These men are wanted in connection with bank robberies in Fox Chase and Rhawnhurst. Images/Philadelphia Police

Police in the 7th and 2nd districts are looking for the suspects in two separate robberies.

The first took place March 13 at the Trumark Financial credit union located at 7306 Castor Ave. around 7:30 p.m. A suspect fled with an undetermined amount of cash after handing the teller a demand note. continue reading »

Residents of the 400-block of Van Kirk Street in Lawncrest hope others will be inspired by their block clean-ups.

This is the second half of a series about PhillyRising and its role in Northeast neighborhoods. The first half was about Frankford.

PhillyRising is relatively new to Lawncrest. Northeast Coordinator Manny Citron said he spent time building connections within the community before launching the program on March 15, 2012.

“When we did our initial mappings for possible PhillyRising neighborhoods, Frankford met all of our standard criteria but we also knew we would expand into Lawncrest,” Citron said.

The selections of neighborhoods for PhillyRising are determined through geographical information systems, which is a computerized mapping program that allows a programmer to build layers of information on top of each other, Citron explained.

“One layer might be property crime, the next layer might be violent crime, the next layer might be litter and so on,” Citron said. “It then generates a heat map to show where you have the most of those occurrences happening at the same time and location. Those areas will show up brightest on the map.”

This section of Lawncrest is correlated to the highest concentrations of community disorder like crime, drug activity, vacant businesses and empty lots within the 2nd Police District. continue reading »

Lt. Tom Tomlin presented crime statistics for the 2nd District’s PSA2 (middle) at Tuesday’s Lawncrest Community Association meeting. Image/Philadelphia Police District Map

With a new crime plan rolling out in the 2nd Police District, Lt. Tom Tomlin appeared at the Lawncrest Community Association meeting Tuesday night armed with stats. And he had some good news.

Sharing numbers from the last 30 days in Police Service Area 2 , Tomlin reported the three aggravated assaults in the area are a “phenomenally low” statistic, and the three stolen vehicles is” actually a very good” number. continue reading »

Police are looking for the man who robbed a Burholme CVS Aug. 6. Surveillance image/Philadelphia Police

For nearly a month, police in the 2nd District have been searching for the suspect who held up a Burholme CVS.

On Aug. 6, an armed man robbed the pharmacy safe at the 7350 Oxford Ave. CVS after he demanded that a pharmacist open the safe for him. continue reading »

Business on and around commercial corridors (like this one in Lawncrest) balance the pros and cons of those avenues' high traffic. Photo/Laura Robb

This is the second of a two-part look at three Northeast Philadelphia business corridors, the areas and around them and how those businesses impact their communities.

A community without businesses is a community failed. Businesses promote employment, provide services or goods and enhance other economic freedoms helping communities to flourish. Typically, these positive outcomes distract residents from any real concern.

However, occasionally businesses can attract the wrong kind of clientele. Amid the shoppers, strollers and neighbors can also be loiterers, criminals and drug dealers.

At June’s Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting in Castor Gardens, Lt. Thomas Macartney of the 2nd Police District spoke about some of the reported problems along Castor Avenue.

“One of the things we’ve been working on is the 6600-block of Castor Ave.,” Macartney said. “Between two stores on the corners at Castor and Magee, there has been some gang-related activity, including residents buying drugs.”

We compared statistics from CrimeReports.com of five blocks each of three commercial corridors in Northeast Philadelphia, examining police reports from Jan. 1 to June 23 of this year to determine how those avenues – all in the 2nd Police District – stack up. continue reading »

Go to the Philadelphia Police Department’s districts web page and what’ll you get?

The first thing you’ll see is a colorful map breaking down the department’s districts and their Police Service Areas. Everything under that hood just received a makeover. continue reading »

Lt. Thomas Macartney of the 2nd District addresses Castor Garden residents at Monday's Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting. Photo/Erin Dungee

At Monday’s Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting in Castor Gardens, a group of 40 met to discuss local affairs at the Max Myers Recreation Center.

Lt. Thomas Macartney of the 2nd District addressed the group, as did  mediator Jonah Roll from the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and Fair Housing Commission.

Jared Solomon, the group’s leader, had a member introduce the group’s mission and began the meeting discussing the bylaws, which are to be voted on July 16th. The meeting’s main topic was the rising tide of drug use in the community.

Macartney addressed the crowd about the 6600-block of Castor Avenue, where it meets with Magee, as being a hotspot for drug sales. continue reading »

A 2nd District police officer and an elderly woman were hospitalized Saturday following a car crash in Lawncrest.

According to reports, the crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. when the officer was en route to a call. Both drivers were injured when the woman, 90, ran a red light near Oxford and Longshore avenues.

They were taken to separate hospitals and are expected to recover.

NEast Links: Bringing you additional Northeast news

The tire slashings in Mayfair aren’t over. After a quiet spell, tires on 10 cars on the 4200-block of Aldine Street were slashed early Monday morning. The slashings began last fall, and thus far, the only arrest has been for what appears to be an isolated incident [CBS3].

Police in the 2nd District are looking for a bank robber who stole cash from the Wells Fargo at 700 block of Adams Ave. Friday. The suspect wore Muslim garb when he handed the teller a threatening note [Philadelphia Police].

What does the Frankford CDC do, and what are its goals? Tracy O’Drain and Michelle Feldman of the Frankford Community Development Corporation explain in the first installment of an interview series [Frankford Gazette].

NEast Links: Bringing you additional Northeast news

A 4-year-old was rushed to the hospital Saturday night after shooting himself in the chest. Authorities say the boy found the gun under his mother’s pillow on the 6200-block of Cardiff Street [CBS3].

Police in the 2nd District are looking for the man who robbed a Burholme bank Thursday. The suspect fled the Citizens Bank at 7248 Rising Sun Ave. after presenting a threatening note to the teller [Philadelphia Police].

Sources within the Philadelphia Fire Department say the dismissal of Deputy Chief  Robert Wilkins is the result of ongoing racial tensions in the department. Initially let go for pleading guilty to – and failing to report to his superior  domestic assault charges, the Rhawnhurst resident is now said to be the scapegoat for Commission Lloyd Ayers’ necessity to prove he will discipline other black firefighters [Philadelphia magazine].