal's behalf at Madison Square Garden. I will never forget Ossie Davis' public pilgrimage to visit Abu-Jamal behind bars. And I will also never forget that it was Ossie who, in 1995, after Governor Ridge signed the death warrant, issued a statement under the letterhead of "Committee to Save Mumia Abu-Jamal" in which he called the fulfillment of the jury sentence "an outrage." I have not forgotten this, Mr. Street. I never will. Why have you?

The TrekMedic adds:

Susan Sarandon is currently filming scenes for the movie "The Lovely Bones" at the Macdade Mall in Ridley Township and drawing a silent nightly protest from local police officers. If you get the chance, go down and show the men in blue your support!

Good Night and Godspeed, Chuck!

Katey's Kafe has a great tribute posting about Officer Charles "Chuck" Cassidy on her blog.

You can see her photo tribute here.

You can hear the homily for Ofc. Cassidy here.

Rest in Peace, Brother,....

Sharon Hill firefighter dies
By STEPHANIE FARR
farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225

Volunteer firefighter Michael Reagan always wanted a tattoo, but he never could decide what to get.

The 19-year-old seemed to have decades left to make that decision. But on Saturday, Rea-gan, a member of the Sharon Hill Fire Department in Delaware County, died at Crozer-Chester Medical Center from injuries he received in a fire Wednesday night.

Some young members of his department immediately knew how to honor their fallen comrade: their own tattoos.

As more than a dozen veterans of the department manned the station yesterday, young volunteers came by, peeling back their fresh bandages and showing off their permanent tributes to Rea-gan.

Some were inked on their arms, others on their calves, but the image was always the same - a black Sharon Hill shield with Reagan's name and the call number of the fire - 286 - in which he lost his life.

Reagan, of Ridley, a criminal-justice major at Delaware County Community College, joined the department more than two years ago. He became the first firefighter in the department to die battling a blaze.

The 2006 Ridley High School graduate had dreamed of becoming a police officer.

In pursuit of his dream, Rea-gan began working part-time with the Ridley Police Department last year, firefighter Michael Galli said.

"He liked to have fun, he was a good kid," Galli said, sitting behind a table overflowing with food and beverage donations from across the county.

"On top of the situation being overwhelming, the donations have been overwhelming," he said. "We've received unbelievable support from the surrounding communities."

Outside of the firehouse under a flag raised at half-staff, a make-shift memorial, replete with

Reagan's firefighting gear, teemed with more than a dozen bouquets of flowers.

Passing strangers stopped in to offer condolences, and firefighters and police officers from across the county have called or stopped by to offer assistance, Galli said.

Joanne Barbine, of Collingdale, left a bouquet of white roses and more than a few tears at the firehouse memorial yesterday. She and Reagan were in the same platoon in fire school at the Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center this year.

"He was the sweetest young guy I ever met, and he had the best smile I've ever seen," Barbine said. "He was dedicated to what he was doing. It's very rare to see young men that dedicated today, and he did it for nothing. He didn't do it for the glory, he did it just because."

The firehouse has become a temporary shrine to the fallen teenager. A black cloth is draped over the place where Reagan once hung his gear, and more than 50 pictures of him are posted throughout the firehouse.

From a photo of a recent trip to the North Carolina shore to a flattering shot of the slim 6-foot-1 firefighter in a sombrero, Reagan seems to be exactly how he describes himself on his MySpace page - "the life of the party."

"He was a goofball," Terre McCann, Sharon Hill's assistant fire chief, said. "Except when we were on a fire. Things changed when you got on the truck. All his clowning stopped, and he became very serious."

Reagan's final call was about 11 p.m. Wednesday, when the department responded to a garage fire on Coates Street.

The fire was almost extinguished when the roof collapsed, trapping Rea-gan under a door. Two other Sharon Hill firefighters also were trapped. Both suffered second-degree burns and were released from the hospital by Saturday. In addition, another firefighter and two police officers suffered minor injuries, for which they were treated and released.

While Delaware County residents mourn the passing of one volunteer firefighter, their prayers remain with Chase Frost, 21, a Parkside firefighter who is in critical condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center since an Aug. 11 blaze.

Frost was burned on more than half his body battling a townhouse fire.

Fellow firefighter Dan Brees, 20, spent 10 days in the hospital before he was released.


The TrekMedic mourns:

All too often we concentrate on those who give their lives overseas to maintain our security and forget those at home who selflessly give of themselves to maintain our safety without consideration of reward or financial gain! Rest easy, bro!