Photo courtesy of Elsie Stevens, 8th PDAC.

The 8th Police District Advisory Council hosted their annual 8th District Police Appreciation Holiday Dinner Saturday, Dec. 3, at the district for three shifts of officers between 10 a.m. that day and 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning

The officers enjoyed additional entrees this year, due to the generosity of area caterers.  Also, as an added touch, the officers were presented with poinsettias courtesy of Lowes for them or their significant others. PDAC member Steve Faunce of Thunderbird Bowling Lanes on Holme Avenue also donated three Family Bowling Packages, which were raffled to an officer representing each of the three shifts. continue reading »

The 8th Police District sent the following burglary alert at 3:30 p.m. Friday:

“Residents of the 8th Police District, this alert is to make you aware of an increase in residential burglaries in the areas of 12000 Abby Road, 12000 Legion Street and 4300 Whiting Road. continue reading »

Gianna Rosati and 8th District Officer Trisha Rosati get a moment to talk. Photo/George Mai

Residents of the 2nd, 7th and 8th Police Districts came together at two separate events Tuesday night for one cause: National Night Out. Communities around the country locked their doors, turned the outside lights on and gathered at neighborhood events to meet with each other, their police officers and community and political leaders.

Below are slideshows from the events in the Northeast. continue reading »

8th District residents and officers enjoyed a barbecue at the 2010 National Night Out event. Photo by Joe DiFlorio.

Update: Community Relations Officer Rudy Muller has provided the times for the mini burglary seminars, which you can find below.

The 8th PDAC will take part in National Night Out once again, marking the 28th annual nation-wide event with a handful of activities to promote community safety.

Tuesday, Aug. 2nd is the night communities around the country will lock their doors, turn on the outside lights and join their neighbors from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for family activities. 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 »

Two men  – one from Olney, one from Port Richmond — face charges for the Friday night incident that resulted in an 8th District officer getting struck and dragged by a car.

Mark Kelly, 38, of the 5900-block of B Street and William Gray, 38, of the 3200-block of Mercer Street were arrested Friday on the 4100-block of Carteret Street, and have been charged with robbery, theft, aggravated assault, simple assault, kidnapping, impersonating a police officer, burglary and criminal conspiracy. continue reading »

Friday – Authorities are investigating the shooting of a man by police early Friday morning in an incident that began outside Aria Health-Frankford. Reports say officers witnessed a car drop off two gunshot victims at the hospital, and the officers decided to follow the car. During a confrontation, officers reportedly shot a suspect near Hawthorne and Pratt streets around 2 a.m. continue reading »

Tonight’s meetings scheduled with the 8th Police District have been canceled due to the tornado warning issued by the National Weather Service.

The following will not take place tonight:

• 6 p.m. Town Hall meeting with Capt. Deborah Kelly
• 7 p.m. PDAC meeting

8th District Capt. Deborah Kelly

Forty percent of burglaries in the 8th Police District are unforced.

It was one of many frank, surprising statements District Capt. Deborah Kelly shared with residents at last night’s Upper Holmesburg Civic Association meeting. Kelly hosts burglary seminars every month, but brought an abbreviated version os the seminar to last night’s meeting.

Burglary, she said, is the third-most common serious crime in the U.S., behind and DUI offenses. Kelly highlighted some of the risks that can make your home burglary-prone and gave tips for prevention. continue reading »

Officers James Boccalupo, James Snyder, Dimitrios Loizos, John Schmidt and John Seymour were honored at 8th District Officers of the Month for April. Photo courtesy of the 8th PDAC.

The 8th Police District’s April PDAC meeting was held on Wednesday, April 6. As usual, the membership came out in great numbers to partner with our police. At this meeting, five police officers were honored with Officer of the Month awards. Presentations were made by PDAC President, Mr. Harry Sonntag, supported by his executive board and TD Bank representatives. continue reading »