Camden: Half as Safe and Twice as Stupid,......

You know you've f***ed up when your actions make the news all the way up in Cape Cod!!

Camden police and firefighters turn in their gear

CAMDEN, NJ -- In a solemn display, laid-off firefighters and police officers lined up Tuesday to turn in their helmets and badges - symbols of deep budget cuts that were destined to further erode the quality of life in one of the nation's most impoverished and crime-ridden cities.

Nearly half the Camden police force, including civilians, and about one-third of its firefighters lost their jobs as city leaders sought to balance the budget amid falling tax revenue and diminishing aid from the state.

On the sidewalk outside City Hall, 82 police officers lined up their work boots to show how many officers would be taken off the Camden streets, where many neighborhoods have rampant drug dealing and violence.

As officers staged the display, a woman riding by in a car yelled out the window that she was worried about the safety of her granddaughter, who catches a school bus before dawn, and her grandson, who doesn't get out of basketball practice until after dark.

"I'm 52 years old and scared to death," she said. The woman wouldn't give her name, saying she didn't want to be a target.

This is the REAL Gambling in Philadelphia,.....

Philadelphia Cuts Police, Fire Services

Money problems in the city of Philadelphia could soon affect the number of police officers on your street or whether or not the fire station near home remains open.

The fire department takes an approximate $3.5 million hit. That will be accomplished by cutting back on the OT and “rolling station closures” This means up to 4 firehouses each week will take turns being closed for one day.

So, with all that tax amnesty money recently collected -why is the money going to be given to libraries as opposed to the police or fire department?

Basically, the Mayor says that everyone is feeling the pain. More cuts may come down the pipes, depending on pending labor union negotiations and if the Federal government does not come through on Medicaid funding.

When You Disarm a Populace,....

2 police officers stabbed in Calgary interview room
Attacker was victim of police shooting last year

A veteran Mountie is expected to recover from serious stab wounds after he and a fellow investigator were attacked in the Calgary office of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team on Tuesday.

The late-morning stabbing occurred at the J.J. Bowlen Building, a former courthouse on Seventh Avenue S.W. that now houses ASIRT, the provincial agency that investigates serious cases of death or injury involving police officers.

Sgt. Andrew Johnson, a plainclothes RCMP officer assigned to ASIRT, had escorted a man who showed up without an appointment into an interview room, said Clifton Purvis, head of ASIRT.

While scuffling with the man, the Calgary police officer suffered a knife wound to his hand. He was treated at the scene.

The Mountie, who was stabbed three times in the upper torso, was taken to the Foothills Hospital in serious, life-threatening condition. He underwent surgery and is scheduled for a second operation.


And how did THIS happen in one of the most gun-controlled societies in the West??

Gunman kills at least five in Cumbria rampage

At least five people have been killed and 25 injured after a gunman opened fire in west Cumbria.

A body, thought to be that of the suspect - taxi driver Derrick Bird - has been found in the Boot area of the Lake District.

The first fatality was in Whitehaven before the gunman drove south, apparently shooting people at random.

Prime Minister David Cameron told the House of Commons at least five people had been killed.

He said the country's thoughts were with those families who had lost loved ones.

Witnesses said the suspect drove through the town with a gun hanging out of his car window, before heading south through Gosforth and Seascale before turning inland.

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.

How Many Times Do You Need To Be Told?

STOP SHOOTING AT POLICE OFFICERS!!!

Shooting adds to police resolve
Department to keep focus on east part of the city
by Susan Reimer
Baltimore Sun

An early Sunday morning shooting that left two police officers injured and a suspect dead is the latest stain on a part of the city trying to improve its image after a dozen people were shot at a barbecue last summer.

The latest incident occurred after three officers, making a traffic stop, thought they smelled drugs. They were in the process of arresting the car's three occupants when the driver grabbed a gun from his car and fired at them - wounding one in the finger and another in a cheek.

An exasperated Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III didn't mince words when he referred to the shooting suspect as an "idiot."

"These guys are walking and riding around the streets of Baltimore armed," the commissioner said. "They pose an incredible danger to all of us."


If you didn't believe in Darwinism before now, this should be proof enough!

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."

Justice Served

Officer Cassidy’s killer now faces death penalty

By Joseph A. Slobodzian
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

John "Jordan" Lewis, the baby-face North Philadelphia man whose string of six armed robberies ended with the Halloween 2007 slaying of Police Officer Chuck Cassidy, was found guilty of first-degree murder Thursday by a Philadelphia jury.

The 12 jurors deliberated about 2 1/4 hours before returning their decision shortly after 4 p.m. The forewoman - the first juror selected Nov. 4 - announced the verdict in a loud, strong voice without hesitation.

The standing-room-only courtroom crowd had been warned not to visibly react, and the room was silent except for the congratulatory sound of hands slapping shoulders.

The jury will return to the Criminal Justice Center this morning to begin hearing evidence about whether Lewis, 23, should be put to death by injection or spend his life in prison with no chance of parole.

