Former 15th District Police Office Kenneth Crockett has been sentenced to probation after being convicted in October of stealing from Pat’s Cafe in Northwood.

Crockett was charged in July with stealing $825 from the bar following a police investigation. The Walton Park resident and two other officers were at the bar after an unfounded burglary call nearby. The other officers were cleared. continue reading »

Photo/Philadelphia Police

Police have recovered the body of Judith Franzen, who went missing from her Wissinoming home Jan. 2.

Franzen, 73, was found dead in her neighbor’s garage — on the same block as her own home on the 6200-block of Cottage Street. Northeast Detectives sought help from the public in locating Franzen, who suffered from diabetes and dementia. The investigation continues, but no foul play is suspected in Franzen’s death.

Judith Franzen. Photo/Philadelphia Police

Police in the 15th District continue their search for 73-year-old Judith Franzen.

The Wissinoming woman was last seen Jan. 2 at her home on the 6200-block of Cottage Street, and suffers from diabetes and dementia. She is 4’9″ and weighs 113 lbs. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a red coat, and has green eyes and brown hair.

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Police are looking for carjacking/robbery suspects in the 15th District around Northwood and Juniata.

Meanwhile, the Daily News is looking for Crescentville.

Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, two males fled the Wawa at Castor and Wyoming with items from driver they tried to carjack.

That Wawa is in the 15th District near the Northwood/Juniata border, as resident Mike Ferris pointed out.

The Daily News says the cops are looking for suspects in a Crescentville crime. That’s way across Roosevelt Boulevard and in a different police district  and a different ZIP code. continue reading »

Ramon Rodriguez/image courtesy of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Police in the 15th District are asking for the public’s help in locating a man who went missing last night.

Ramon Rodriguez was last seen just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday at his home on the 4300-block of Penn Street. Authorities say he suffers from schizophrenia. continue reading »

A now-former Philadelphia Police Officer was convicted  Friday of stealing from Pat’s Cafe in Northwood.

Kenneth Crockett was arrested in July 2010 after he was seen on surveillance footage rummaging through the bar’s safe and taking money. Crockett and other officers arrived at the bar after responding to an unfounded burglary call nearby. continue reading »

Police in the 15th District continue to look for the man wanted in connection with an April 7 robbery on the 2800-block of Cottman Avenue.

According to the police report, the man tore a 75-year-old woman’s purse from her arm  after struggling with her to grab the purse. He fled on foot toward Revere Street around 3 p.m. and is still on the loose. The woman’s cash, credit cards, keys and identification cards were in her purse. continue reading »

Police in the 15th District are looking for suspects and more information surrounding two recent incidents.

The first happened June 14 in Wissinoming when a man armed with a knife robbed Lisa & Charlie’s Market at 6017 Torresdale Ave. Authorities are looking for a white male in his 30s, about 5’11″. He was seen in surveillance video wearing a blue T-shirt and three-quarter length blue jeans. He fled on a black bike. continue reading »

Click here for the audio slideshow that accompanies this article.

Burglaries have recently been a hot topic for residents in the Northeast. But what exactly constitutes a burglary? Many confuse the term with theft or robbery.

Burglaries fall under an entirely different category. The term is defined as the act of entering a building with the intent to commit a crime without a weapon.

Last year, there were 2,432 burglaries that took place in the Northeast. The 2nd, 7th, 8th and 15th Police Districts have been making appearances at local civic group meetings to address residents’ concerns.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey was present at the Lawncrest Community Association’s meeting last week, where burglaries was just one of many topics he discussed with residents.

“We’re [the City of Philadelphia] up in burglaries.” he said “A lot of it is residential. There’s some commercial burglaries, so some areas are seeing an upward trend in that. Burglary across the country is not an easy crime to solve. Usually there are no witnesses. Usually there is very little, if any forensic evidence that you can gather at the scene.”

The Philadelphia Police Department’s new interactive Crime Mapping application was created as part of its Incident Transmittal System and gives the public free access to criminal data that is recorded in their neighborhoods. continue reading »

Officers in the 15th District were busy yesterday with two evening crimes in Mayfair and Frankford.

At 6 p.m. officers responded to a robbery report at the First Republic Bank at Frankford at Cottman. Authorities are looking for a white male about 5’8″ with a thin build who was wearing a plaid shirt. The suspect reportedly handed a teller a demand note and fled on foot with $1,500. continue reading »