Crime in Philadelphia

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As with all large cities, Philadelphia has its share of crime. Some aspects of crime in Philadelphia have achieved national attention.^[1] Charles Ramsey, the new police commissioner, has stated his goal to reduce the number of homicides by 100 per year.^[2]

The legal entities responsible for maintaining law and order are: the Philadelphia Police Department, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, and the Philadelphia District Attorney.

Contents 1 Notable cases and incidents 2 Organized crime 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Notable cases and incidents

• Lombard Street Riot (1842) - Three day race riot.
• Philadelphia Nativist Riots (1844)
• Boy in the Box (Philadelphia) (1957) - Unidentified 5 year old boy found dead in a cardboard box.
• Philadelphia 1964 race riot
• Ira Einhorn, "The Unicorn Killer" - Popular figure killed his girlfriend in 1977.
• Mumia Abu-Jamal - Convicted of killing PPD officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981.
• MOVE - Clashed with the PPD in 1978 and 1985.
• Frankford Slasher - Thought to have killed several women from 1985-1990.
• 39th District corruption scandal - Led to overturn of 160-300 cases and release of 100 persons.
• "Philly's Own Bonnie & Clyde" - 2007 and still pending. Couple used identity theft to finance a luxurious lifestyle. ^[3]
• Murder of Police Officer Chuck Cassidy - October 2007
• Murder of Police Officer Stephen Liczbinksi - May 2008

[edit] Organized crime

• Scarfo crime family - An Italian group based in South Philly.
• Black Mafia, Junior Black Mafia - An African-American group.
• Kielbasa Posse - A Polish group based in Port Richmond, Philly.
• Jamaican Posse -
• Irish_Mob#Philadelphia - Among the oldest groups.

[edit] See also

• Crime in the United States

[edit] References

• Crime statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department.
• Down With Crime a project of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

1. ^ Philadelphia sees murder rate of 1 per day
2. ^ Ramsey’s goal: 100 fewer murders a year
3. ^ Philly's Own Bonnie & Clyde story archive

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