The jury will hear evidence of aggravating factors in the murder of Cassidy, 54, that justify a death sentence or mitigating factors in Lewis' character or background that warrant a life term.

If the jury cannot reach a decision, Lewis will get life in prison.

Why We Should Have a "DeCoatsworth" Award for Ballsy Policework

Hero Police Officer Fires At Suspects
Police: Men On Motorcycle Tried To Run Him Down

PHILADELPHIA - A decorated Philadelphia police officer, once wounded in the line of duty, fired his gun at suspects in the city's Kensington section, authorities say.

It happened around 8:38 p.m. Tuesday on the 2000 block of E. Haggert Street.

Police said two males on a motorcycle tried to run down Officer Richard DeCoatsworth during a pursuit.

Police said DeCoatsworth fired one shot, hitting one of the suspects in the leg. The male was transported to Hahnemann University Hospital in serious condition.

Police said the second suspect, who tried to get away, was caught hiding out at his mother's house and is now in custody.

DeCoatsworth had garnered public attention when he was hit in the face by a shotgun blast during a car stop in October 2007.

He made news again in April when a man lunged for DeCoatsworth's gun and it went off during a struggle, wounding the man. The man ran off and was fatally shot by other officers in another confrontation.

DeCoatsworth has also received the Philadelphia Police Department's Medal of Valor Award.

The officer will be off the street while Tuesday night's shooting is investigated, per police department policy.

Funny, but True,...

Credit to Seth at EMTBravo.net

Gotcha!!!

A little respite for The Thin Blue Line!

Abu Jamal Denied A New Trial

US Supreme Court Affirms Prior Ruling
By MICHAEL P. TREMOGLIE, The Bulletin
Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The United States Supreme Court yesterday rejected convicted cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal’s petition for a new trial.

Mr. Abu Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982 for the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in December 1981.

Mr. Abu Jamal’s attorneys sought to obtain a new trial for their client on the grounds that black jurors had been unfairly excluded from his trial. In March 2008, a three-judge panel of the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld Mr. Abu Jamal’s conviction and refused to order a new trial; however, it voided his death sentence. The court overturned his death sentence after it found the jury received flawed instructions during his trial’s penalty phase.

Since his conviction, there has been a campaign both in the United States and Europe to have Mr. Abu Jamal freed.

Marxist groups such as the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, which recently issued held a rally supporting the killer of four Oakland, Calif., police officers, has supported Mr. Abu Jamal, as has the Communist Workers World Party. Actor Ed Asner has been among the more famous of Mr. Abu Jamal’s supporters.

Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham expressed relief yesterday after she learned about the Supreme Court decision.

“This means that Mumia Abu Jamal’s murder conviction stands, and he lost his appeal. The Third Circuit’s opinion that he received a fair trial is affirmed,” Ms. Abraham said in a statement. “It is a pity that Maureen Faulkner had to go through the last 26 years to hear what she knew from the beginning: that Jamal murdered her husband, Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, in cold blood.”

Joey Vento, owner of Geno’s Steaks, who has been at the forefront of a campaign to ensure that Mr. Abu Jamal serves his original sentence, expressed mixed emotions after hearing of the decision.

“ It’s good, but now the guy should be executed. He should have been executed before,” he said. “I’m glad that he lost his appeal, but now he will just write some more books, make more speeches and have more streets named after him.”

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is seeking to reimpose the death penalty, and its petition asking the United States Supreme Court restore Mr. Abu Jamal’s death sentence is still pending.

Michael P. Tremoglie can be contacted at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us

Captain Obvious? Call on Line 2,...

Judge calls officer's alleged killer a "terrorist"

By Vernon Clark
Inquirer Staff Writer

A municipal court judge yesterday branded the accused killer of Officer John Pawlowski as "a domestic urban terrorist" who "ambushed" police officers responding to a call.

In a courtroom nearly filled with police officers and friends and relatives of Pawlowski, who was slain Feb. 13, Judge Patrick Dugan then ordered Rasheed Scrugs held for trial, which he scheduled for April 16.

Scrugs, 33, is charged with murder, attempted murder, robbery and related charges in connection with the death of Pawlowski, 25, who was shot when he intervened in an attempted robbery.

For the first time, officers on the scene gave a detailed account of the deadly confrontation, with one saying he fired at least 10 shots toward Scrugs.

Pawlowski's widow, Kim, who is pregnant, sat in the front row of the courtroom with relatives and wept throughout the hearing. Several ranking police officials were present, and uniformed police officers lined both sides of a long hallway leading to the courtroom.

Four witnesses, including Pawlowski's partner, Officer Mark Klein, identified Scrugs as the gunman as they testified about the shooting at Broad Street and Olney Avenue.

Klein said that he and Pawlowski were responding to a report of a man with a knife when they arrived at the scene and saw hack taxi driver Emmanuel Ceser, who identified Scrugs as the man who had been harassing him and trying to take his money.

"I noticed the defendant walking backwards with his eyes on me and John," Klein testified. "John said, 'I want to see your hands.' "

Klein said that Scrugs then fired out a handgun from his right jacket pocket and that Pawlowski "was standing and then basically collapsed."

Klein testified that he started dragging Pawlowski toward their patrol car and that Scrugs then began firing at Officer Stephen Mancuso, who arrived as backup, "and that's when he came around and fired at me."

"I basically fired until the defendant dropped," Klein said, adding that he fired about 10 shots.

Assistant District Attorney Edward McCann said Pawlowski was felled by three gunshots, one to the right chest, a graze wound to the right arm and one shot to the back.

Mancuso testified that as he drove to the scene, he saw Pawlowski and Klein facing Scrugs.

"I looked and saw a male standing there. John and Mark were walking toward the male and I saw a muzzle flash. . . . I saw John kind of tense up and fall to the ground."

Mancuso said that he fired three shots at Scrugs and that he saw "muzzle flashes" coming from Scrugs.

He said he then saw Scrugs fall to the ground on the Broad Street median.

During a break in the testimony, Scrugs fell to the floor in the doorway of a holding area as he was being led from the courtroom. He accused court officers of pushing him down. (Wa-a-a-a! Little p***y!)

In his testimony, Ceser, the taxi driver, said that Scrugs had slammed him against a newsstand, grabbed at a chest-level pocket on Ceser's jacket where he kept his money and asked, "How much did you make today?"

Ceser said he walked across Broad Street and called police.

He said Scrugs confronted him again. "He told me if I called the cops, he would shoot me and the cops."

Rubbing More Salt Into the Wounds

As usual, The Thin Blue Line gets screwed by the media!

As many know, the Bitter American has had a long-standing feud with that non-Inquirer paper that actually smells worse than the fish its not worth wrapping.

You'd think during these times when our police officers have become moving targets for street thugs, they'd get SOME F**KING SUPPORT for their efforts.

No, gentle readers. Instead, they get this kind of hatchet job:


Posted on Sat, Feb. 21, 2009

Cop fatally shoots man who wouldn't put hands up

By DAVID GAMBACORTA
Philadelphia XXXXX XXXX

gambacd@phillynews.com 215-854-5994

(no link attached per blog policy)


Sounds like the police did something seriously egregious, right?

Wrong! Hold your breath, pinch off your nose and read further:

A Philly cop fatally wounded a gun-toting robbery suspect in Kensington Thursday night in a scene eerily similar to the events that led to Officer John Pawlow-ski's death, police said.

"They asked him repeatedly to remove his hands from his pockets, which he did not," Vanore said.

Instead, the suspect inched toward the officers and suddenly removed a .380-caliber handgun from his pocket. Vanore said one of the officers opened fire, striking the suspect once.

The suspect, whose name was not released, was taken to Temple University Hospital. He died about 1:30 a.m. yesterday, Vanore said.

"It was similar to what happened to Officer Pawlowski," Vanore said. "Luckily, they came out on top this time."

Oh,...so the asshole didn't raise his hands when directed by the police, BECAUSE HE HAD A GUN IN HIS POCKET.

Last time that happened, Officer Pawlowski was gunned down in cold blood.

Why didn't you say that in the first place?

Because it made the police look bad and plays to the paper's market: the same classhole thugs who think its OK to shoot at police officers.

No wonder Philly Media is going bankrupt! Tierney, you're a classless tool! APOLOGIZE to LODGE 5, NOW!

A Little Cause and Effect,...

In a simplistic way, the recent assault on Philadelphia's police officers is the result of the thug culture on the streets, perpetuated by Radio Air Polluters and general life detritus that make money selling shirts emblazoned with slogans like these:




So it follows that maybe someone, like the FOP, ought to be passing along shirts and fliers emblazoned with this more-successful encounter (HT to Katey's Kafe):



Maybe someone will FINALLY get the hint?

Rubbing Salt Into the Wound,.....

Y'know,..I'm usually proud to be a Philadelphian. I was raised on stories of how our country was founded here. I grew to be proud at throwing snowballs at Santa Claus and gleefully cheering every Philadelphia sports victory over New York.

We never had riots in the '60s to the extent that we saw in New York and Los Angeles. Even when the bedrock of our economy - the manufacturing sector - left us, we managed not to descend into the living hell that is Detroit.

But not anymore!

Not after seeing THIS VIDEO! (Click the 2/23/09 edition)

I'm sick. I mean WTF??

No! That's not enough! Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot doesn't even express my rage, so let's just say it:

WHAT THE F**K?????

7 Philadelphia Police officers killed in the last 15 months! Many had their last rites performed just a few scarce blocks away at the Basilica of SS Peter & Paul.

That means 100s of visiting LEOs, who traveled to Philadelphia to pay the last respects, were shown who the Quakers think are our "real" heroes are?

Its a disgrace!

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.

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.